Japanese/American hybrid: S2000 + LS1 = OMG!
Honda's S2000 roadster has legions of fans who are very happy with its balanced mix of performance and handling. Then there are those who just can't be satisfied.
One of those power-hungry S2000 owners is known as hboy7777 in both S2000 forums and LS1 forums, and he's combining both those worlds between the frame rails of a Honda.
That's good-old American General Motors LS1 iron hunkering down in that Japanese engine bay, with what hboy estimates could be much as 500 hp before the nitrous is added. In a car that weighs only 2,800 pounds, that's gonna be one handful of a Honda.
The project is still in the works, but hboy plans to start with a Nissan t56 transmission, and if it won't hold, maybe try one donated from a Viper. That should do it. You might think weight balance would be ruined by an engine swap like this, but the owner says the aluminum LS1 doesn't weigh much more than the original powerplant and some firewall mods help keep the roadster's handing neutral.
We look forward to seeing what this Japanese/American hybrid can do, and plan to check in on hboy's adventures often. You can too, either at the LS1 Tech, or at S2K International.
[Source: Carscoop]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Alex 9:05AM (9/10/2007)
but why?
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Andrew 9:26AM (9/10/2007)
the answer to nearly every mod and engineering feat:
because you can =P
Darrell 11:31AM (9/10/2007)
God bless America!
JayP 9:11AM (9/10/2007)
"American General Motors LS1 iron"
The LS1 is aluminum isn't it?
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Jeremy 11:27AM (9/10/2007)
I think it is. That threw me off too.
Doesn't the Z06 only weight 2700 btw? I didn't realize the S2000 was that heavy.
Ricky 12:49PM (9/10/2007)
No way any car aside from a micro car weighs in at 2700 lbs these days. The 08 Z06 is ~3150 lbs.
Will 9:26AM (9/10/2007)
Tread depth on your rear tires is over-rated, anyway...
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Owain Ozymandias Buck 9:32AM (9/10/2007)
Why hasn't "whynot the ls1/ls2" commented on this post yet?;)
Looks like a drag strip terror, but I'd like to see how it handles. Cool stuff!
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Justin 12:36PM (9/10/2007)
I doubt it would handle any worse than normal, the ls1 is a pushrod engine and isn't much if any heavier than the original high strung DOHC 4 banger. And I bet it will still knock down 30 mpg down the highway, as good or better than the 160 lb-ft of torque engine.
Jugomugo 9:46AM (9/10/2007)
This will be a sweet little number. RX-7s with the LS1 make for quite the fun ride and still handle well. I bet this will as well.
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pd 9:54AM (9/10/2007)
Nothing new here guys have been doing this for YEARS with RX-7's and Miatas.
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Paul Burr 8:54AM (9/11/2007)
Shelby did this to the Alpine. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunbeam_Tiger
BLS 9:51AM (9/10/2007)
Why not the LS7.R?
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Johnny Rotten 9:54AM (9/10/2007)
$10k is why not
BLS 10:51AM (9/10/2007)
Hey if your going to do it, do it. Don't half ass it.
Dave 9:52AM (9/10/2007)
I wanna see him race this LS1 Civic:
http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=730443&page=1&pp=20
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Johnny Rotten 9:56AM (9/10/2007)
This is what hybrid really means in the automotive world. It is a shame the hippies had to steal the word for something completely opposite in purpose.
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hokiebird 9:57AM (9/10/2007)
It would probably be easier to cover which cars have never had a SBC swapped in.
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TriShield 10:22AM (9/10/2007)
He managed to keep this S2000 looking mostly stock too. Other than sounding like a Corvette he can sneak up and surprise many cars out there.
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Bart 11:01AM (9/10/2007)
Sacrilege. You dont drop an LS1 into a Honda S2000. Part of what makes a car is the engine it comes with. Spooning in an up-range engine from the same manufacturer is somewhat acceptable, but even that is arguable.
That these American block transplanters are throwing the engines into all things that move, sort of indicates that their original potential owners arent good enough. You dont see European engines being transplanted all over the place. Only thing you might see is an aftermarket tuner throw in an uprange engine (M5 V10 into an M3).
The LS1 has no place in the S2000. A big part of the fun in an S2000 comes from the revvy 4 banger.
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