My 1999 Honda s2000 - My Journey, Beware it's a Long Read.
Discussion
You'd be the perfect person to buy a car off. Very nice. I've got a Mk1 Insight that was built in the same factory and I can see some parts that's were obviously shared between the two.
Personally I wouldn't use copper grease for moving parts, I'd use a moly based grease and I'm not a fan of K & N' s either as they may flow more air (doubtful over a new pleated paper filter) but it will be at the cost of poorer filtration not to mention the circumstantial evidence that the oil damages MAFs. Those points are just IME.
The car is a credit to you though.
Personally I wouldn't use copper grease for moving parts, I'd use a moly based grease and I'm not a fan of K & N' s either as they may flow more air (doubtful over a new pleated paper filter) but it will be at the cost of poorer filtration not to mention the circumstantial evidence that the oil damages MAFs. Those points are just IME.
The car is a credit to you though.
s2000_f20 said:
sharifr1 said:
Brilliant thread and great attention to detail!
I had a 2004 GT and it was the best car I've ever owned! I regret selling it! Especially seeing the prices they are going for now.
Thanks Sharifr1, I do love the facelifts. Sometimes I think I should have got a facelift, but as you say they are double the price of the pre-facelifts.I had a 2004 GT and it was the best car I've ever owned! I regret selling it! Especially seeing the prices they are going for now.
How comes you sold it in the end?
I only sold it as I was trying to start a business. I regret letting it go.
Here's a picture from just before I sold it.
ChocolateFrog said:
Personally I wouldn't use copper grease for moving parts, I'd use a moly based grease and I'm not a fan of K & N' s either as they may flow more air (doubtful over a new pleated paper filter) but it will be at the cost of poorer filtration not to mention the circumstantial evidence that the oil damages MAFs. Those points are just IME.
The car is a credit to you though.
IMEThe car is a credit to you though.
Have you had a MAF fail as a direct result of using a k&n filter?
Anyway.
OP why is an alignment such a worry. Costs £100 max?? Usually less from a friendly garage.
Some bushes may be seized (typical on many cars) but usually you can still get some adjustment ?
Certainly as you seem quite anal about things which is not a bad thing that would certainly be the top of my priority list certainly on a drivers car!
xjay1337 said:
ChocolateFrog said:
Personally I wouldn't use copper grease for moving parts, I'd use a moly based grease and I'm not a fan of K & N' s either as they may flow more air (doubtful over a new pleated paper filter) but it will be at the cost of poorer filtration not to mention the circumstantial evidence that the oil damages MAFs. Those points are just IME.
The car is a credit to you though.
IMEThe car is a credit to you though.
Have you had a MAF fail as a direct result of using a k&n filter?
Anyway.
OP why is an alignment such a worry. Costs £100 max?? Usually less from a friendly garage.
Some bushes may be seized (typical on many cars) but usually you can still get some adjustment ?
Certainly as you seem quite anal about things which is not a bad thing that would certainly be the top of my priority list certainly on a drivers car!
Maybe so.
I know of hundreds of cars using K&N and other oiled filters.
Never had any issues with a correctly fitted quality aftermarket filter.
While no particulate analysis was carried out, an easy way to tell is if there is any impact damage on a cars turbo compressor wheel - you'll soon know if there is ... as you'll see, and hear it, as well as feel it both in terms of lack of turbo and the cost of a turbo rebuild.
:-)
I think it's best we try to stick to facts in terms of the MAF failures.
I know of hundreds of cars using K&N and other oiled filters.
Never had any issues with a correctly fitted quality aftermarket filter.
While no particulate analysis was carried out, an easy way to tell is if there is any impact damage on a cars turbo compressor wheel - you'll soon know if there is ... as you'll see, and hear it, as well as feel it both in terms of lack of turbo and the cost of a turbo rebuild.
:-)
I think it's best we try to stick to facts in terms of the MAF failures.
cb1965 said:
Mine was a 2005 in black with red interior. I bought it in 2008 and sold it in 2013 to help finance my SL55 renovation.
