RKM Motorsport: Honda S2000

RKM Motorsport: Honda S2000

Based on: Honda S2000 ‘06
Obtained: Brand new from Honda

Drivetrain: FR
Horsepower: 306 BHP (@ 22.4 miles)
Torque:---- 26 kgfm
Weight:---- 1060 kg
PP:-------- 482

PARTS
GT Auto
Enkei RP03 Wheels
Type B Front Aero
Type B Wing

Tuning Shop
Chassis Weight Reduction Stage 3
Rigidity Improvement
Window Weight Reduction
Carbon Bonnet
Engine Tuning Stage 1
Sports ECU
Sports Intake Manifold
Racing Air Filter
Titanium Racing Exhaust
Sports Exhaust Manifold
Catalytic Converter: Sports
Fully Customisable Transmission
Twin Plate Clutch
Semi Racing Flywheel
Carbon Propeller Shaft
Fully Customisable LSD
Fully Customisable Suspension Kit
Sports Soft Tyres

SETUP

Body/Chassis
Aerodynamics
Downforce: 0/20

Ballast
Amount:-- 0
Position: 0

Engine
Power Limiter
Power Level: 100.0%

Transmission
Transmission
(Set Max Speed, then each individual ratio.)
1st:-- 3.080
2nd:-- 2.164
3rd:-- 1.623
4th:-- 1.281
5th:-- 1.066
6th:-- 0.913
Final: 4.222
Max Speed: 174 MPH

Drivetrain
Differential
Initial: 0/24
Accel:-- 0/40
Braking: 0/11

Suspension
Suspension
Ride Height: -25/-25
Spring Rate: 9.0/7.6
Extension:-- 8/8
Compression: 7/6
Anti-Roll:-- 5/4
Camber:----- 1.6/1.2
Toe:-------- –0.10/-0.15

Brakes
Brake Balance Controller
Brake Balance: 5/6

Intended Driving Options
Transmission: Manual (MT)
ABS: 1
Everything else: OFF

Tuner Comments:
SoMe0nE2tAlK2 reviewed our CR-Z Type R and gave some pretty detailed feedback, including a head to head against the Spoon CR-Z, also with the RKM settings. In return, he requested a Honda S2000 with 305bhp and no limits on weight. So here it is.

Honda already made the S2000 an amazing car from the factory. However, we made the amazing even better. This S2000 can pick any line it wants through a corner, any, and it’ll fly through at breakneck speed every time. It’ll do full throttle launches without wheelspin and it’ll make the Eiger hairpins look like child’s play. Oh and it’ll easily take more power, very easily.

After delivering this car to SoMe0nE2tAlK2, he found the online physics gave the S2000 a bit more oversteer than usual. To combat this, he changed the rear toe setting to –0.08, which helped keep the rear end in better control.

Despite my being a VW fanboy and the Euro/JDM, econocar, hot-hatch rivalry with Honda, there have always been two cars I've liked from the Japanese manufacturer: the NSX (in spite of the Acura badge in the US) and the S2000. The S2000 has that timeless sports car shape; long nose, long doors, short deck. I consider it sort of a modern design evolution of another of my favorite cars, the FC RX-7, but without the flip up headlights.

Running stock it is an easy to drive car. It is stable on the brakes and the steering feels good. It is really pretty neutral. There is not any prominent under or oversteer if you don't badly miss on entry. Coming out you can find some slide in the rear but a gentle foot (or thumb) will keep things calm. And of course there is the exhaust note, very nice indeed. The biggest problem here I think is that it comes on comfort softs. The best one part purchase improvement would be sports tires, even hards. In my opinion that would sort things well enough out back to let you step on it harder through the exits. As is though it runs a 2'23.541".

The biggest downfall adding parts is that the exhaust note is now gone. Other than that it is still fantastic. The feel remains about the same but obviously with increased speed. Point it in a direction and it will go and stick. Most of the sliding has been tamed out back but will still show in the lower speed corners. Again, a bit of care will go a long way. It is easy to progress your skill with the car and lower your times. I ended up at 2'05.324".

