What do you think makes the Honda S2000 so special?

[DOHCTR Coopz!]

I've been a proud owner for around under a year now. The S2000 is definitely the best car I've ever owned in terms performance, handling and looks. It will be a difficult car to replace as I don't think many cars carry the S2000's characteristics (without spending a fortune to say the least). To me, what makes this car so special is the fact that its unique. There are no wanna be S2000's, you can't kit up a Civic to replicate one, so when you see an S2000, it's only and will only be an S2000.

And dropping the top on a sunny day, shifting through her gears, and hearing her roar down some twisted roads along the countryside is a BIG bonus too... :D

[ncmx5]

Nothing. Try owning a supercharged Lotus Exige, that's an affordable stealth supercar ;)

[VeYzZii]

S2000 isnt the best car out there, there are many cars that out perform them in many aspects..
Although its not the best car, its our car..
Ive owned my s2k for just under a year, and it has grown on me..
Its not spectacular at specifically one thing.. It just does everything pretty damn well..
Not many car can be rough n fast, but quiet and smooth at the same time.. A rear wheel drive with a redline at 9000.. A 2 seater convertible.. Gorgeous exterior and sleek interior..
Its perfect to me..

[Clio]

The only thing I am disappointed with is the handling, with any luck I can improve with aftermarket gear, apart from that rowing through the gears with the top down is truly a great feeling and can turn a boring journey into an event.

[vyets]

The only thing I am disappointed with is the handling, with any luck I can improve with aftermarket gear, apart from that rowing through the gears with the top down is truly a great feeling and can turn a boring journey into an event.

haha what are you comparing too? s2000 bad handling? hrm..

[YLDS2K]

some things i find interesting about the s2000

1. redline at 9000rpm

2. has the shortest-throw shifter in production cars

3. the S2000 engine is also built by a single engineer

4. the engine itself is no longer than the B16 found in earlier civics

5. the S2000 is considered the or one of the safest roadsters built. honda reinforced and designed the roll bar and a-pillar using their own 55mph rollover tests, since the US has no rollover test. the S2000 not only completely protects the passengers in a roll over, it also received the maximum award in all other US tests. they also did their own rear collision tests, another test not standard in the US. in a 45mph rear collision, the damage does not go past the center of the rear wheels.

6. in a rollover, the seat belts stay locked to hold passengers into the seats, and the roll bar and a-pillar will barely crush in order to protect the passenger compartment. (there was an S2000 that rolled his car at 70mph, flipped and rolled his car over a dozen times, landed upside down and walked out unharmed. in fact, the passenger compartment was never compromised.

7.the S2000 is more rigid than most 4 door sedans, which is a huge feat for a convertible.

8.the high x-bone frame is designed to not only protect, offer a rigid chassis, but also make passengers "feel" like they are in a race car. hence the reason some people don't like it, because they feel "cramped".

9.the S2000 engine sits completely behind the front axle, even though it is mounted longitudinally, rather than traversely like most engines

AND MY FAVOURITE FACT OF ALL

10. THE F20C HELD THE RECORD FOR PRODUCING THE HIGHEST SPECIFIC POWER OUTPUT FOR ANY MASS PRODUCTION NATURALLY ASPIRATED ENGINE AT 123.5HP/L UNTIL FERRARI RELEASED THE 458 ITALIA IN 2010 WHICH PRODUCES 124.5 HP/L

GO THE S2K

[Clio]

i came from a renaultsport clio, and prior to that an R32 skyline, both of which were significantly more adjustable on the limit from a handling perspective. i was actually reading an old issue of 'Motor' magazine last night in the back pages and the summary for the s2000 was "great engine, sketchy handling". having said that the mag was in respect of 1999 model (which i own), i believe the suspension was tweaked in later years (2002 +) and i can't comment on these as i've never driven one.

[LEWD]

Engine and gearbox, the only two things that are special about this car....if it wasnt for these two, then the car would be like any other mass produced sports car out there.