I did 140K in the S2000 in all weathers and outside of consumables it didn't cost me a bean. Way better than the Boxster S I had before it in every way, shape and form. It's one of only 3 cars I regret selling, the others being an Integra Type R DC2 and a Jag XJ8. Ah well.
Crikey 140k, thats amazing. Would love to daily it if i could but it nice to have it as a novelty toy to use when you want to go for a drive.I did 140K in the S2000 in all weathers and outside of consumables it didn't cost me a bean. Way better than the Boxster S I had before it in every way, shape and form. It's one of only 3 cars I regret selling, the others being an Integra Type R DC2 and a Jag XJ8. Ah well.
A friend of mine had a dc2, probably the best fwd car ever made.
ChocolateFrog said:
You'd be the perfect person to buy a car off. Very nice. I've got a Mk1 Insight that was built in the same factory and I can see some parts that's were obviously shared between the two.
Personally I wouldn't use copper grease for moving parts, I'd use a moly based grease and I'm not a fan of K & N' s either as they may flow more air (doubtful over a new pleated paper filter) but it will be at the cost of poorer filtration not to mention the circumstantial evidence that the oil damages MAFs. Those points are just IME.
The car is a credit to you though.
Thanks chocolate frog, the mk1 insight was a special car. Real shame it never took off. Personally I wouldn't use copper grease for moving parts, I'd use a moly based grease and I'm not a fan of K & N' s either as they may flow more air (doubtful over a new pleated paper filter) but it will be at the cost of poorer filtration not to mention the circumstantial evidence that the oil damages MAFs. Those points are just IME.
The car is a credit to you though.
Totally understand with regards to the K&N stuff. Read so many reviews and threads about them.
The great thing about the K&N in the s2000, is that it is a 2 minute change over back to stock. I bought it to give it a go as it was pretty cheap on black Friday deals.
Having said that, I do agree with it letting in more debris when compared to the original paper type filter.
If i was using the s2000 everyday for work then I would definitely not use the K&N type filters. My daily commuter which is an ictdi Diesel Accord which I always service it using genuine Honda paper filters for that reason. Being the daily there is no gain for performance and longevity is the name of the game here.
As the s2000 only see's around 2000 miles a year and the engine oil being religiously changed within that time, the compromise of using the K&N filter for better air flow has its advantage.
Of course this is the same for many after market induction kits and filters [i.e AEM, password JDM etc], you always have to compromise filtration for airflow and from all the forums I have been on i have not heard of any catastrophic engine failure due to using after market induction filters.
Its great to hear your opinion though, always good to hear other peoples thoughts
I'll be using the K&N filter and seeing how it performs and swap between the two. If there is no real benefit I shall go back to the original paper filter.
sharifr1 said:
They have gone up in price quite a lot since I sold mine.
I only sold it as I was trying to start a business. I regret letting it go.
Here's a picture from just before I sold it.
Looks amazing sharifr1, I can imagine you were absolutely gutted for letting her go. Looked stunning.I only sold it as I was trying to start a business. I regret letting it go.
Here's a picture from just before I sold it.
I guess definitely for the right reasons, especially starting your own business. I hope that is going well.
xjay1337 said:
OP why is an alignment such a worry. Costs £100 max?? Usually less from a friendly garage.
Some bushes may be seized (typical on many cars) but usually you can still get some adjustment ?
Certainly as you seem quite anal about things which is not a bad thing that would certainly be the top of my priority list certainly on a drivers car!
The issue with the s2000, when they were new Honda didnt grease the alignment bolts sufficiently from the factory. Some bushes may be seized (typical on many cars) but usually you can still get some adjustment ?
Certainly as you seem quite anal about things which is not a bad thing that would certainly be the top of my priority list certainly on a drivers car!
The s2000 has full toe, caster and camber alignment front and rear which is quite unique for a stock factory car.