The tune tightens things up. Again, still stable on the brakes. The first corner can be tricky coming off the straight but it will settle down by itself with little or no correction. As Roj says, this car can pick its line, which is a fantastic weapon to have in a race. With this kind of control there is nothing anyone can do to keep you back if you are faster in the corners, and most likely you will be. The stability and grip allow for some pretty insane cornering speeds by comparison. You'll still find some of that oversteer but you can either let it go and allow it to sort itself if you're looking to drift through corners and have fun or use a little counter to easily quell the slide. It did take me a while to get a faster lap than the parts mod. I believe this to be due to getting used to the gearing. Once I figured it out I was able to drop my ghost by three hundredths and then another seven on the next lap to 2'04.335".

There is probably more time I can find but I had to cut the session short due to time constraints. I would have loved to keep going in this car. It is fantastic fun. It looks great too with the wing, front aero, carbon hood, matte silver Enkeis and the TVR Chameleon Orange paint. I have been tweaking an FC of my own here and there and I think I have finally found a good rival/track buddy for it.

Lap Times
Grand Valley Speedway: 2'04.335"

RKM Motorsport: Camaro Deathscythe

RKM Motorsport: Camaro Deathscythe

Based on: Chevrolet Camaro SS ‘10
Obtained: Brand new model at Chevrolet

Drivetrain: FR
Horsepower: 687 BHP (@ 31.5 miles)
Torque:---- 85 kgfm
Weight:---- 1210 kg
PP:-------- 651

PARTS
GT Auto
Racing Modifications

Tuning Shop
Rigidity Improvement
Engine Tuning Stage 3
Sports ECU
Sports Intake Manifold
Racing Air Filter
Titanium Racing Exhaust
Sports Exhaust Manifold
Catalytic Converter: Sports
Supercharger
Fully Customisable Transmission
Twin Plate Clutch
Semi Racing Flywheel
Carbon Propeller Shaft
Fully Customisable LSD
Fully Customisable Suspension Kit
Sports Soft Tyres

SETUP

Body/Chassis
Aerodynamics
Downforce: 35/60

Ballast
Amount:-- 0
Position: 0

Engine
Power Limiter
Power Level: 100.0%

Transmission
Transmission
(Set Max Speed, then each individual ratio.)
1st:-- 3.041
2nd:-- 2.014
3rd:-- 1.454
4th:-- 1.146
5th:-- 0.950
6th:-- 0.813
Final: 3.350
Max Speed: 242 MPH

Drivetrain
Differential
Initial: 0/5
Accel:-- 0/20
Braking: 0/5

Suspension
Suspension
Ride Height: -25/-25
Spring Rate: 12.5/8.0
Extension:-- 8/8
Compression: 6/6
Anti-Roll:-- 5/3
Camber:----- 3.0/2.7
Toe:-------- –0.15/-0.05

Brakes
Brake Balance Controller
Brake Balance: 5/6

Intended Driving Options
Transmission: Manual (MT)
ABS: 1
Everything else: OFF

Tuner Comments:
This is Deathscythe. Deathscythe doesn’t care about you. Deathscythe doesn’t care about your problems. Deathscythe doesn’t care about your health. All Deathscythe cares about is slaughtering everything, including you.

When I saw this pop up in the RKM tuning thread I had to go look. Back in 2001, Cartoon Network began airing episodes of Gundam Wing in the US and that became my stepping stone into the world of Gundam and anime in general. And of course Deathscythe was my favorite of the mobile suits in the show (well, Deathscythe Hell really but close enough for our purposes here). The Camaro, on the other hand, not so much a favorite of mine. I was disappointed when GM killed off the Camaro/Firebird and was looking forward to its return. The retro style is OK but it lacks finishing and a cohesive character. So let's see which side of the fence we land on with this tune.