[LEWD]

i came from a renaultsport clio, and prior to that an R32 skyline, both of which were significantly more adjustable on the limit from a handling perspective. i was actually reading an old issue of 'Motor' magazine last night in the back pages and the summary for the s2000 was "great engine, sketchy handling". having said that the mag was in respect of 1999 model (which i own), i believe the suspension was tweaked in later years (2002 +) and i can't comment on these as i've never driven one.


Im sorry, and I dont like saying to people that they are wrong, as its personal opinion, but having driven both of the cars you note extensively, I can only say that your car is buggered and needs an alignment. As good as a Clio sport is at cocking its rear tyre up around coreners, it is nothing on a S2000. Don't get me wrong, I love them, but they are in no means the same category. As for the R32, no doubt you had modified suspenion on this as a stock suspensioned R32 is a soft podgy vague mess, ....even the early R32 GTRs are pretty damn soft but definetely not vague, more traction/grip than handling though.

[vyets]

i came from a renaultsport clio, and prior to that an R32 skyline, both of which were significantly more adjustable on the limit from a handling perspective. i was actually reading an old issue of 'Motor' magazine last night in the back pages and the summary for the s2000 was "great engine, sketchy handling". having said that the mag was in respect of 1999 model (which i own), i believe the suspension was tweaked in later years (2002 +) and i can't comment on these as i've never driven one.

Sometimes I feel like my civic handles better then my s2000 as well, probably because it's fwd and it's piss easy to drive on the limit. R32 gts-t handles like shit standard sorry but a little bit easier to control on the limit unlike the s2000.


Engine and gearbox, the only two things that are special about this car....if it wasnt for these two, then the car would be like any other mass produced sports car out there.

I don't find the engine or gearbox that great, yea the throw is short but its notchy and feels like there's something wrong, but then I would rather something like this then a floppy S15 shifter haha.

As a standard car the f20c is pretty good standard, however beyond that it's nothing special.

It's not people are wrong or right it's just personal opinion everyone thinks differently :)

[YLDS2K]

no vyet you are wrong and you a disowned from making any further comments LOL

na you are right, everyone thinks differently and find different things nice about the car and have noticed that recently when we all went on the refton tour that a lot of guys who didnt ilke the OEM hardtop at first seeing it in photos then seeing it in the flesh, a lot of guys opinions had changed and said they started to like it and it grew on them. I just think that everyone should remember the reason y they bought the car in the first place, and thats for THE CHICKS BROOOOOO

sorry im just in a silly mood

[LEWD]

Not trying to force a point, but I have to say that for 4 cyl engine the f20 is remarkable, for such a high compression engine, its ability to trundle around in low revs is quite remarkable. Most other high comp high revving 4cyl engines such a the old cossie ford engines are absolute rubbish compared to the f20 as far as driveability goes, and lets not get started on reliability. Even when these engines get 'modernised' they still feel quite lethargic at low revs. There is a reason why it was voted the best engine 1.8l-2.0l between 2000 and 2004, only to be eclipsed by the VAG FSI engine which is in nearly half of the VAG products that get sold in Europe and around the world. Even 8 years after its introduction it was in the top 3.

As for the gearbox, find another car sub $70k (hell sub $150k) which has such a postive action, again, when suited to such a high revving engine. The only gearbox I have enjoyed more was in a 996.2 GT3.


I don't find the engine or gearbox that great, yea the throw is short but its notchy and feels like there's something wrong, but then I would rather something like this then a floppy S15 shifter haha.

As a standard car the f20c is pretty good standard, however beyond that it's nothing special.

It's not people are wrong or right it's just personal opinion everyone thinks differently :)

[mrs2k]

i love the lines of the body

[YLDS2K]

i love the lines of the body

we are talking about cars here yeah?

[DOHCTR Coopz!]

i love the lines of the body

Agreed! Hella sleek...

[blackouT]

I love the way that the car has both the ability to be a cruiser and also have performance characteristics. I owned an s15 before this and it wasnt anywhere an comfortable as the s2k when it was just cruising. Driving at night with the top down and looking up... is awesome! and once you hit vtec... it pulls and keeps going and going!

