DC5R - S2000. Joining the crew

[jdm.itr]

Looking good out there! Looks like circuit club winton was a s2000 car owners day ;P

Thanks man, yeah it was haha, we organised some of the close Vic S2k group to go.

I know a guy called Todd who would have loved that Ben fanboy experience!

Nice work Huy. Hopefully your next trackday will be dry

Haha, i can see why he would be a fanboy now, was a very good experience! Thanks Shak

Good stuff Huy, time to do a dry day at winton with us on the 29/30 of Aug

Yes very keen on a dry day now, 29th?

[Toddxxx]

I know a guy called Todd who would have loved that Ben fanboy experience!

Nice work Huy. Hopefully your next trackday will be dry

Haha at the last exe day I did a session in his car with him shak :P

Sucks about the rain man. I was going to come down for this track day but bailed because of potential rain haha
It seems I made the right choice.
Hopefully it's dry the next time you head out and I might even see you in November

[jdm.itr]

DC5R - S2000. Joining the crew

September Update

Starting the update with a Video, this was a couple laps to show how wet it really was out there at the Circuit Club day, surprisingly though as you can see in the video, i thought i would be fighting with the car all day but surprisingly not much oversteer, just needed to make sure i was patient with the throttle, which i failed when it counted on my PB lap at the end of the video HAHA

After the Circuit Club day I was having some mechanical issues, the car was making a loud ticking noise and most of us were unsure why, especially as i recently changed the TCT to a brand new TODA. So i decided to leave this problem with the experts, as i potentially thought it may have been a bigger issue than just the TCT.
The car sat for a while as I turned my attention else where for a while. Some of you might not know, but honestly the first car that i wanted was actually an EM1, this would’ve been a smart option allowing me to save a bit of money as well as having a car that i wanted, but as you guys have read i found the JDM DC5R and the rest is history haha. Despite going that route and now owning my S2000, i still think about that car haha.
So the time came for my girlfriend to buy her first car, she was initially looking at a FN2R (yes, she drives manual ), but she only wanted a white FN2, but that was hard to find as there were only 200 or so made in Aus. I decided to sway her to picking something cheaper that she can just drive around for now and buy the FN2 later in life. We started looking at some cheap EG and EK civics until eventually we stumbled across an EM1.
The car exterior wise was perfect and in mint condition, but mechanically, long story short sounded like a WRX. Well we negotiated a steal of a price and I persuaded her it was worth the investment to buy and engine swap it. After buying it I sourced out another motor and along with my good friend David, who knows EM1’s inside out, swapped the motor. This was a massive learning experience for me and I’m glad that i did it. Well enough with that for now, more updates on that later.

Now back to my S2000, while i was parked a photographer left his details on my windshield and asked for me to feature in his blog, i was more then happy to oblige. Shoot turned out a lot better then expected. I’ve always wanted to have a shoot next to the beach so i decided to go there. At first we couldn’t get close to the beach or water as it was blocked off, but a nice man from the council decided to remove the bollard for us to go onto the deck near the sand, and well the photos speak for themselves. One of the best locations i could get




And a shot from a recent meet



I was going interstate for a mini holiday so while i was gone, why not get my car sorted. So i dropped my car off with Steve at MSC to give it a good mechanical check over to see how it’s performing. I also had some AP2 retainers and cotters to chuck in as they are essential for AP1’s, they are prone to cracking very easily and if they aren’t replaced in time could lead to huge head aches in the future.

A week later i got the car back and was honestly waiting for some bad news, until he called me and actually said the car is running fine just a couple minor things that could be changed in the future. At this point I’m not gonna lie, there was a track day the next day. I was in two minds about going to this day as I didn’t want to push the car again till i knew everything, mechanically, was good. So when he told me that i decided to sign up last minute and do a little prep since my last track day was only a couple of weeks ago.

Also my friend was coming to watch me and offered to tow me to winton which i thankfully agreed because the 3 hour drive can be daunting for driver and car.

Was so excited to see that there was 100% no forecast rain for the day, so much infact, i got there before the gates even opened and was the first there.

When i got in i managed to save some garage spots for the other s2000 guys that were on the way, we were expecting a pretty big turnout because of the weather and the fact that it was actually a Seeker Cup day, which saw some of Melbourne’s best cars on the track.
Since this was my first dry track day with the S2000, i set my self a realistic and achievable goal. My previous car gave me a PB of 1:45.7 so for the day i really just wanted to beat that.
First session out first lap out, i managed to get a 1:45.1! On my first LAP! I was so surprised and happy with how the car handled because i honestly wasn’t even pushing yet and I achieved that time. Ended the session with a mid 1:44.