With most s2000's getting on abit [mine is now 20 years old] and with alignment often overlooked by previous owners, these bolts are 100% seized up unless the previous owner had the work done, if they are seized the arms have to be cut out which therefore means new control arms which can cost £250+ a corner [genuine honda arms are around £400 a corner]. Add to this the labour for the work it can get rather expensive.
Alignment is vital to exploit the full potential for any s2000, so it is a must that this task is completed.
I did get the the standard toe front aligned when I got the new tyres, but the guys at pro tyre said they know about these cars and were reluctant to touch the camber, toe and castor for the rear. They were concerned that if they touched it it will disturb the current setting and probably make it worse if they tried to adjust it, even possibly shearing a bolt.
They recommended I go to a specialist.
Who knows, all bolts could be fine and yep might only cost me £100 or so just for the alignment. Finger crossed.
This is also the reason why I haven't taken the car to any road trips or track days yet until this is sorted.
Rest assured it is on my list for this year
xjay1337 said:
Ahh I see. Didn't realise the arms have to be cut out!
That's a bad design haha.
But look forward to future updates cheers for a decent informative reply.
Your welcome xjay1337,That's a bad design haha.
But look forward to future updates
cheers for a decent informative reply.haha, I think it was more of cost cutting at Honda at the time.
The control arms should have been aluminium, but again that would have been so much money for a car that only cost £24k new in 1999.
Will definitely keep the thread up to date.
Impressive write up! Car appears to be in very nice condition and I like that you keep it mostly original. I’ve had my ’00 model for just over 8 years now and have no intention of selling it. It used to be my daily driver, but that never really worked for me (pretty noisy and harsh). As a weekend car it is fantastic though!
Interesting to see the bumper lip and the rear spoiler though. They do look good, but I also kinda like the standard clean lines. Did you buy an oem front lip? Or it is a pre-painted fibreglass copy? I might consider that at some point.
Mine is mostly original as well, but after so many years of ownership I did start to change a few things along the way. I’ve changed the 16” wheels for the 17” facelift wheels and had them powdercoated. I replaced the oem shocks/springs with some Bilstein B14 coilovers, which was probably my best investment in the car. Quite a bit firmer than standard, but still has compliance and turn-in is so much sharper! I’ve also replaced the brake hoses with some goodrigde braided ones and run DS2500 pads (great for fast road use).
Make sure you do get that alignment checked though, can make a huge difference. My bolts were mostly ok, but one had to be persuaded with some heat and has been fine since. I try to get it checked about once every 2 years or so.
Anyway enjoy the car! Here’s a cheeky pic of mine in the same colour combination (although LHD)
Untitled by jurgen slender, on Flickr
Interesting to see the bumper lip and the rear spoiler though. They do look good, but I also kinda like the standard clean lines. Did you buy an oem front lip? Or it is a pre-painted fibreglass copy? I might consider that at some point.
Mine is mostly original as well, but after so many years of ownership I did start to change a few things along the way. I’ve changed the 16” wheels for the 17” facelift wheels and had them powdercoated. I replaced the oem shocks/springs with some Bilstein B14 coilovers, which was probably my best investment in the car. Quite a bit firmer than standard, but still has compliance and turn-in is so much sharper! I’ve also replaced the brake hoses with some goodrigde braided ones and run DS2500 pads (great for fast road use).
Make sure you do get that alignment checked though, can make a huge difference. My bolts were mostly ok, but one had to be persuaded with some heat and has been fine since. I try to get it checked about once every 2 years or so.
Anyway enjoy the car! Here’s a cheeky pic of mine in the same colour combination (although LHD)
Untitled by jurgen slender, on Flickrs2000_f20 said:
cb1965 said:
Mine was a 2005 in black with red interior. I bought it in 2008 and sold it in 2013 to help finance my SL55 renovation.
