Even with a highly developed, naturally-aspirated engine like the F22C, there are often impressive gains in midrange horsepower and torque to be found with careful ECU tuning. To that end, we decided to install a Hondata K-Pro, which will give us complete control over fuel and ignition timing curves, hopefully allowing us to find that hidden power.
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Project Honda S2000 - Hondata Install
What makes the K-Pro special is that it behaves like an OEM ECU. It interfaces with the stock dash correctly, cold start-up is just like stock and driveability is excellent. This shouldn't come as a surprise because the K-Pro upgrades are based on an OEM Honda ECU. If you find this as appealing as we do, then you'll need to choose between the two options Hondata offers: a brand-new K-Pro ECU for $1,795, or you can provide a donor ECU and the price drops to $1,395. We found the necessary PRB ECU ('02-04 RSX Type-S U.S. model) on www.car-part.com for $300 used. Both options include the Hondata wiring harness, USB communication cable and installation brackets.
To install a Hondata K-Pro in a '00-05 S2K, this is what needs to be done (for '06-and-later S2000s, a K-Pro option has just been released). First, you'll need to purchase the required OEM components to work with the ECU. This includes the following:
• Crank sensor 37500-PZX-003
• Crank wheel 13622-PCX-013
• TDC sensor 37510-PZX-003
• TDC wheel 14112-PCX-003
• Valve cover 12310-PCX-020
• Drain plug washer (for PCV valve) 94109-14000
• PCV valve 17130-PCX-003
• IAT sensor 37880-P05-A00 (not required, but stock IAT will read about 30 degrees hotter)
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Project Honda S2000 - Hondata Install
We found the best deal on these parts from Jeff at Hardtopguy.com. A quick visit to the website reveals a Hondata S2000 K-Pro installation kit with all of the necessary parts bundled together for $324.99.
Once you've received the ECU and all the OE installation components, you're ready to install the K-Pro! We have included step-by-step instructions with photos to complement the factory service manual (which leaves out some important details). Expect to spend approximately five to seven hours to get the job done.
Project Unlimited S2K
Following the incident at VIR, we have opted to repair and return Project S2000 to stock. Our new Unlimited class Time Attack build will not be road-legal, so it made sense to start the build with a low-mileage, theft-recovery chassis. We found an '01 Florida-branded COD (Certificate of Destruction) S2000 with no accident damage. However, because of the COD title the pricing was very attractive, making it the perfect starting point for a race car build! The chassis is now fully stripped and ready for the 12-point alloy steel rollcage fabrication. Stay tuned as we will fill you in on the details and continue development of our Unlimited class Time Attack challenger!
