JFReturns' Honda S2000

[JFReturns]

Update - the ticking noise from the TCT was more or less resolved, but when restarting hot it would tick for five minutes or so until fully lubricated. Nevertheless it was annoying, so I got it replaced with a new one at a cost of £300.

I had a drinking weekend in Devon with the boys and instead of using SWMBO's Bluemotion (easy 70mpg on a run) I took the S2000 and managed a respectable 36mpg over 600 odd miles. Pretty pleased with that, as I wasn't trying to be particularly frugal. Pic at the camp site along with a mates Civic Type-S (which was really nice inside) and Qashqai (again, nice car but a little grown up for me right now ):



The S2000 was great - comfortable and plenty quick enough on the motorway, only the excessive noise and crap stereo marring the drive slightly. However, for the first time I did get frustrated with the 'lack of torque', but that was overtaking a huge lorry uphill in monsoon conditions, full throttle in a rear driver with no electronic safety net. Not going to be in that situation much. Still, my old Scoob would have been brilliant in the same situation and winter is just round the corner...... Meh, I'm still really enjoying the S2000. I'll just stick some winter tyres on when the snow falls.

At the end of a looooooong drive, and the sun finally came out



Costs so far
- Level 4 service: £324
- Wipers: £20
- 4 Litres of Honda coolant: £18
- Seal bracket: £20
- PH smiley: £10
- 5 litres oil: £40
- Clutch grease and TCT strip, clean and rebuild: £80
- New TCT: £300

[paulmoonraker]

Winter tyres? Snow chains more like

Glad your enjoying it...

[Jurgen]

I've just taken mine to Switserland for a week, driven around 1550 miles in 6 days time and it performed pretty well! I've just had new tyres all around (RE050's) and the tracking done to the optimized UK settings. Incredible how hard you can push it on the tight corners, a lot of fun. I also got annoyed by lack of torque a few times, when going up the steep passes in the Alps you really have to push it hard. And the constant noise on the motorway get's on your nerves after a while!

[JFReturns]

paulmoonraker said:

Winter tyres? Snow chains more like

Jurgen - your pictures and car look great, love the colour!

[stew-S160]

£300 for TCT? I take it you bought direct from Honda and was charged quite a sum for the work?
If you had checked on S2Ki, you can get TCT's for a lot less and it's a very simple job to do yourself.

Just saying.


Glad you're enjoying S2k ownership though.

[JFReturns]

Yeah, the garage I used ordered direct from Honda. I checked the guide and read about the stiff clutch greasing on s2ki, but read some posts about people cocking up the TCT replacement and didn't fancy it. Besides, it was done on the Thurs and I drove to Devon on Friday!

[JFReturns]

Some pictures from today, for no reason other than Wanda was cleaned and looking hot





Picture with SWMBOs Bluemotion, a real workhorse. Feels like a blancmange with wheels after driving the S2000, comical amounts of roll. Three times the MPG of the Honda though!



Has anyone got an opinion on K&N induction kits, specifically the FIPK? I am after the loudest induction noise, so other suggestions are welcome.

Edited by JFReturns on Saturday 24th September 21:03

[paulmoonraker]

JFReturns said:

Has anyone got an opinion on K&N induction kits, specifically the FIPK? I am after the loudest induction noise, so other suggestions are welcome.

K&N sounded great on my old ST170. But then it was also closer to the driver side window (if that makes a difference).

I fitted a Blitz Nur Spec R exhaust to the Scooby yesterday. It's insane. I expect it will be on ebay in 6 months...

[JFReturns]

paulmoonraker said:

K&N sounded great on my old ST170. But then it was also closer to the driver side window (if that makes a difference).

I fitted a Blitz Nur Spec R exhaust to the Scooby yesterday. It's insane. I expect it will be on ebay in 6 months...

I like ST170s, they seem great value and quite subtle.

Got a video of the Blitz? I miss my Scoobs burble

[gbduo]

Got a FIPK, it sounds bloody amazing, it is not the loudest, I think the AEM V2 is louder but for £200ish it is well worth the money. Throttle response is improved, I don't think there is any great improvement in peak power but the engine feels more 'ready to go' throughout the rev range.

Unfortunately I fitted it at the same time as fitting an Amuse exhaust so not entirely sure on which had more of an effect, but certainly the K&N sounds a lot better than airbox lid off, especially at idle, no Dyson sound!

Do it...

[JFReturns]

gbduo said:

Got a FIPK, it sounds bloody amazing, it is not the loudest, I think the AEM V2 is louder but for £200ish it is well worth the money. Throttle response is improved, I don't think there is any great improvement in peak power but the engine feels more 'ready to go' throughout the rev range.

Unfortunately I fitted it at the same time as fitting an Amuse exhaust so not entirely sure on which had more of an effect, but certainly the K&N sounds a lot better than airbox lid off, especially at idle, no Dyson sound!

Do it...

Thanks I've just checked some YouTube vids and they sound great. Your Dyson comment made me chuckle, 'cos it is so true

Any recommendations on exhausts?

[paulmoonraker]

JFReturns said:

Got a video of the Blitz? I miss my Scoobs burble

Not yet, I will let it carbon up a bit then post it in the Jap section... It is insanely loud

[gbduo]

JFReturns said:

Thanks I've just checked some YouTube vids and they sound great. Your Dyson comment made me chuckle, 'cos it is so true

Any recommendations on exhausts?