Next session i decided to grow some balls as i was still using the braking lines from my previous wet track day and easing on the power too slowly. From being that little bit more aggressive i managed to pull into the 1:43’s, which already exceeded my expectations for the day.

Third session i tried using 3rd gear on corner exit instead of 2nd, as i was getting a little bit of wheel spin in 2nd. To be honest it felt slower as the car revved in 3rd but to my amazement i PBed again. This time with constant laps of low 1:43 and a new PB of 1:42.7

I was honestly so happy at this stage that i almost called it a day. To this point I’ve been running my car on the track like i do on the street, Front dampers on full and tyre pressures, i didn’t even know what they were at. I said to myself i wouldn’t start playing with dampers and tyre pressures till i reached a point in my driving where I was doing consistent laps. Which i did in the last session. So therefore i got some tips from the guys and dropped my front dampers and also my tyre pressures from 39 psi hot, to 35psi.
With these changes i actually noticed the car had way less understeer which helped so i could accelerate out of the corners much earlier rather then waiting for the car to straighten up. For this session i spent most of the time following my mate Charbz and Tony who were both in the 1:41 mark and on ADO8R tyres. Doing this i achieved a 1:42.2, which is my new PB and i couldn’t be happier.

Next post is a video of the lap (not allowed 2 videos in one post haha), i was a little shattered as i know there was a 1:41 lap in there but i went a little wide on the first S bend as you can see in the video and didn’t get on the power as quickly as i usually do. Either way i was extremely happy with the day as my car exceeded my expectations. As i was running used 3 year old Bridgestone RE11, i didn’t think they would be able to match some of the guys AD08R’s but it defiantly put up a good fight for the amount of money i paid for them. Critical criticism is welcome guys
Big thanks to Justin Lim for the trackday photos

After trying to get up the trailer to head home i realised i had no front brakes. The pads had been completely chewed up, down to metal so I’m very lucky i decided to stop when i did. As soon as i got home i swapped them over for some Ferodo’s and now the car is running perfect again and back to daily mode.
Next couple of updates will be exterior wise as some lady decided to reverse into my freshly painted ASM front bar. I was annoyed at first but when she agreed to cover the cost I was happy to know that a new bar as well as my long awaited lip is in the works

On top of the new front end i also have another piece in the works that shall be finished soon, and I’m extremely excited about it. After these next couple mods are on the car, I will be driving it a lot less to make sure the car is kept in pristine condition to be enjoyed in the summer and as I’m going Japan at the end of the year i have to direct my funds elsewhere
And finally woke up to this today, defiantly the most likes I’ve ever gotten before haha

[jdm.itr]

[dustinyo]

Where's the updates Huy? :P

[plAythiNG]

That's sick as with the jdm dash and tabley.... got any details on the install?

[plAythiNG]

i like young boys

[jdm.itr]

May Update

Wow where has the time gone, its been ages since my last post. Unfortuntately there hasn't been too many updates with my car as life has gotten in the way and I've been so occupied with other things, so ill continue onto October, 2015.
Got my ASM front Lip and Bar painted and fitted. The car is finally looking clean and exactly the way i wanted it to, wouldnt change a thing. I just sat there for a while after fitting it staring haha.


As you might of seen in my previous posts I was planning a holiday to Japan, which I got caught up with and worked my ass off to save up for the trip. That brings us to Nov 1, 2015. 100mm, one of Melbournes best car shows was on this year in the city so after work I decided to go check it out. Being stupid and not realising there was a police blitz going on that particular weekend and the S2000 being my daily, I walked straight into this one. Minding my own business driving into the CBD when I saw a white Holden following me closely and sure enough with my luck, it was a HWP officer. Long story short I got defected. Too pissed off i didnt even end up going to 100mm even though it was 1 minute away, I was just too annoyed and went straight home.

So this got me thinking, with Japan only weeks away i didnt have the funds or time to be dealing with more defects. So once again I made one of the biggest mistakes by selling my TE37SL's. As you guys have been reading these wheels are my all time favourite and it took me ages to find the perfect set, but at this point in my life i had to let them go so i could find a more dailyable setup. Along with that I also sold my TI Js Racing 70rs, sad times.
Bye bye TE37s


So the search continued to find something that still looks good, is fuctiontal fitment but not sticking out of the guards. Decided to test my friends 18x10+40 CE28s. Loved how the mag blue looked on the black but unfortunately the rears were poking a tad, so crossed it off the list.