Only slight downside is it needs a tiny bit more bottom end. Other then that.. best car I have owned.

[zhong]

I love it because it only has 2 series, and it still looks like a $40k car...

1. Shifter is good, although may get annoying after a while if you DD (i do), but that's sports cars for you.
2. I agree that the handling isn't that shabby, I expected more to be honest.. I drove a CRX del sol, and felt that that thing handled alot better! But maybe my tyre/wheel combo might change that shortly.
3. VTEC with roof off! :D

[ludecrs]

Because you can run boost up to about 18 pound on the stock high compression. Amazing.

[garett]

i love my S2000, i cant think of what could possibly replace it.

the difference between driving it and that of a renault clio sport, When you drive an
S2000 you are the driver, the renault has so many computers aiding the driver it isnt funny.

my grandma would do an awesome time in a clio sport around a track, but a race car driver driving both would turn a faster lap in an s2000

because its a DRIVERS CAR not a cars driver!

[LEWD]

Because you can run boost up to about 18 pound on the stock high compression. Amazing.

I hate you....go away

[curtis265]

with reference to a post above.. Shouldn't u compare the BMEP instead of hp/l?

also, longitudinal engine... well of course..

and if it's behind the front axle, does that make it MR?

[garett]

i think MR (Mid Engine - Rear Drive) still stands with the engine behind the chairs

[curtis265]

mid-engine means the centroid of the engine is between the axles

[JamieP]

I personally love the way the car handles. It can be a bit twitchy at times but all and all once you know what to expect it handles great. I love the way that it makes you feel at one with the car when you drive it as well.

[s2kjn]

I love it more so that I'm on my p's and see people's eyeballs fall out on the side of the kerb!

PS awesome thread!

[Clio]

Im sorry, and I dont like saying to people that they are wrong, as its personal opinion, but having driven both of the cars you note extensively, I can only say that your car is buggered and needs an alignment. As good as a Clio sport is at cocking its rear tyre up around coreners, it is nothing on a S2000. Don't get me wrong, I love them, but they are in no means the same category. As for the R32, no doubt you had modified suspenion on this as a stock suspensioned R32 is a soft podgy vague mess, ....even the early R32 GTRs are pretty damn soft but definetely not vague, more traction/grip than handling though.

That's true, my s2000 is almost 12 years old and the suspension is no doubt past it's prime, on the other hand it is accident free and has relatively low kms.
Much of the press from respected car magazines at the time did not praise the car's handling; quote EVO Magazine;
"Our principle gripes were numb steering, dull turn-in and rear suspension that felt squirmy under load. This made the S2000 rather woolly and tricky to drive hard, especially if the surface was bumpy. Oversteer was a challenge without reward, the rear-end breaking away and regaining grip untidily, and even in brisk driving the chassis' general lack of crispness made that screaming engine hard to exploit."
I can relate to that paragraph to a tee.
These are comments from respected journalists with a much broader experience base than I, and I suspect you also.
Try finding critism like that on the handling of a Renaultsport Clio.
As for the R32 there are so many bastardised examples going around - that are going on a decade older than the s2000 that it is difficult to experience a true example. I stand by my opinion though that it was a better handling car than the S2000. As great as the S2000 is I think you are kidding yourself if you think the handling is something out of the ordinary.

[AusS2000]

I've owned the S since new. In 99 I placed my order and waited in the queue. I was lucky and got mine early as it was an unwanted prize in a MYOB competition. So I only waited 6 months.

I bought the S for reasons of practicality. I had driven the Series 1 Elise and absolutely loved it, but knew I would need a second car to carry anything bigger than a sandwich. So the when the S2000 was announced it was a god send. A sporty RWD convertible that didn't look like a Smartie (MX5 reference BTW).

What makes it special? Soichiro honda.