Well my Amuse Titan R1 Dual is a full titanium exhaust, I got it second hand of ebay but they are pretty rare as they were £2k new! Its a great exhaust, quiet when you want it to be and screams like a banshee in VTEC with all the pops out the back on the over-run, although you do have to decat to get that. The Amuse is very civilised.

If you want power, you need to get a single exit, so the J's 70RS is a excellent exhaust, but if you want noise then the Invidia is VERY loud, I say too loud but other love the ASBOness of the Invidia! There is a best motoring exhaust comparison on the S2k on youtube which you could have a look at.

In saying that, exhaust and intake really don't add much power to the S2k, you have to start modifying the manifold, throttle body and ECU to get any large NA power gains. Super/turbo charging is the best bang for buck in terms of performance, but at £5k that is not cheap either.

I am more than happy with my basic mods of K&N FIPK, Amuse Exhaust and decat, the car sounds a lot better and it revs more freely. Will probably put some Ferrodo DS2500 brake pads when the fronts wear out and stop there...he says!

Depends entirely on what you want from an exhaust!

Graham

[paulmoonraker]

JFReturns said:

Got a video of the Blitz? I miss my Scoobs burble

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFrE0CD0_Go

[britsportscars]

I've been looking at s2000s for a good month now and reading this and other similar threads with interest. Got a test drive in one over the weekend, the engine / gearbox combination is brilliant, I can't wait to get one!

[JFReturns]

paulmoonraker said:

JFReturns said:

Got a video of the Blitz? I miss my Scoobs burble

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFrE0CD0_Go

Sounds awesome, nice and growly

gbduo said:

Well my Amuse Titan R1 Dual is a full titanium exhaust, I got it second hand of ebay but they are pretty rare as they were £2k new! Its a great exhaust, quiet when you want it to be and screams like a banshee in VTEC with all the pops out the back on the over-run, although you do have to decat to get that. The Amuse is very civilised.

If you want power, you need to get a single exit, so the J's 70RS is a excellent exhaust, but if you want noise then the Invidia is VERY loud, I say too loud but other love the ASBOness of the Invidia! There is a best motoring exhaust comparison on the S2k on youtube which you could have a look at.

I am more than happy with my basic mods of K&N FIPK, Amuse Exhaust and decat, the car sounds a lot better and it revs more freely. Will probably put some Ferrodo DS2500 brake pads when the fronts wear out and stop there...he says!

Depends entirely on what you want from an exhaust!

Graham

Thanks Graham, some good information there. I'm not bothered about extra power (so long as I don't lose any) the filter and exhaust is for noise only!

I've heard good things about the Invidia system but I don't know where to buy from? All of the ones on Ebay seem to be from the states.

EBay does have cheaper unbranded cat back systems like this one. I presume this won't be any good, but they are stainless steel and polished. It seems to be the same as this Japspeed one.

There is also a second hand Scorpion exhaust, any thoughts on these?

britsportscars said:

I've been looking at s2000s for a good month now and reading this and other similar threads with interest. Got a test drive in one over the weekend, the engine / gearbox combination is brilliant, I can't wait to get one!

You will love it. Good luck with your search!

[gbduo]

Not sure on that system, but if you google search JD Modified, they do a custom exhaust for £400 which has been on S2ki forum and got a good review.

I would say head over to S2Ki UK section and check out the For Sale threads, sometimes some real gems pop up, like my Amuse or buddyclub, J's, Spoon and occasionally a Invidia might pop up.

Worth a look anyway. I would be wary of any eBay special as you might well loose power, the S is very sensitive to back pressure and if you get it wrong, the engine can run lean especially with decat.

[Lostprophet]

I own bought a new s2000 and owned it for 3 years before selling it recently with 10k on the clock.

Pros:
Looks great
Cheap to service despite Honda whacking up their costs
It's topless
Sounds great in a tunnel
Low depreciation
Great steering
25mpg-ish is not bad
Reliable
Comfortable seats
It's still rare on the roads

Cons:
The back end is lively in the wet
Not enough road grip for my liking
£400+ road tax
Noisy motorway drive
Cramped cabin
Lack of storage
Hard work to get fast acceleration IMO
The 4 pot engine can get tiresome after a while
Lots of men over 50 drive them but image is still solid
Interior is tragic
Uncomfortable for town driving

I was glad to get rid of the s2000. It's not for everyone I suppose. I just never got on with it...

Edited by Lostprophet on Monday 3rd October 23:28

[JFReturns]

Lostprophet said:

I own bought a new s2000 and owned it for 3 years before selling it recently with 10k on the clock.


I was glad to get rid of the s2000. It's not for everyone I suppose. I just never got on with it...

I agree with some of your points, but if you kept the car for three years then it must have been good! I've never kept a car for that long....

[JFReturns]

gbduo said:

Not sure on that system, but if you google search JD Modified, they do a custom exhaust for £400 which has been on S2ki forum and got a good review.

I would say head over to S2Ki UK section and check out the For Sale threads, sometimes some real gems pop up, like my Amuse or buddyclub, J's, Spoon and occasionally a Invidia might pop up.

Worth a look anyway. I would be wary of any eBay special as you might well loose power, the S is very sensitive to back pressure and if you get it wrong, the engine can run lean especially with decat.

Cheers, I have contacted JD Modified. They are a two hour drive from me so not too bad.