I did 140K in the S2000 in all weathers and outside of consumables it didn't cost me a bean. Way better than the Boxster S I had before it in every way, shape and form. It's one of only 3 cars I regret selling, the others being an Integra Type R DC2 and a Jag XJ8. Ah well.
Crikey 140k, thats amazing. Would love to daily it if i could but it nice to have it as a novelty toy to use when you want to go for a drive.I did 140K in the S2000 in all weathers and outside of consumables it didn't cost me a bean. Way better than the Boxster S I had before it in every way, shape and form. It's one of only 3 cars I regret selling, the others being an Integra Type R DC2 and a Jag XJ8. Ah well.
A friend of mine had a dc2, probably the best fwd car ever made.
Agree re. DC2, used to track it as standard and could lap Oulton faster than a lot of tricked up Imprezas that used to come down there. Had 5 Imprezas in my time as well so no bias to me saying that.
I can confirm S2k ownership is a wonderful thing. I have had mine for 4 years. Beyond oil and filters it has needed nothing. What other car can redline at 9k and is so easy to live with. I’ve just got mine sorted but may soon have to sell. Not a great second car when you have 3 kids. 
motor mad said:
Thanks for taking the time to document all this 
Your welcome motormad Jurgen said:
Impressive write up! Car appears to be in very nice condition and I like that you keep it mostly original. I’ve had my ’00 model for just over 8 years now and have no intention of selling it. It used to be my daily driver, but that never really worked for me (pretty noisy and harsh). As a weekend car it is fantastic though!
Interesting to see the bumper lip and the rear spoiler though. They do look good, but I also kinda like the standard clean lines. Did you buy an oem front lip? Or it is a pre-painted fibreglass copy? I might consider that at some point.
Mine is mostly original as well, but after so many years of ownership I did start to change a few things along the way. I’ve changed the 16” wheels for the 17” facelift wheels and had them powdercoated. I replaced the oem shocks/springs with some Bilstein B14 coilovers, which was probably my best investment in the car. Quite a bit firmer than standard, but still has compliance and turn-in is so much sharper! I’ve also replaced the brake hoses with some goodrigde braided ones and run DS2500 pads (great for fast road use).
Make sure you do get that alignment checked though, can make a huge difference. My bolts were mostly ok, but one had to be persuaded with some heat and has been fine since. I try to get it checked about once every 2 years or so.
Anyway enjoy the car! Here’s a cheeky pic of mine in the same colour combination (although LHD)
Your s2000 looks stunning, it looks so clean and fresh. Interesting to see the bumper lip and the rear spoiler though. They do look good, but I also kinda like the standard clean lines. Did you buy an oem front lip? Or it is a pre-painted fibreglass copy? I might consider that at some point.
Mine is mostly original as well, but after so many years of ownership I did start to change a few things along the way. I’ve changed the 16” wheels for the 17” facelift wheels and had them powdercoated. I replaced the oem shocks/springs with some Bilstein B14 coilovers, which was probably my best investment in the car. Quite a bit firmer than standard, but still has compliance and turn-in is so much sharper! I’ve also replaced the brake hoses with some goodrigde braided ones and run DS2500 pads (great for fast road use).
Make sure you do get that alignment checked though, can make a huge difference. My bolts were mostly ok, but one had to be persuaded with some heat and has been fine since. I try to get it checked about once every 2 years or so.
Anyway enjoy the car! Here’s a cheeky pic of mine in the same colour combination (although LHD)
I do agree, it is noisy and harsh if it were a daily, although the hardtop really does insulate the cabin alot.
The front lip is a genuine Honda part, other replica's were no good and were not advised unless you had access to a body shop to help fabricate it to fit. The genuine one fitted in 20 mins and came pre painted with all the screws etc to fit it. It was perfect.
It was very costly, haha. but I reckon the hassle and inconvenience saved is so worth it.
They are still available to buy from Honda, coxmotorparts sourced it for me from Japan. Great guys
Great upgrades, those were the upgrades I was thinking about. Although i was thinking of going Miester R rather than Bilsten.
