My Rio Yellow Pearl S2000
Discussion
Hi all,
It's almost 2 years to the day I purchased my fantastic Honda S2000...
[pics of my previous car in the spoiler for anyone interested!]
Considering the Honda forum here does seem to lack owners' pictures, I thought I'd oblige
...in the best colour, of course
When I first purchased it:
After a clean:
A few summer pics:
Fortunately the hood is holding up really well so far:
Its on a 2004 plate and is currently sitting at ~38k miles. I'm only the second owner so it's in good hands
; it was evidently cared for by the previous owner [I bought it on approx 32k in Dec 2009]. It's been serviced at Chiswick Honda all its life.
Looking forward to enjoying many more miles...
.
It's almost 2 years to the day I purchased my fantastic Honda S2000...
[pics of my previous car in the spoiler for anyone interested!]
Considering the Honda forum here does seem to lack owners' pictures, I thought I'd oblige
...in the best colour, of course
When I first purchased it:
After a clean:
A few summer pics:
Fortunately the hood is holding up really well so far:
Its on a 2004 plate and is currently sitting at ~38k miles. I'm only the second owner so it's in good hands
; it was evidently cared for by the previous owner [I bought it on approx 32k in Dec 2009]. It's been serviced at Chiswick Honda all its life.Looking forward to enjoying many more miles...
.Edited by ch3tman on Sunday 18th December 19:40
Thanks all ...
It is quite important also to grease the rubber seals too, if you have the hard top. This will help them keep strong yet supple, promoting a tight seal.
Lippy Kid said:
Very nice, and I like the Rallye too.
This is definitely one of my preferred colours for these cars. In fact, looking at it again, it's possibly my ideal looking S2000. And I'm not usually much of a fan of them, but I really like it with the hard top on, too.
Thanks very much for the kind words. It is indeed my ideal looking version too, I waited many months until one in this condition, this colour, this model year and variant [GT spec] became available.This is definitely one of my preferred colours for these cars. In fact, looking at it again, it's possibly my ideal looking S2000. And I'm not usually much of a fan of them, but I really like it with the hard top on, too.
davey68 said:
Do you treat your roof? i read that 'raggtop' or aero 303 are good products to clean and protect the hood?
In all honesty, because I have the hardtop, the soft hood is only exposed to the elements for a portion of the year, during the drier months [when the hardtop is off]; so typically April to September/October. I'm also quite certain the previous owner rarely had the hard top off, hence the overall condition of the hood at the moment. I cannot recommend one product in particular but I have also read good things about RaggTop For Vinyl, Renovo and Aero 303.It is quite important also to grease the rubber seals too, if you have the hard top. This will help them keep strong yet supple, promoting a tight seal.
TommyBuoy said:
Never been a fan of Yellow, but in the sun it definately suits the car, even with the hardtop!
Definitely, the sun really makes the colour 'pop' due to its pearlescent nature, here are two pictures showing the paintwork in its element, showing lots of 'depth':Edited by ch3tman on Tuesday 20th December 20:56
Edited by ch3tman on Tuesday 20th December 20:57
tozerman said:
I have to say that does look really good (The colour is actually "new indy yellow") looks like you found a good one there.
Thank you! ...and it seems that whilst "New Indy Yellow" [or "Indy Yellow Pearl"] is a S2000 colour code, "Rio Yellow Pearl" is also a valid one. The prior has a colour code of Y-52P whilst the latter appears as Y-65P. It may well be that the actual paint is the same, though... as little more research seems to indicate Rio Yellow Pearl and New Indy Yellow are indeed the same colour but that Honda decided to give them different names based on their regional market. (The colour is actually "new indy yellow") looks like you found a good one there."Ref Number:Y65P - Genuine Factory Honda Touch-Up Paint
Color: Rio Yellow Pearl (Paint Code --> Y65P)
Note: Paint may also say "New Indy Yellow Pearl" for the color on the bottle. Same color code, same color just a different name for the color from Honda."
havoc said:
scz4 said:
tozerman said:
wheels painting anthracite black 
Agreed, would finished the car off nicely. (Nice car BTW...IPY looks good on the S2000!)
However I concluded that whilst this would look great when the hood is up [the wheels complimenting the colour of the hood], it wouldn't look so consistent when then yellow hard top is on.
