S2 AYB tuning

[Christophski]

The one on Piston heads is owned by a forum member, Sean. Hes a real nice guy and has taken care of his car. he's moving back to S.Africa I think so has genuine reason for sale otherwise I knwo he had big plans for this car. This one is defo worth a look as he has spent lots of money on getting this right.

[Pervert_for_boost]

The only problem I have with it is the cat d part. Although I can believe it was minor and no issues now it's always the resale factor. Though may not be as critical on a older car like these? Although well maintained, do you not think the engine may want for more due to wear?

[Sonic]

If you're going to be rebuilding for 500bhp you're going to be pulling it all apart and replacing key parts of it anyway, so i wouldn't be worried about a few extra miles.

In terms of the overall project my recommendation would be to get the key bits done before turning your attention to the engine power...

Brakes - 996 monos, rs4/rs6 8-pot brembos and i think the 996 gt3 are all popular depending on requirements and budget. The rear on the coupe is a bit more tricky, there is a fairly plug-and-play 280mm disc but i'd be looking more into the monoblock setups to balance with the front.

Alloys - You'll be wanting something 17 or 18" depending on what brakes you fit.

Suspension - IMO (having done them all) i'd be getting coilovers, something like KW V1 or V3's if you want the flexibility. This will cope with the extra braking force and mean you can set it up for both comfort and drive-ability on the road and track. You might want to do something with the antiroll bars and you'll also want solid mounts (engine, gearbox, diff) and poly bushes all round to update and refresh everything.

Exhaust - A 3" stainless turbo-back de-catted setup would be ideal and cope with the power, possibly with a rear silencer included with the back-box if you want a more subtle noise or want to get on tracks with tighter noise regs. The exhaust manifold will also need to be changed, so look at the Wagner kit.

Clutch - You'll want to look at desired peak torque and pick something to match. I run a Southbend Stage 3+ Endurance which copes with 600Nm very well but there are many popular alternatives. Single/dual mass is an age-old discussion depending on what you want, but i think SM would be better for the amount of power.

Inlet - Stock isn't going to cope with the power. I've got the RS2 airbox with an RS4 MAF but even that must be reaching its limitations. Again you'll also want to check out the Wagner kit and fit a bigger intercooler and likely the reverse inlet manifold.

And for the engine... Sounds like you're set on the turbo. To get the best and do a proper job you'd be getting the head rebuilt, ported and polished (speak to JP @ JNLRacing), the block checked out and re-honed, possibly more if there were any issues, new rings and rods to cope with that extra torque. Stock ABY cams would be good but you might want to look at alternatives depending on what you want and you might look at fitting a more capable catch-tank system. Then it's just the ECU remap and Bob's your mothers brother

[Cottis]

Possibly might need a little attention due to wear but also a good chance it is completely fine. At least it has been used consistently. The other one (despite being a lush colour) has been on and off for sale for a long time. I have seen other threads about this car saying it might need attention also.

I would go with the forum members car. It gives you a 1500quid head start to begin with and also looks in fine fettle. Ignoring the engine initially, the rest of the car is going to have to be up to scratch to handle the power you are talking of. On the subject, if you are doing 500bhp work, resale value is something that would be hurt long term. By that I mean standard stock cars tend to fetch more. With that in mind, if you are deffo going the bigger tuning route (and fair play to you) then I would not worry too much about the Cat D part, as long as it can be proven what happened, the repairs that happened and the relevant paperwork checking out.

Or, wait a bit longer for another Coupe to come along. They tend to be like buses. You wait ages and then....

There was a chap on here, was it Clive who had a really nice black one. That was for sale and i cannot recall if it ever sold. Try looking through the older for sale ads on this forum to see if some older cars ever went unsold. The nature of the beast is that it is very difficult to sell these and people sometimes let them sit around if they dont sell in a month or two. The market audience is so small that this happens quite alot. Maybe worth a try and could possibly broaden your search which is no bad thing.

Also might be worth coming for a ride in a members car to see what a good one is like so you can compare. I am in Oxfordshire, so a trek for you but I would take you for a spin if you are ever over this way.

[GazzaG60]

gut feeling is a big part in cars. many go through lots of say mk2 golfs. the reality is its not about hoarding but finding the car you feel is right not what somebody else says is right.

if you dont like cat d stay away.

i must say id want a clean one so to speak. for me, not the next owner.

[GazzaG60]

what sonic says is all pretty much there. i ran vems so no maf to worry about. head was stock. at 2bar ish it felt like it was towards its limit. that was on a pretty large turbo. bigger than 3071. stock inlet is good for 400.
personally i dont think the airbox works over 400hp. its filter time. usually the airbox wont fit with the proper turbos either.

3" at least is the way. no cat also. just remember the mot man though.

suspension is down to roads. sonic lives in nice road land (i think, culd be wrong)compared with us town dwellers. i ran koni shocks and springs. was great. speak to bambridge re engine mounts and bushes. locking down the subframes and poly on the arms makes the world of difference to the s2 which is pretty vague on steering.