Yes, I know he is dead but the spirit he inspired with his S360, S500, S600 and S800 is locked away somewhere in a back cabinet at Honda and for a short time in the early 21st century it got out and stretched it legs. I mean, what was Honda thinking? They made FWD econoboxes. Ok, so there was also the NSX but they were so overpriced and short supplied many don't believe they even exist. Where does Honda get off hand producing a "RWD" "convertible"?

I have never been a Honda fanboi (for reasons above). But I am an S2000 fanboi. People ask me if I have ever thought of selling it. Why would I sell it? I'd just want another one. And according to my resale-mod theory (every dollar you spend on modding you car is a dollar off it's resale value) I'd have to pay someone to take mine.

Here's the thing: When I bought my car for $75,000 there was nothing that offered me similar performance with a modicum of practicality within $40,000 of that price. Now, almost 11 years later the resale value of my car according to Redbook is what? Low $20ks? What can I buy for that money that will come anywhere near the performance and fun of my S2000? Nothing.

[AusS2000]

Oh, and as for the negative comment made about handling, if all is in order with the car the part you should first change is the nut that holds the wheel.

[ncmx5]

I just think that everyone should remember the reason y they bought the car in the first place, and thats for THE CHICKS BROOOOOO

sorry im just in a silly mood

Man, I swear I have not picked up a chick by using this car. LOLOLOL. They find it too low, obnoxious, and when you have the roof down, their hair goes flying around their face which shits them more. hahahahhaha
Plus when you VTEC the car, they get scared. lololol. ooops.

[AusS2000]

The day I picked up my car my GF and I drove around all day. I then dropped her off at home and went for a drive myself. I was up in Neutral Bay just before the turn onto the Harbour Bridge and two girls were crossing the car in front of me. They saw the car, stopped and ask for a lift into town. I declined. Not sure if it was because two people won't fit into the passenger seat unless they are real friendly or because I had a GF at home cooking me dinner. Either way, put a smile of my face.

[LEWD]

That's true, my s2000 is almost 12 years old and the suspension is no doubt past it's prime, on the other hand it is accident free and has relatively low kms.
Much of the press from respected car magazines at the time did not praise the car's handling; quote EVO Magazine;
"Our principle gripes were numb steering, dull turn-in and rear suspension that felt squirmy under load. This made the S2000 rather woolly and tricky to drive hard, especially if the surface was bumpy. Oversteer was a challenge without reward, the rear-end breaking away and regaining grip untidily, and even in brisk driving the chassis' general lack of crispness made that screaming engine hard to exploit."
I can relate to that paragraph to a tee.


Do yourself a favour and read their subsequent reviews on the 'AP2' cars, quite a different review. Most people on here will say that the AP1 and 'AP2' cars are the same thing, but to use EVO's words:

'the S2000 is more the car we hoped it would be when we first drove it: a uniquely focussed and thrilling traditional sports car with an extraordinarily exciting engine, one of the world’s most wonderful gearshifts and, now, a chassis that matches their keenness. It’s a shame that Honda has saved the best for last'

I will say though that the s2000 is being compared to sports cars and not hot hatches. A clio is a great handling car, for a hot hatch...when journos say its got phenomonal handling, its relative, there is no doubt it does, but Im damn well sure a Caterham or a 911 GT3 does the job a lot better.

As for me thinking its handling is out of the ordinary, never said that, only said the engine and gearbox is out of the ordinary. But let me tell you, if you think a R32 handles well, just wait until you drive cars that actually handle well, you'll love it.

I unlike many here bought my car based on its resale value, which is incredibly boring I admit, just saying this so you know Im not some fanboy that loves S2000s. In fact the S2000 is the most boring car I have driven in the last 8 years of my life, but for the price in Australia, I agree, there is nothing which comes close to it for pure all around fun. The closest I got was a 987 boxster S, which was worth over double what I paid for my S2000 and probably about 10-15% better...if you can quantify better that is.

[LEWD]

Oh, and as for the negative comment made about handling, if all is in order with the car the part you should first change is the nut that holds the wheel.


I like that...