As the hard top is on for typically half a year, I didn't go ahead with it, despite being tempted!
JFReturns said:
Interesting article, I remember reading that months EVO dreaming wistfully about the day when I could afford a proper sports car
Not sure about their 'garish paint' comment though!
I also wasn't sure about the colour comment Not sure about their 'garish paint' comment though!
Here is the link the article on their website, with a few more pics:
http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evocarreviews/4529...
Bit of a milestone hit yesterday - the big 40,000 miles! 
The odometer and 'trip monitor' were all set up to achieve a "40000 - 40" display respectively but I was having too much fun driving and forgot all about the landmark
opportunity. Compared to many of you, this is still minimal miles I'm sure. Especially considering that when I bought the car in Dec 2009 it was sitting on ~32k...
We unexpectedly came across the Hindhead Tunnel [and having looked it up, seems to be the longest tunnel in the UK] where the sound, with the top down of course, was immense
. Despite our efforts to capture the sound, the general air/wind noise was too overpowering: click me
Unfortunately whilst the above tunnel experience will prove to be memorable the day 40k was hit, my offside rear alloy got scuffed against a curb and is proving to be just as memorable. Painful!
The odometer and 'trip monitor' were all set up to achieve a "40000 - 40" display respectively but I was having too much fun driving and forgot all about the landmark
opportunity. Compared to many of you, this is still minimal miles I'm sure. Especially considering that when I bought the car in Dec 2009 it was sitting on ~32k... We unexpectedly came across the Hindhead Tunnel [and having looked it up, seems to be the longest tunnel in the UK] where the sound, with the top down of course, was immense
. Despite our efforts to capture the sound, the general air/wind noise was too overpowering: click meUnfortunately whilst the above tunnel experience will prove to be memorable the day 40k was hit, my offside rear alloy got scuffed against a curb and is proving to be just as memorable. Painful!
Naddy786 said:
Top choice of car and colour! Obviously a bit biased as my old 2004 S2000 was also in this colour.
It's the only colour to have Obviously a bit biased as my old 2004 S2000 was also in this colour. .Urban Sports said:
Beautiful car!
Thanks very much! As we previously discussed, I know you're tempted to own one in this colour yourself .ambuletz said:
Beautiful looking S2000. I love it in bright colours. Prefer it with the black soft top myself, as it contrasts better with the paint.
Many seem to share the same opinion - though don't underestimate the hardtop - especially in the colder months. Great insulator and sound proofing! It stays on typically between Nov and Mar/Apr. Otherwise its soft top time
._________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Another little update - the car enjoyed its 63k service in September, once again at Chiswick Honda, despite it having covered a fraction over 40k... and its just passed its MOT today - once again with flying colours & zero advisories
The car is simply a pleasure to own and drive!
.Thanks Gaz!
..guys! ...priorities!! 
A little update since the last - with the car sitting on 44.7k miles, the car was treated to it's next scheduled service, the 72k, in July. It went in to Chiswick Honda once again but it was probably the worst customer service I'd experienced to date
.
Yesterday I visited Tom at TGM Sport Racing for a clutch replacement. Quite a surspring task given the car has only covered 45k miles. However the typical symptoms were beginning to show. With a long road trip on the horizon, I didn't want to take any chances, and given I'm going to keep and enjoy the car for several years to come, I saw the opportunity to have the clutch replaced as investment. The pedal had become ultra stiff, this had always been the case, and I suspect the first owner covered most of his miles within the congested London area, always in traffic... and maybe even riding the clutch now and then...
.
Really glad I took the decision to have the work done, the clutch itself was on its last legs - literally!
I'll let the images do the talking:
Here is the new clutch just bolted in. I went for the genuine OEM kit from Honda:
Really glad I had the work completed today - one less thing to worry about and for once it was perfect timing - there was literally nothing left on the outgoing clutch! It goes without saying that the team at TGM worked quickly and efficiently - Tom's knowledge and experience is first class
.
The clutch pedal is now suuuuper light and super smooth - quite unbelievable! The new bite point will take some getting used to but I hope it all leads to many more enjoyable miles.
