Refresh DC2 or S2000/S1 Elise
Discussion
hi guys,
i've got a bit of a dilemma, my DC2 is starting to get a little tired and saggy now (no worse than any other dc2 that has done over 80k), my plan was the refresh the teg and get it back to how it is meant to be. the refresh would consist of changing the shocks, springs, tie rod ends, upper and lower ball joints and replacing every bush under the car. if i add all that up the cost comes to something along the lines of £1500. refreshed DC2's normally go for around £750 more than a tired Integra so you do get some of that 1.5k back but in the back of my mind i'm thinking, shall i sell up put a few k in and get an S2000 or an S1 elise. if you were in my shoes, what would you do?
i've got a bit of a dilemma, my DC2 is starting to get a little tired and saggy now (no worse than any other dc2 that has done over 80k), my plan was the refresh the teg and get it back to how it is meant to be. the refresh would consist of changing the shocks, springs, tie rod ends, upper and lower ball joints and replacing every bush under the car. if i add all that up the cost comes to something along the lines of £1500. refreshed DC2's normally go for around £750 more than a tired Integra so you do get some of that 1.5k back but in the back of my mind i'm thinking, shall i sell up put a few k in and get an S2000 or an S1 elise. if you were in my shoes, what would you do?
Driven both a pre-facelift s2000 and a UKDM DC2. Although fairly different I prefer the S2000 in every way bar the dials (or lack of them), the smoothness compared to the raw b18c, and the fact the car in some ways just feels less fun when travelling at a fast pace, but that's mainly due to weight.
The extra insurance cost of the s2000 would probably negate some of the money lost on refreshing a dc2 though I'd imagine.
No idea with regards to the elise.
The extra insurance cost of the s2000 would probably negate some of the money lost on refreshing a dc2 though I'd imagine.
No idea with regards to the elise.
Edited by Buzzkill on Friday 13th August 23:19
Buzzkill said:
Driven both a pre-facelift s2000 and a UKDM DC2. Although fairly different I prefer the S2000 in every way bar the dials (or lack of them), the smoothness compared to the raw b18c, and the fact the car in some ways just feels less fun when travelling at a fast pace, but that's mainly due to weight.
The extra insurance cost of the s2000 would probably negate some of the money lost on refreshing a dc2 though I'd imagine.
No idea with regards to the elise.
yeah i know what you mean with regards to how smooth the S2000 is. the thing is i want to stay in something that is as focused as the Integra on a B-road. The refresh is supposed to make an unbeliveable difference to how the car performs. The extra insurance cost of the s2000 would probably negate some of the money lost on refreshing a dc2 though I'd imagine.
No idea with regards to the elise.
Edited by Buzzkill on Friday 13th August 23:19
A good DC2 is an exceptional car, without doubt a 5 star car; if you've driven and got to know what its capapble of, it will be hard to find a replacement that wont disappoint.
An S2000 is flawed in comparisson, maybe if Honda had bothered to make a Type R S2000 it would have been a good next step but I found my s2000 to be only average in comparison to what a Dc2 offers.
Yes I know it has an amazing engine, terrific gearbox, no scuttle shake but its dynamics are no where near up there with what a Dc2 has to offer in terms of driving ability.
I would have thought you could get the car refreshed for far less than you have quoted unless your car has had a hard life and needs that much replaced? Who have you had quotes from and where in the uk are you?
I have kept hold of my DC-2 whilst a load of other things have come and gone in the meantime, cars that cost much more and were ultimately much faster but they dont offer what the Dc2 does (and its not even a lot of money for one these days).
An S1 Elise maybe with one of the tuning options would be a good replacement if you can live with it in the winter. Or a Vx220 turbo with some sensible upgrades.
Or an Impreza Spec C if you can find one in budget.
An S2000 is flawed in comparisson, maybe if Honda had bothered to make a Type R S2000 it would have been a good next step but I found my s2000 to be only average in comparison to what a Dc2 offers.
Yes I know it has an amazing engine, terrific gearbox, no scuttle shake but its dynamics are no where near up there with what a Dc2 has to offer in terms of driving ability.
I would have thought you could get the car refreshed for far less than you have quoted unless your car has had a hard life and needs that much replaced? Who have you had quotes from and where in the uk are you?
I have kept hold of my DC-2 whilst a load of other things have come and gone in the meantime, cars that cost much more and were ultimately much faster but they dont offer what the Dc2 does (and its not even a lot of money for one these days).
An S1 Elise maybe with one of the tuning options would be a good replacement if you can live with it in the winter. Or a Vx220 turbo with some sensible upgrades.
Or an Impreza Spec C if you can find one in budget.
rallycross said:
A good DC2 is an exceptional car, without doubt a 5 star car; if you've driven and got to know what its capapble of, it will be hard to find a replacement that wont disappoint.
An S2000 is flawed in comparisson, maybe if Honda had bothered to make a Type R S2000 it would have been a good next step but I found my s2000 to be only average in comparison to what a Dc2 offers.
Yes I know it has an amazing engine, terrific gearbox, no scuttle shake but its dynamics are no where near up there with what a Dc2 has to offer in terms of driving ability.
