Originally Posted by Stanky19

Based on driving these two cars similarly modded and actually being in your exact position not too long ago, hopefully this advice can give some insight.

Stock to stock, S2000 is in my opinion what i would pick just based on driving aspect/pleasure. I come from a Pro formula car racing background, and the weight of the Z is what holds it back. As the power mods start being applied, the Z takes leaps foward where you only get a few feet in the S2000. My buddy has a white AP1 with a hardtop, Kw v3 (with corner balance), in's and outs that maybe add 10 whp at most with alot of noise. My car is an 06 with Hks coils, (soon to be hotchkis sways) ins and outs somewhere around the 260 whp range. Handling wise, i think only once my Z is corner balanced, the weight reduction i plan to do and the sway bars are added to "free up" the car a bit, will the Z even be comparable to the modded S2k. A corner balanced S has a very linear breakaway (more so than the Z's i've driven, one with Kw v3's, hotchkis ways and corner balance as well) and overall just feels like a gokart, loads of fun to drive and slide around!!!!

However,

considering you're going to DD these cars as am I, I chose the Z for it's extra space and comfort. Sure it's not as crisp as an S, but with proper mods and weight watching you can get damn close. Plus you have the ability to blow them away on the street or straight away. I am 6' and the S without the hardtop mod felt uncomfortably small. If you are planning to get a hard top, i advise you to check one out, my buddy's car has a recaro which is a bit lower than stock height and with the hardtop it makes the cabin worlds bigger than the stock one i've been in and around.

Also look at the AP2 S2k (03-current). The 1-2 shift grind, noisey flywheel and lack of torque were attended to by honda as well as a new front sway bar that is supposed to rid the car of the stock suspension nervousness everyone complains about in those earlier models. Never driven one personally tho. The Ap1's are seen as the more raw, racey ones to drive, where as Ap2's are more happy of the 2 on the street.


Having said that,
S2k = More fun to drive aggressively but is questionable for DD. Best as a weekend racer (or that's how i'd have it)

350Z = Better for day to day convenience and straight away/street driving with some aggressive mountain driving but not expecting a full out race car.

Originally Posted by 06g35meister

you in KC, i love sadlers if yyoure talking about that!!!

Originally Posted by HadesMR

I drove an Evo 8, a 350Z (modded suspension), an S2000, a Porsche Carrera, and my tracked out '91 MR2 Turbo and I think the best handling car there, with STOCK suspension, was the S2000. Not to mention it was an AP1, things have changed since, for the better of course.

Reasons why I am getting a 350Z though:
I don't have to go out and purchase a $5,000 roof for my god damn car...
I don't have to worry about coming outside in the morning and finding my soft-top has been sliced open and my seats are gone, oh it also rained all night so what IS left of my interior is SOAKED... eff that.
If I find a kid with his little EG Hatch Civic with Black/Red S2K seats in it I'll probably cut his head off and go to jail...
350Z's make more power, a lot more power, stock... and considering you're playing with a six banger, well, it'll be easier to make more power.
I love the way both cars look. Boosted AP1's are vicious but I've sat in a twin turbo 350Z and that was a nice ride too, was about an even race but the Z had less work done than the S2K.

Oh and to all the ignorant morons who "lol" and "Hahaha" at Hondas and other car companies because they're so utterly proud of the fact they bought a Nissan, just ignore them man, they're on all forums, all over the internet.
Hondas are mostly ranked on because of 15 year old kids who slap a Cherry Bomb muffler and an APC intake and go to hang outs and try people in their automatic, D16 powered Civics.

I have a '93 Civic Hatch with a K20 in it, barely any work done to the motor, that will eat most people's 350's on this forum, believe it or not... and probably mostly the ones who just "OMG LOL HE SAID HONDA!1!!!1!11!!"

It's your choice in the end man, handling I'd go with the S2K, power, the 350Z. Looks... the S2000 looks like a car a really young person would drive, the 350Z looks more luxurious yet sporty as hell at the same time. The few mods you listed would benefit the Z more simply because headers/exhaust/intake don't do crap for a 4-cylinder, not even a high N/A horsepower 4-cylinder like the S2K's come with... the 6 cylinder would make a lot more power, and, how can I put it... the mod-to-power ratio benefits the Z, in my opinion.

Anyway, that's my .02 cents. Choose wisely.

Originally Posted by HadesMR

I drove an Evo 8, a 350Z (modded suspension), an S2000, a Porsche Carrera, and my tracked out '91 MR2 Turbo and I think the best handling car there, with STOCK suspension, was the S2000. Not to mention it was an AP1, things have changed since, for the better of course.

Reasons why I am getting a 350Z though:
I don't have to go out and purchase a $5,000 roof for my god damn car...
I don't have to worry about coming outside in the morning and finding my soft-top has been sliced open and my seats are gone, oh it also rained all night so what IS left of my interior is SOAKED... eff that.
If I find a kid with his little EG Hatch Civic with Black/Red S2K seats in it I'll probably cut his head off and go to jail...
350Z's make more power, a lot more power, stock... and considering you're playing with a six banger, well, it'll be easier to make more power.
I love the way both cars look. Boosted AP1's are vicious but I've sat in a twin turbo 350Z and that was a nice ride too, was about an even race but the Z had less work done than the S2K.

Oh and to all the ignorant morons who "lol" and "Hahaha" at Hondas and other car companies because they're so utterly proud of the fact they bought a Nissan, just ignore them man, they're on all forums, all over the internet.
Hondas are mostly ranked on because of 15 year old kids who slap a Cherry Bomb muffler and an APC intake and go to hang outs and try people in their automatic, D16 powered Civics.

I have a '93 Civic Hatch with a K20 in it, barely any work done to the motor, that will eat most people's 350's on this forum, believe it or not... and probably mostly the ones who just "OMG LOL HE SAID HONDA!1!!!1!11!!"

It's your choice in the end man, handling I'd go with the S2K, power, the 350Z. Looks... the S2000 looks like a car a really young person would drive, the 350Z looks more luxurious yet sporty as hell at the same time. The few mods you listed would benefit the Z more simply because headers/exhaust/intake don't do crap for a 4-cylinder, not even a high N/A horsepower 4-cylinder like the S2K's come with... the 6 cylinder would make a lot more power, and, how can I put it... the mod-to-power ratio benefits the Z, in my opinion.

Anyway, that's my .02 cents. Choose wisely.

Originally Posted by 350ZEEEEE

Best Post In This Entire Thread.
After all the debating and going back and forth between the two cars, I decided that the S2K is just not practical for a DD. Way too small and absolutely no cargo space. So after some more research and thinking about all my options, I realized that these cars are just not right for me at this time. I ended up getting niether of the two cars, I'm currently saving up for a 2005 Evo IX Mr Much more practical, and I think it would be way more fun to mod... Plus, it'll stick out from the crowd

Originally Posted by ZlleH

Go for the S2000. We need more S2000 out there on the road and less of the 350Z.