Finally, a quick photo I managed to take of the S2000 sitting alongside a rather mint looking family member:
britsportscars said:
Looks awesome! I nearly bought a Yellow GT but my GF said she'd disown me.!
oooOLLIooo said:
That comment is very close to home... I bought an S2000 GT a couple of weeks ago, and even though I prefer the more vibrant colours (yellow and red really do it for me), I ended up with the more conventional moonrock grey following pressure from the wife...
Urban Sports said:
I wanted a yellow one but my wife also said she would disown me, I got a red then black, still think yellow is the most striking!
..guys! ...priorities!! A little update since the last - with the car sitting on 44.7k miles, the car was treated to it's next scheduled service, the 72k, in July. It went in to Chiswick Honda once again but it was probably the worst customer service I'd experienced to date
. Yesterday I visited Tom at TGM Sport Racing for a clutch replacement. Quite a surspring task given the car has only covered 45k miles. However the typical symptoms were beginning to show. With a long road trip on the horizon, I didn't want to take any chances, and given I'm going to keep and enjoy the car for several years to come, I saw the opportunity to have the clutch replaced as investment
. The pedal had become ultra stiff, this had always been the case, and I suspect the first owner covered most of his miles within the congested London area, always in traffic... and maybe even riding the clutch now and then....Really glad I took the decision to have the work done, the clutch itself was on its last legs - literally!
I'll let the images do the talking:
Here is the new clutch just bolted in. I went for the genuine OEM kit from Honda:
Really glad I had the work completed today - one less thing to worry about and for once it was perfect timing - there was literally nothing left on the outgoing clutch! It goes without saying that the team at TGM worked quickly and efficiently - Tom's knowledge and experience is first class
.The clutch pedal is now suuuuper light and super smooth - quite unbelievable! The new bite point will take some getting used to but I hope it all leads to many more enjoyable miles
.Finally, a quick photo I managed to take of the S2000 sitting alongside a rather mint looking family member:
Another update - I decided to buy new discs and pads, front and rear and although he pads that came off [OEM Honda set] weren't even that badly worn [see below], I desired a fresh change all round and proceeded to have replacements installed.
One of the main reasons for getting the new clutch and brakes installed was to lessen any worries ahead of a roadtrip.
Well, that roadtrip has now taken place and I'm really glad to say both new components performed really well!
The roadtrip consisted of, essentially, a tour of France...The general order of destinations are as follows:
Calais > Reims > Dijon > Lyon > Grenoble > Route Napoléon > Grasse > Juan-Les-Pin/Antibes/Nice > Monaco > Millau > Vierzon > Rouen > Calais.
We spent 10 days away and 7 of those on the road. 2 nights worth of stop-over to get down to the South coast and 2 nights again to come up North and hit Dover. Granted, some people reach the Riviera within a day's worth of driving but we felt like taking a more relaxed approach, enabling us to enjoy the towns/hotels we'd picked for stopping over at
.
We still aimed to cover between 420km and 500km each day on the road in order to make sufficient progress - and we felt our estimates were spot on when you factor in leaving a hotel at around 1000hrs, having lunch somewhere for around 1hr, ad-hoc exploring and photo spots, wanting to reach your next destination by 1800hrs for dinner, etc. Given it was my first time driving on the other side of the road, that was enough km per day! That said, our first day saw us cover 690km and the final day slog to Calais saw us hit 725km - which was pushing it
.
On to some photos from the trip:
The car was really, really, impressive throughout and inspired confidence whilst taking the awesome French roads, be it long sweeping corners or those more 'technical' and involving such as those found on Route Napoléon (N85) or Grande Corniche (the higher coastal road of the three, into Monaco). There was a tiny scare when on the first stages of the N85 I could smell the clutch quite heavily and got a little worried. A 30-45min stopover at a cafe let it cool and the 'issue' never returned. Perhaps it was the first time the brand new clutch was being asked to work hard! . I think I was being overly paranoid...
Stopovers like the one above were always pretty pleasing; the car would almost certainly draw admiring looks and comments from locals
. Some were really interested in the car, wanting to know what it's capable of, how it's set up. Some had no idea what it was whilst others knew exactly what it was, but had simply never seen one before! We even got asked if it was ok for photos to be taken of the car! . The thumbs up on the roads, the nods of acknowledgement - all very surprising and yet very pleasing - serving as a reminder that we were in a pretty special car! .