In stock trim the car is actually not bad. Despite looking slapped together on the real roads it is suitably quick with some actual agility. It will turn very nicely if you keep it with the limit. Step past that and you will find the muscle car within. True to its American heritage it will light up the rear tires given an excuse, especially in the higher RPM range. The four-speed gearbox was also a killer. On something modern as this is you'd expect at least a five-speed. Retro is fine but only for aesthetics, not technology. All said and done I was able to lap GVS in a respectable 2'12.380".

Since this tune is a race mod car I am adding in the extra step of testing the RM version. I went straight to GT Auto after the stock test and bought only the race modification, no parts. I did go through the list of parts and from what I was able to see this includes aero, weight reduction, race exhaust, custom trans, twin plate clutch, semi-racing flywheel, driveshaft and custom suspension. Looking over that list I expect that it will handle much differently. And that is exactly right. While it did not necessarily feel any faster the handling has improved and feels easier to control letting you carry more speed through the corners. The steering feels crisp but without being twitchy. The downside here is that none of the changes have really helped to keep the rear in line. However the time at the line changes significantly down to 2'04.448".

The parts mod will make your head spin. True to its namesake this car is stupidly fast! The pace is almost unbelievable, especially given the feel during the lap. It still has a tendency to spin the rear tires and with this power it is nigh unforgiving. If you mess up you will eat wall. Catch a few blades of grass? Hit the rumbles the wrong way? Sneeze? You'll be staring back from whence you came or perhaps get a nice view of everything around you once or twice. Recovery is extremely difficult from all but the most minor of mistakes. Coming up the hill through the first esses I took the right a little too fast and was too far left to make a decent line through the left at the top. Tried to slow to avoid shooting into the wall, hit the rumbles and lost the back end. I spun from the top of the hill down to and through the second hairpin and several feet into the kitty litter beyond. I wish I had thought to take a picture of the pattern the tires made as they smoked all the way down the hill...it was quite artsy. The next lap felt better and I was able to avoid ending up off the track. I expected it to break two minutes but not by as much as it did; it hadn't felt that fast with all the corrections I had to make coming out of the corners. I ended at a best of 1'54.506" shattering the lap records of everything I had driven at GVS previously. And I haven't even played with settings yet!

Tweaking the settings to Roj's specs tightened the car considerably. There is now more of a feeling of control even if you don't necessarily have any. Recovering from mistakes is possible but only just. Deathscythe will still chew you up and spit you out, just now it takes a second to mull it over. If you catch it quick enough you can survive. That power oversteer is still hanging around but with a car like this it will probably never go away nor should it really as that is part of its character. Fast is another part. The time has gone down another chunk to 1'52.399", a 20 second drop from stock. Not bad.

The Camaro has been redeemed a bit for me and the name certainly fits well. This car has earned itself a little yellow star in my collection.

Lap Times
Grand Valley Speedway: 1'52.399"

RKM Motorsport: Ikeamobile

RKM Motorsport: Ikeamobile

Based on: 2008 Audi RS6 Avant
Obtained: New Car Dealer

Drivetrain: AWD
Horsepower: 900 BHP (@113.2 miles)
Torque:---- 654 ft-lb
Weight:---- 1524 kg

PARTS
GT Auto
BBS RS wheels
Front Aero Type A
Extension Type A
Rear Wing Type A

Tuning Shop
Weight Reduction Stage 3
Lightweight Windows
Carbon Fiber Hood (Body Color)
Engine Tuning Stage 3
ECU Tuning
Sports Intake Manifold
Racing Air Filter
Titanium Racing Exhaust
Sports Header
Sports Catalytic Converter
High-RPM Turbo Kit
Semi-Racing Flywheel
Semi-Racing Clutch
Carbon Driveshaft
Adjustable Center Differential
FC LSD
FC Suspension
Sports Soft tires

SETUP

Body/Chassis
Aerodynamics
Downforce: 0/10

Transmission
Transmission
1st:-- x.xxx
2nd:-- x.xxx
3rd:-- x.xxx
4th:-- x.xxx
5th:-- x.xxx
6th:-- x.xxx
7th:-- x.xxx
Final: x.xxx
Max Speed: xxx