I would have thought you could get the car refreshed for far less than you have quoted unless your car has had a hard life and needs that much replaced? Who have you had quotes from and where in the uk are you?
I have kept hold of my DC-2 whilst a load of other things have come and gone in the meantime, cars that cost much more and were ultimately much faster but they dont offer what the Dc2 does (and its not even a lot of money for one these days).
An S1 Elise maybe with one of the tuning options would be a good replacement if you can live with it in the winter. Or a Vx220 turbo with some sensible upgrades.
Or an Impreza Spec C if you can find one in budget.
yeah i've already bought a few of the refresh parts. if i add all that up it comes to around £1000 when you add labour to that it'll be around 1500. i'll be getting the shocks, springs and engine mouts fitted by a mate the rest will be done somewhere professional. I've got a quote from TGM and they were around £5-600 but Tom (owner) couldn't give me an exact price, he said it all depends on how seized the arms are etc. I haven't tried Performance Autoworks, Mardigras Motorsport yet and i'm not interested in going to DMS Motorsport.An S2000 is flawed in comparisson, maybe if Honda had bothered to make a Type R S2000 it would have been a good next step but I found my s2000 to be only average in comparison to what a Dc2 offers.
Yes I know it has an amazing engine, terrific gearbox, no scuttle shake but its dynamics are no where near up there with what a Dc2 has to offer in terms of driving ability.
I would have thought you could get the car refreshed for far less than you have quoted unless your car has had a hard life and needs that much replaced? Who have you had quotes from and where in the uk are you?
I have kept hold of my DC-2 whilst a load of other things have come and gone in the meantime, cars that cost much more and were ultimately much faster but they dont offer what the Dc2 does (and its not even a lot of money for one these days).
An S1 Elise maybe with one of the tuning options would be a good replacement if you can live with it in the winter. Or a Vx220 turbo with some sensible upgrades.
Or an Impreza Spec C if you can find one in budget.
Doing the same myself just now with parts ordered and all starting to arrive in teh coming weeks:
- MeisterR zeta-s already here
- SPC front + rear camber arms. Definately get the fronts as you won't save much money by getting bushes and ball joints anyway.
- Superflex bushes all around from Rich @ PA
- New lower balljoints + Track rod ends.
- New brembo blank discs.
- Carbon Lorraine pads.
- HEL hoses
- Calipers to be refurbished.
All this is coming in at ~£1.5k but then again I'm doing most the labour myself which will save me £££ thus all the brake parts being inc in that price.
Refresh the Teg as you'll end up with the hassle of trying to sell it, find a new car, then you will want to spend money on the new car anyway thus negating any savings you had planned for.
- MeisterR zeta-s already here
- SPC front + rear camber arms. Definately get the fronts as you won't save much money by getting bushes and ball joints anyway.
- Superflex bushes all around from Rich @ PA
- New lower balljoints + Track rod ends.
- New brembo blank discs.
- Carbon Lorraine pads.
- HEL hoses
- Calipers to be refurbished.
All this is coming in at ~£1.5k but then again I'm doing most the labour myself which will save me £££ thus all the brake parts being inc in that price.
Refresh the Teg as you'll end up with the hassle of trying to sell it, find a new car, then you will want to spend money on the new car anyway thus negating any savings you had planned for.
-Ad- said:
Doing the same myself just now with parts ordered and all starting to arrive in teh coming weeks:
- MeisterR zeta-s already here
- SPC front + rear camber arms. Definately get the fronts as you won't save much money by getting bushes and ball joints anyway.
- Superflex bushes all around from Rich @ PA
- New lower balljoints + Track rod ends.
- New brembo blank discs.
- Carbon Lorraine pads.
- HEL hoses
- Calipers to be refurbished.
All this is coming in at ~£1.5k but then again I'm doing most the labour myself which will save me £££ thus all the brake parts being inc in that price.
Refresh the Teg as you'll end up with the hassle of trying to sell it, find a new car, then you will want to spend money on the new car anyway thus negating any savings you had planned for.
thanks for your reply Ad. i've heard bad things about the SPC Arms, i'm going to try and get the upper ball joints from the states and get them shipped over. Have a read up on "ITR-DC2" about the SPC arms. i'm just thinking, when will i ever be stepping into a RWD, pretty much any car under 10k is going to be less fun to drive IMO, unless it's something seriously light like an elise/vx220/catheram, maybe it's time to take a step back with regards to enjoyment but take a step forward into RWD and learn the ropes in this field - MeisterR zeta-s already here
- SPC front + rear camber arms. Definately get the fronts as you won't save much money by getting bushes and ball joints anyway.
- Superflex bushes all around from Rich @ PA
- New lower balljoints + Track rod ends.
- New brembo blank discs.
- Carbon Lorraine pads.
- HEL hoses
- Calipers to be refurbished.
All this is coming in at ~£1.5k but then again I'm doing most the labour myself which will save me £££ thus all the brake parts being inc in that price.
Refresh the Teg as you'll end up with the hassle of trying to sell it, find a new car, then you will want to spend money on the new car anyway thus negating any savings you had planned for.