DS2500 pads are waiting to go on
Your lucky with the geo bolts, I hope I get the ame luck. lol.
Thanks jurgen, will definitely enjoy the car when the weather gets warmer
Matt Clay said:
What an awesome thread, thank you for that.
Also nice to see everyone else sharing their S2ks.
Thanks matt, your welcome.Also nice to see everyone else sharing their S2ks.
It is lovely to see other peoples s2000's, makes you just want to go for a drive. lol
Dr G said:
You've done a lovely job bringing that up to tip top condition
Tasteful colour combination too.
Thanks Dr G, I did want a black s2000 but the silver stone silver has definitely grown on me now. Tasteful colour combination too.
Still alot to do and with all project cars, I doubt it will ever end. lol
cb1965 said:
140K with ease and everything felt as good as it did the day I bought it. Like you I did some preventative maintenance especially with the hood and seals, but overall it cost me nothing out of the ordinary.
Agree re. DC2, used to track it as standard and could lap Oulton faster than a lot of tricked up Imprezas that used to come down there. Had 5 Imprezas in my time as well so no bias to me saying that.
Did you ever change the TCT (timing chain tensioner), I was thinking of changing it but thought I might aswell wait until it does go.Agree re. DC2, used to track it as standard and could lap Oulton faster than a lot of tricked up Imprezas that used to come down there. Had 5 Imprezas in my time as well so no bias to me saying that.
Haha, I do believe you with the DC2 capabilities. What a machine.
lucebayjack said:
I can confirm S2k ownership is a wonderful thing. I have had mine for 4 years. Beyond oil and filters it has needed nothing. What other car can redline at 9k and is so easy to live with. I’ve just got mine sorted but may soon have to sell. Not a great second car when you have 3 kids.
Haha, I can imagine it must be hard with 3 kids. Don't sell it, you will regret it. Stick it in storage somewhere until the kids grow up. hehe. Lovely to see your's in complete standard form. That 9k rpm limit is just epic.
Edited by s2000_f20 on Friday 8th March 15:00
Are you also considering to change bits in the interior? I always really disliked the carpet on the center tunnel in the early versions, the later ones have a leather (or vinyl?) cover which looks more appealing. One of the first things I did after buying the car is ordering a black leather cover (with red stitching) that makes it look so much nicer (at least in my opinion!). It’s very easy to fit and tranforms the interior. I’ve also changed the shifter boot to a similar style (red stichting and black leather) and changed the radio door for a later silver version. Small changes that make the interior a nicer place to be.
CedricN said:
Tried a KN panel filter during my dyno session, lost quite a bit of power with it compared to the stock paper filter. Could be different with the cones, but it sure isnt a guaranteed performance benefit.
Really nice s2000 btw !
Thanks Cedric, I think the cone filters are behave differently to the panel types. Most cone filters should improve performance.Really nice s2000 btw !
Since the s2000 comes with a cone filter as standard the upgrade in performance i think would be quite marginal.
Jurgen said:
Are you also considering to change bits in the interior? I always really disliked the carpet on the center tunnel in the early versions, the later ones have a leather (or vinyl?) cover which looks more appealing. One of the first things I did after buying the car is ordering a black leather cover (with red stitching) that makes it look so much nicer (at least in my opinion!). It’s very easy to fit and tranforms the interior. I’ve also changed the shifter boot to a similar style (red stichting and black leather) and changed the radio door for a later silver version. Small changes that make the interior a nicer place to be.
I did think and was tempted by upgrading the interior with face lift components, but to be honest I thought keeping it all original was the key.Most of the facelift interior stuff are very pricey and I would want to keep and store all the original items too which would be extremely difficult as I dont have any storage. I was even tempted by getting a skunk2 gearknob, had it in my prelude and the shift feels great with one.
The interior as it is lovely, and in great condition so it would probably make sense to spend the money on the geo alignment and proper hardtop brackets instead.
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