[YLDS2K]

ive had a lot of attention in the S, i get little kids in the back of cars taking pics on daddy's camera phone to an older lady who said 'its good to see a successfull young guy in a nice car, whatever you do, keep up the good work' and then she drove off As recently as sunday that just passed i was in docklands leaving albumbra and saw 2 girls in a toyota avalon trying to look into my windows but couldnt cause of the tint and then when i opened the window they said 'excuse me' but i took off to quickly to hear what else they had to say and i wasne going to slow down and drive after them to find out what else was said but i think the attention is half due to the plates i have on the car and ever since i put personalised plates on the car, it has received a lot more attention from females.

[ludecrs]

I hate you....go away

Nah-uh!

[DOHCTR Coopz!]

i think the attention is half due to the plates i have on the car and ever since i put personalised plates on the car, it has received a lot more attention from females.

WOW! What are your plates??? lol

[ncmx5]

iS2gay .... lololol... jks!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i just wanted to post a dumb comment.

[VeYzZii]

My plates are BMY-35M :).. Like 'be my threesome' (being a two seater car, me the car and the girl. hehe)..
But they where totally random, not customised.. Total fluke.

[curtis265]

is2gay

i love it!

[fromdeeeast]

WTF? I have no idea how people are saying that it handles badly. My s2000 is the best handling car I have ever driven. I used to have a DC2 Vtir with coilovers and all that, sure I could drive it harder but didnt handle better. Had a supra with coilovers, handled like a boat. Drove my brothers s14 with every single aftermarket suspension part and aligned and my s2000 I believe still outhandles it.

I am actually surprised by people saying it handles meh. Go drive something else and then jump back into an s2000.

[Clio]

[QUOTE=LEWD;2934436]Do yourself a favour and read their subsequent reviews on the 'AP2' cars, quite a different review. Most people on here will say that the AP1 and 'AP2' cars are the same thing, but to use EVO's words:

'the S2000 is more the car we hoped it would be when we first drove it: a uniquely focussed and thrilling traditional sports car with an extraordinarily exciting engine, one of the world

[aozora]

RWD - A true sports car drive line.
NA - The feel of responsiveness.
Well designed chassis - To help with both of the above :)
Top down and good looks are just bonuses imo :D

I've owned an S13, S14 and 2 x AE86s. Although not all stupidly modded... the S2000 feels the best period. I still don't get sick of driving it. If I jump into ANY other car now... the steering feels sloppy and unresponsive, the gearshifts feel loose and the overall drive feels delayed and unengaging. I struggle to think of other cars that can replace the car at the moment (Besides a Lotus Exige... but I don't have Lotus money :().
Bad day? Mix it with 9k rpm and it becomes a good day :)
Hot? Go for a cruise with the top down near the beach... who needs a/c? :)
Raining? Drop a gear and go around a corner then go sideways - steering with your right foot and hands. Smiles all around :)
Does your girlfriend get jealous easily? Drive by some 18 year old chicks slowly and watch your gf grease them off :D
Bogan tradie tailgating you? Drop it some gears into 6k rpm+ then with some right foot action - watch him dissapear behind :p
Simple things like that.

RE: Clio vs S2k - How about sector time comparisons if you want to compare handling? And not quotes from stiff journalists.
Then to wipe away motoring magazine old man syndrome - compare sector times on similarly modded examples of both cars. Present facts not opinions if you want to argue properly... :)

[Clio]

It's not about the Clio being better or worse, and sector times would be great to look at if they can be found. I just made a comment that I'd like to improve the handling with aftermarket parts. Look at s2ki.com - heaps of s2000 owners are doing the same thing.

[aozora]

It's not about the Clio being better or worse, and sector times would be great to look at if they can be found. I just made a comment that I'd like to improve the handling with aftermarket parts. Look at s2ki.com - heaps of s2000 owners are doing the same thing.