Next up was a set of Regas, 17x9 +38. I loved these, they sat perfectly inside the guards and looked good also which ticks every box. My only issue was that they were white, which i havent had too much luck with in the past. After running them for a while i decided i couldnt purchase them as they were just a little out of my budget, thanks again to Dean for letting me borrow them.

Finally we've gotten to Japan, i wont waste your time with this, but seriously if youre a car enthusiats you should go, it exceeded my expectations and changed my perspective on travelling. I'll leave you with some photos, enjoy

Not the best timing, especially after just coming back from Japan, but heading into the end of 2015 i was now un employed. I tried desperately to find something, anything but most places already hired their christmas casuals so i was un employed for quite some time. Heading into 2016 it wasnt looking any better so i even considered selling the car, but instead i just sold off little parts here and there. Luckily enough in Feb i finally got a job at Crown Melbourne as a dealer. So as you probably guessed not much changed with my car. Even though i havent tracked since August last year I was still heading out everytime i could to watch some of my mates, which kept me motivated enough to keep wanting to come back. So first mod for a while was a Cusco Brake Stopper, theres been heaps of reviews on this that helps reduce flex in the firewall and maintain good pedal feel. Next up after months of searching it was finally time to purchase some wheels. Decided I should go to a 18" setup so i can run a wider setup since my guards should be able to clear it. These came up on a private sale and i snapped them up straight away.
18x9 + 35 RE30's. Extremely happy with the fitment on these, inside the guards, black so it didnt attract attention and being 18s it raised my car a little so now I'm legal height

Next up was a 70mm BYP Single Titanium Exhaust, got this for a steal off a mate and i love the aggresive tone it gives off, J's was just not aggressive enough for me. Being the poor guy i am, saw a rep Spoon wing pop up, so thought what the hell, i need a wing for track and knowing me theres no way I'd pay 1k+ for a genuine J's or Voltex. Don't get me wrong i try run as many Genuine parts as i can like i have, but i also like to save where i can

Finally my last part of this update has been something I've been working on for a year, well not really I've just been lazy. I bought a rep mugen hardtop quite some time ago but just never got the chance to respray it. My friend Riz, whos also on this forum decided to copy my colour and repray his car an OEM Subaru Black with gold pearl. Which kind of helped me out too because i could save money on the paint. So off it went to paint.

Will be picking it up this week and test fitting it to see how bad the fitment is
I was beginning to gather some parts and fluids to prep my car for H Nationals 2016 in July. It's an event i have been looking forward to back in 2013 when it was at Winton. Why is it special to me? Well it was the event that decided which path i wanted to go on with my car. It made me realise that i want a car that i can still enjoy on the street but also go to the track on the weekend and then drive all the way back to continue daily duties. It's the event that inspired me and i said to myself one day when it's on again i will make myself go. Sure there are plenty of other track days i can go to, but its just not the same. On the other hand it may look like that dream isnt going to come true as i recieved an email back that i am on the waiting list. So as of now until i get that email that i made it, all plans with the car are on hold. I hope to come back with an update soon that i made it and can continue with the updates, thanks for reading this lengthy post!




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[dustinyo]

Finally an update. Cars looking good! Keep it up


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[ryzz]

It's Subaru Java Black Pearl, get it right man .


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[butter]

Glad you hired out the NSX in Japan. Looks like you really had fun!

[chaumeh]

Awesome update dude. Glad to hear you kept the car despite the curveballs.

So many ClubITR members have been to Japan! what car things would you recommend to see and do?

Didn't realise Riz's DC2R was the same colour as yours until you mentioned it lol.

[jdm.itr]

Glad you hired out the NSX in Japan. Looks like you really had fun!

It was one of the best things ive ever done, im sure you know the feeling haha
Will most likely be back end of this year

Awesome update dude. Glad to hear you kept the car despite the curveballs.

So many ClubITR members have been to Japan! what car things would you recommend to see and do?

Didn't realise Riz's DC2R was the same colour as yours until you mentioned it lol.

I did quite a lot of car oriented things, so list is long but I'll give you a few, think theres a thread on ClubITR about things to do in Japan.
But for me fun2drive, Tatsumi P.A, Daikoku Futo, Tsukuba Circuit and Fuji Speedway are a must see/do for car enthusiasts visiting Japan.
Yeah a lot of people dont realise my car is in fact a custom colour because its never clean enough to see the gold pearls haha, Melbourne weather makes me lose motivation with cleaning it haha.