And the obligatory bug shot....
This is what 2,054 miles of French insects look like when splattered across the bumper of an S2000!
Highly recommended!
One of the main reasons for getting the new clutch and brakes installed was to lessen any worries ahead of a roadtrip.
Well, that roadtrip has now taken place and I'm really glad to say both new components performed really well!
The roadtrip consisted of, essentially, a tour of France...The general order of destinations are as follows:
Calais > Reims > Dijon > Lyon > Grenoble > Route Napoléon > Grasse > Juan-Les-Pin/Antibes/Nice > Monaco > Millau > Vierzon > Rouen > Calais.
We spent 10 days away and 7 of those on the road. 2 nights worth of stop-over to get down to the South coast and 2 nights again to come up North and hit Dover. Granted, some people reach the Riviera within a day's worth of driving but we felt like taking a more relaxed approach, enabling us to enjoy the towns/hotels we'd picked for stopping over at
.We still aimed to cover between 420km and 500km each day on the road in order to make sufficient progress - and we felt our estimates were spot on when you factor in leaving a hotel at around 1000hrs, having lunch somewhere for around 1hr, ad-hoc exploring and photo spots, wanting to reach your next destination by 1800hrs for dinner, etc. Given it was my first time driving on the other side of the road, that was enough km per day! That said, our first day saw us cover 690km and the final day slog to Calais saw us hit 725km - which was pushing it
.On to some photos from the trip:
The car was really, really, impressive throughout and inspired confidence whilst taking the awesome French roads, be it long sweeping corners or those more 'technical' and involving such as those found on Route Napoléon (N85)
or Grande Corniche (the higher coastal road of the three, into Monaco). There was a tiny scare when on the first stages of the N85 I could smell the clutch quite heavily and got a little worried. A 30-45min stopover at a cafe let it cool and the 'issue' never returned. Perhaps it was the first time the brand new clutch was being asked to work hard! . I think I was being overly paranoid...Stopovers like the one above were always pretty pleasing; the car would almost certainly draw admiring looks and comments from locals
. Some were really interested in the car, wanting to know what it's capable of, how it's set up. Some had no idea what it was whilst others knew exactly what it was, but had simply never seen one before! We even got asked if it was ok for photos to be taken of the car! . The thumbs up on the roads, the nods of acknowledgement - all very surprising and yet very pleasing - serving as a reminder that we were in a pretty special car! .And the obligatory bug shot....
This is what 2,054 miles of French insects look like when splattered across the bumper of an S2000!
Highly recommended!
Thanks for the comments. I am in total agreement, the S2000's lines and shape have really dated well, the car still looks very 'current' .
I was just going through the roadtrip photos I found some that may be of interest to a car forum - I probably don't need to state the following were seen in Monaco....
Yep, that's a Daytona at Millau!
The S2000 shared the same underground car park....
.I was just going through the roadtrip photos I found some that may be of interest to a car forum - I probably don't need to state the following were seen in Monaco....
Yep, that's a Daytona at Millau!
The S2000 shared the same underground car park....
Back to the Honda...
Yesterday the S2000 was treated to a set of Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 on all 4 corners.
They replaced the trusty set of Bridgestone RE050MZ which I've kept on the car since owning it. Given the positive reviews from pretty much everyone on the Goodyear tyres, I'm looking forward to getting to grips with them.
The hardtop also went on - I don't think we have much of a summer left now! As many say, it really does transform the look of the car....
Finally, the S2000 was also joined by a new 'stablemate' - the wife took delivery of her new car yesterday....
It's quite big in comparison, though will serve as a trusty practical car I'm sure.
Yesterday the S2000 was treated to a set of Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 on all 4 corners
.They replaced the trusty set of Bridgestone RE050MZ which I've kept on the car since owning it. Given the positive reviews from pretty much everyone on the Goodyear tyres, I'm looking forward to getting to grips with them
.The hardtop also went on - I don't think we have much of a summer left now! As many say, it really does transform the look of the car....
Finally, the S2000 was also joined by a new 'stablemate' - the wife took delivery of her new car yesterday....
It's quite big in comparison, though will serve as a trusty practical car I'm sure
.Without wanting to turn this into a tyre debate...