???Edited by SarlechS on Sunday 15th August 11:09
SPC/eibach arms are the daddies especially the forged aluminim front arms. Looking on Import Auto Performance the complete arms are only a little bit more than the SPC ball joints. Doesn't make any sense to get just the ball joints when the complete arms only cost ~£45 more for the pair. Don't forget the complete arms also allow castor and camber adjustment all uilt in, no having to fiddle around with SPC balljointed OEM arms.
Read a bit about rear camber arms being hit and miss, but as already mentioned SPC arms seem like the ones who have actually engineered them whilst copying the others, plus come highly recommended by TGM and Performance Autoworks.
I see what you mean about RWD, the DC2 will be my last car before going for something mental like an M12 or TVR, but I'm going to be keeping the TEG into my late 20s as by the end of the summer I won't have spent much less than I paid for her
Read a bit about rear camber arms being hit and miss, but as already mentioned SPC arms seem like the ones who have actually engineered them whilst copying the others, plus come highly recommended by TGM and Performance Autoworks.
I see what you mean about RWD, the DC2 will be my last car before going for something mental like an M12 or TVR, but I'm going to be keeping the TEG into my late 20s as by the end of the summer I won't have spent much less than I paid for her
-Ad- said:
SPC/eibach arms are the daddies especially the forged aluminim front arms. Looking on Import Auto Performance the complete arms are only a little bit more than the SPC ball joints. Doesn't make any sense to get just the ball joints when the complete arms only cost ~£45 more for the pair. Don't forget the complete arms also allow castor and camber adjustment all uilt in, no having to fiddle around with SPC balljointed OEM arms.
Read a bit about rear camber arms being hit and miss, but as already mentioned SPC arms seem like the ones who have actually engineered them whilst copying the others, plus come highly recommended by TGM and Performance Autoworks.
I see what you mean about RWD, the DC2 will be my last car before going for something mental like an M12 or TVR, but I'm going to be keeping the TEG into my late 20s as by the end of the summer I won't have spent much less than I paid for her
oh, i thought you were talking about the adjustable spc ball joints. i've had a little search on Import Auto Performance and i couldn't find any arms going for £45! the only arms i could find were the SPC Upper Control Arm and that's at around £145 for the pair! are you on ITR-DC2? if so what's your username? i'll PM you. Read a bit about rear camber arms being hit and miss, but as already mentioned SPC arms seem like the ones who have actually engineered them whilst copying the others, plus come highly recommended by TGM and Performance Autoworks.
I see what you mean about RWD, the DC2 will be my last car before going for something mental like an M12 or TVR, but I'm going to be keeping the TEG into my late 20s as by the end of the summer I won't have spent much less than I paid for her
SarlechS said:
oh, i thought you were talking about the adjustable spc ball joints. i've had a little search on Import Auto Performance and i couldn't find any arms going for £45! the only arms i could find were the SPC Upper Control Arm and that's at around £145 for the pair! are you on ITR-DC2? if so what's your username? i'll PM you.
I was implying about teh SPC adjustable ball joints. The £45 is the difference between the pair of SPC balljoints and the complete upper control arms (pair). FOr £22.50 a side extra it really is worth going for the complete SPC arms, you get the adjustable ball joints as part of the arm, plus the whole forged aluminium arm, bushes and all bolts as well.Same username on itr-dc2, feel free to PM away.
SarlechS said:
hi guys,
i've got a bit of a dilemma, my DC2 is starting to get a little tired and saggy now (no worse than any other dc2 that has done over 80k), my plan was the refresh the teg and get it back to how it is meant to be. the refresh would consist of changing the shocks, springs, tie rod ends, upper and lower ball joints and replacing every bush under the car. if i add all that up the cost comes to something along the lines of £1500. refreshed DC2's normally go for around £750 more than a tired Integra so you do get some of that 1.5k back but in the back of my mind i'm thinking, shall i sell up put a few k in and get an S2000 or an S1 elise. if you were in my shoes, what would you do?
If you want an open air experience the the ITR won't cut it.i've got a bit of a dilemma, my DC2 is starting to get a little tired and saggy now (no worse than any other dc2 that has done over 80k), my plan was the refresh the teg and get it back to how it is meant to be. the refresh would consist of changing the shocks, springs, tie rod ends, upper and lower ball joints and replacing every bush under the car. if i add all that up the cost comes to something along the lines of £1500. refreshed DC2's normally go for around £750 more than a tired Integra so you do get some of that 1.5k back but in the back of my mind i'm thinking, shall i sell up put a few k in and get an S2000 or an S1 elise. if you were in my shoes, what would you do?
I can see the appeal of the S2k, but I wonder if it's a stretch too far. As in too revy to make use of it on the roads. The B18 is nice motor and deployable, I've not driven an S2k, but my concern would be that 95% of the time it'll feel flat because you simply can't make use of the upper rpms.
Also an engine that encourages you to drive on the limits arguably makes a twitchy rwd car more of a handful than it perhaps needs to be.
Elise would be my choice out of these.
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