Drivetrain
Differential:
Initial: 5/6
Accel:-- 20/30
Braking: 5/5
F/R Bias: 30/70

Suspension
Suspension
Ride Height: -30/-30
Spring Rate: 10.0/8.0
Extension:-- 10/10
Compression: 7/7
Anti-Roll:-- 1/3
Camber:----- 0.0/0.5
Toe:-------- 0.00/0.00

Brakes
Brake Balance Controller
Brake Balance: 6/10

Intended Driving Options
Transmission: Manual (MT)
ABS: 1
Everything else: OFF

Tuner Comments:
If you need a vehicle to do constant Ikea runs in, you'll want a wagon if you want to keep anything resembling driving dynamics. If you want a fast wagon, you'll buy an Audi RS6 Avant.

And if you find that the stock RS6 isn't fast enough to beat the crowd and could use a bit more room in the back for stuff, well... Bring it on by us. We'll strip all the rear interior trim, making the already-huge load area even bigger, crank the power by more than 300hp, and make an absolute monster. That will haul more than some trucks.

The Audi RS6 is one of my favorite cars in GT5 because I own and drive an A6. So right out of the box I expect something a little more from this car than normal perhaps. I bought this car as soon as I could and used it for several A-Spec series races, really as many as I could get it into. In a normal race it will destroy the competition up until the higher tiers where there is some work required. But how will it fare under the microscope of a time trial?

In stock form there is lots and lots and lots of understeer and then some more understeer on top of that. This car is heavy! With stock power at almost 600hp it is fast but at over 2000kg the weight is killer. Combine both the speed and the weight and you find yourself spending a lot of time on the brakes. Coming off the fast sections is a real test of how far you want to push. Miss your braking point by even a small margin and you will pay for it in the corner and the tires will scream obscenities at you. All that horsepower does make up for some of the braking, especially on GVS's longer straight sections, but it does have a "two faced" feel; on one hand it will crush you into your seat with its power and on the other it lets you down from that high with the long braking zone. It is fairly fast but not quite where I thought it would be with the power, coming in at 2'11.897".

Add on the parts and you will be tempted to yell out in your best Jeremy Clarkson voice "POWEEEERRRRRRRR!!!!!" At near 900hp and 75% the weight the car is blazingly fast. With the reduced weight the brakes are feeling better on entry but with all the speed you are carrying in they still need to work hard. Getting back on the gas early in the corner is a no-no as you will surely shoot off into the grass, wall, sand or whatever happens to be waiting off the track. Late apex is definitely in order with this much power. Doing that you can easily turn a quick time. I was able to whittle it down to 1'58.263".

The tune settings feel a little strange to me. The center diff settings at a 30/70 F/R split make the car behave a little too much like an FR muscle car from the US rather than a precision German AWD. The car behaves better but the rear is a little too slippery for my taste, especially in lower speed corners. Again, that power lets you know it is there by stepping the tail out and quick too. It is controlled pretty easily but I found myself losing a lot of time getting the rear back under the car. I was able to lap in the same range as the parts mod version but could not beat it despite my best effort, managing a best of 1'58.504".

After a break to catch my breath I did something I don't normally do and messed with the settings a bit. I did not record times but was going for a change in feel instead. I tried two settings on the CD. I bumped it to 40/60 and found some stability for the rear but the understeer was a little heavy. I came back to the pit and shifted to a 35/65 split and went back out. This felt better but I was starting to find the sliding in the rear again. The happy medium appears to be between these two settings, at least for my driving preference. A tweak to bring down the power might also work without the CD change or maybe in combination. I'm not a fan of high power cars as my throttle control is a bit lacking with the DS3, and that is really what is needed to bring out the full potential of RJ's tune. Despite that I don't have the high level of control it is still one hell of a fun ride!

Lap Times
Grand Valley Speedway: 1'58.504"