That said, the F1 Asymmetric 2s inspire a lot more confidence and I've yet to brake traction - in areas I know I could have previously, i.e. pulling sharply out of a t-junction on an incline - despite the recent greasy road surfaces. Due to the softer sidewall (and perhaps compound?) the car does feel like it moves around more, perhaps due to greater levels of grip achieved on our uneven UK roads! The Bridgestones, in this respect, feel a little more 'skittish'.
Very happy with the purchase - as prior research indicated the above characteristics were expected between the two tyres - and I'm sure they'll serve the car well.
.
- be sure to get a Yellow one .
Jurgen said:
I'm curious to know how you get on with the goodyears.
Riknos said:
Jurgen - did you get the Asym2 normal version or the XL version? (Extra Load).
I actually went for the normal, non-XL version, on the following advice I was provided with:- The XL is only stiffer if you up the tyre pressure - not sure that's a good idea if you haven't got the weight to go with it...
- Some XL are actually softer than non XL at 32psi.
- XL means you can pump them up more, in reality you won't pump them up more than non-XL & you end up with a heavier tyre!
That said, the F1 Asymmetric 2s inspire a lot more confidence and I've yet to brake traction - in areas I know I could have previously, i.e. pulling sharply out of a t-junction on an incline - despite the recent greasy road surfaces. Due to the softer sidewall (and perhaps compound?) the car does feel like it moves around more, perhaps due to greater levels of grip achieved on our uneven UK roads! The Bridgestones, in this respect, feel a little more 'skittish'.
Very happy with the purchase - as prior research indicated the above characteristics were expected between the two tyres - and I'm sure they'll serve the car well
. Petrolhead Tom said:
That is a mint looking AP1! Do you mind if I share it on my S2000 Facebook?
Thank you very much! You're very welcome to share it with those who share a passion for the S2000 .woodytype S said:
Thankyou,lovely pictures I think thatI will sell my Itegra DC5 and get a S2000
I'm glad my photos have helped you make your mind up - be sure to get a Yellow one .Following the roadtrip images posted above, I've put together a little video covering the roads and scenery experienced ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBLYAMD3g3Q
Excuse the camera shake and 'overtaking' ...
Enjoy!
...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBLYAMD3g3Q
Excuse the camera shake
and 'overtaking' ...Enjoy!
Thanks very much, LHRFlightman .
Well, it was exactly 4 years ago - to the day - that I placed the deposit on the S2000 .
Coincidentally, this also happened today:
That's right - the big half century, 50,000 miles! Still relatively low for a MY04 car....
Whilst I only covered ~8k miles across the first 3 years of ownership, this last year has seen me cover ~9k miles, although this does of course include the awesome >2k French roadtrip.
.Well, it was exactly 4 years ago - to the day
- that I placed the deposit on the S2000 .Coincidentally, this also happened today:
That's right - the big half century, 50,000 miles!
Still relatively low for a MY04 car....Whilst I only covered ~8k miles across the first 3 years of ownership, this last year has seen me cover ~9k miles, although this does of course include the awesome >2k French roadtrip
.
with zero advisories. Wheeler88 said:
Congrats!
BTW, I love this photo of your car!! http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/1742/imgp0025u.... - makes me excited for the summer!
Thank you - you can't beat open top motoring with blue skies like that BTW, I love this photo of your car!! http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/1742/imgp0025u.... - makes me excited for the summer!
.Spent some time yesterday treating the car to a spring clean prior to a prospective viewing; here are a few photos for your enjoyment:
A reminder of how the cockpit is such a great place to be - we don't see many interior shots posted often:
Took a while to clean but it was very satisfying
This PistonHeads article was thrown my way recently:
"Honda S2000: Catch it While You Can"
http://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-japanesecars/ho...
...and it certainly made me reminisce about this wonderful car I let go back in Spring 2014... 
.
Sorely missed, even my wife claims it was/is her favourite car. It was such a clean example!
If you have one, keep hold of it!
"Honda S2000: Catch it While You Can"
http://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-japanesecars/ho...
...and it certainly made me reminisce about this wonderful car
I let go back in Spring 2014... . Sorely missed, even my wife claims it was/is her favourite car
. It was such a clean example!If you have one, keep hold of it!
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