Haha probably offended a few S2000 owners along the way... I just have a thing against "motoring without mods" journalists :p
I'd recommend an aftermarket front swaybar first. Then try aftermarket rear toe arms mixed with an alignment :)

[Clio]

I'm not out to offend, on the contrary there are motherloads of things I love about the s2000 otherwise I wouldn't have purchased one.
Do you speak from experience on those mods you suggest? Is there a brand of the rear toe product?

[aozora]

I'm not out to offend, on the contrary there are motherloads of things I love about the s2000 otherwise I wouldn't have purchased one.
Do you speak from experience on those mods you suggest? Is there a brand of the rear toe product?
True :)

All with exception of the rear toe arms but I've been doing a heap of research of rear bump/toe graphs... and even just feeling the rear end through Melbourne's AWESOME FLAT roads (not) - indicates that there's still unstability even with the front sway.
I'm personally looking at getting Ikeya Formula rear toe arms soonish as alot of the other brands have spherical bushes at both ends which is just an unecessary maintanence cost waiting to happen. Especially on street (speaking from experience with suspension arms in general :p).

The front swaybar is definitely recommended. Whiteline have them available for high $200s.
And alignment wise, try dialing in more rear postive toe and negative camber to help settle the rear end a bit.

[LEWD]

Hang on, don't start slating EVO magazine, its not like the rubbish they feed us here in Australia, its pukka petrolheads stuff.

[blackouT]

I have been recommended to get a rear anti-bump steer kit ( rear toe arms) because it improves handling a lot. This range from 300 (Megan racing) to 500ish (j's racing).

[vyets]

I have been recommended to get a rear anti-bump steer kit ( rear toe arms) because it improves handling a lot. This range from 300 (Megan racing) to 500ish (j's racing).

not really it just reduces bump steer :P

[tay113]

Hi guys, i guess some of the cars we have driven ,personally i would find it hard to get best of both worlds .reliability ,affordability,great drivability ,
Could be me just simply fussy or its just the type of cars i got attracted.
anything ranging from great handling cars but plenty of trouble with maintenance or trouble free cars but has no feel and soul attached to it.I just sold off a suzuki swift re4 6months old yesterday.Its a practical car but just has no feel and oomp to it.Had a mark 5gti dsg with plenty of feeling and handling but too many times to the workshop with issues.So to conclude ,best to know the devil than the deep blue sea.Love is to the eyes of the beholder.not the greatest but good enough.
s2000.
Jump into it and let the world roll it on.

[stylish.]

Coming from an unbiased source:

Positives
+ Redline 9k
+ Timeless roadster looks
+ Frantic power beyond 7krpm (from a 2L 4 cylinder)

Negatives
- Rear will break out inconsistantly (sketchy at the limit)
- Had to justify everyday drivability (No torque, Power kicks in at high rpms)
- Cramped cabin, not to mention its only a 2 seater
- Cabin is noisy, ride is stiff, every bump will be felt on anything but smooth freeways

I was considering an s2000, so I can understand the appeal =)

[alvin_R]

for my own opinion is : 1. 9000 red line( even till today i am still pround of this thing when i intro f20c to ppl) 2. shape handling 3 desgin of the body turns the car look good after 11 yrs till now
4. im really call this : it is My Power Of Dream lol

Ps: but this car is need bit of modification to make it easy to handling for me, particularly the suspenion :p

[vbroom]

for me it was bang for buck in the roadster category.

its no motorbike but for a car its not too shabby :)

[LEWD]

I'm sorry, but you considered a S2000 but ended up with a 135? You probably made the right choice, a sports car isn't what you wanted.





Coming from an unbiased source:

Positives
+ Redline 9k
+ Timeless roadster looks
+ Frantic power beyond 7krpm (from a 2L 4 cylinder)

Negatives
- Rear will break out inconsistantly (sketchy at the limit)
- Had to justify everyday drivability (No torque, Power kicks in at high rpms)
- Cramped cabin, not to mention its only a 2 seater
- Cabin is noisy, ride is stiff, every bump will be felt on anything but smooth freeways

I was considering an s2000, so I can understand the appeal =)