Forgot to mention. I won my spousal skirmish about garage placement from a few posts up, twice over.

a) S is in garage
b) Wife, without my prompting her, has given official go-ahead on adding a bay to the garage so she can have her spot. I was going to finish the basement this year but will do a garage bay instead. I am going to do enough space for 1 1/2 cars and am considering a two-post lift. Yeeeehah!

I have the best wife ever!

 

If I didn't live in MN, I'd own a S2000 as a daily. I'm just tired of having a garage queen. I want to be able to drive it and enjoy it. Not store it 6 months out of the year.

 

Enjoy!

 

Excellent review. I'd love to have an S2k and an RX8 in the garage. Especially the S2k though.

That scuff on the S2ks front bumper makes me sad.

 

Same here, all I want is S2K
I kind of like RX8 friend had one....like the way you sit in it and the sound of engine/exhaust but that thing just doesn't go

 

If I didn't live in IL I'd have a S2000 in a heart beat. Makes it even sadder that Honda just killed it off.

 

I saw the video independently and was going to post it just now. Damn my long work hours, Ken beat me to it.

In any case.....I've been driving my S2000 every day this week, 300 miles in total so far. I love my CTS-V.....really I do....but the S beats it all day long in handling. On top of that, I can rev the snot out of my S and still be within or minimally above the speed limit. If I drove my V like I drive my S, I would be in jail or my license suspended for speeding.

So the S2000 still has a place in my heart, and thankfully in my garage. That review reminds me of why I have one. S2000 FTMFW.

....and dammit, Honda, the economy is doing better now. Bring us a competitor for the FRS. RWD, small, light, tossable, fun to drive, inexpensive. Please?

 

Exactly.. I'd love to see Honda do an FR-S competitor. Call it a Prelude, make it RWD and under $30,000. Do a roadster variant on the same platform. Instant winner.

 

An S2k is pretty high on my short list of eventual "toy"/2nd car.

Tough choice between a fun & Honda reliable S2k, or a possibly more fun Elise/Exige.

It'll be a while before that time comes, plenty of time to figure it out, maybe just get both

 

No prelude!! Keep the s2000 name.

they don't even have to keep it under $30,000 i will just buy 1.

2.4L 270 HP 28-2900 lbs. Convertible or not, doesn't matter. RWD 50/50

6mt, NO hybrid! $40k i will dump my 335 today!

 

I'd be much happier with ~220-240hp and 25-2600lbs. Preferably coupe, with a liftgate. Obviously RWD. Under $30k.

Make an Si model (or CR) for a few grand more that is more track oriented and powerful.

It must rev to at least 8k rpms. Otherwise, don't designate it an S chassis.

 

In order to get the numbers (HP and price) you want, you'll need to broaden the platform appeal. Call it whatever you want.

Dedicated roadsters with unique, mostly hand-built engines cost extra. There needs to be a base model/platform to pay the bills or else its a loss leader.

 

Mine sounded more like a s2000 than yours haha.

 

i said they don't have to keep it under $30k..I believe S2000 has developed its own "prestige" and if Honda can make the same type of car but with some performance upgrade. They will not have a problem selling them at higher price than their typical honda cars. Cars like s2000 are never meant to make much profit anyway. I'd rather see Honda losing $ from S2000 than those Insight and CRZ.
At least it shows that their capability are not only limited to SUVs and Family sedans.

$40k sounds reasonable to me considering it was $30k in 2000.

 

I guess, but theres no way they could make an NA 2.4l hit 270hp. It would require boost, but Id rather not apply the S designation to factory boosted car. Kinda kills the point of it IMO.

And for $40k, theyre going to have some good competition. I think a slightly down level car would be best suited for fighting the FR-S, Genesis, and Z (on the higher end). And I think Nissan is still thinking about bringing something out to compete with the FR-S too, so thats another one that needs to be considered. At $40k, youre still going after the Z, but the G37 is in the mix, and of course people will compare it with the 3 series.

 

Love that review - Amazing how well the S2000 is standing the test of time. I agree with the reviewers - the S2K is a car that brings a smile to my face every time I get in mine.

Its too bad Honda doesn't make anything like it today!

 

Couldn't agree more.
Will be interesting to see if Honda follows Toyota to the land of the sports car.

 

What do you mean No way they can make 2.4L 270hp? If Honda can make 2.0L N/A with 240hp, you think they can't squeeze another 30hp from the extra 0.4L displacement?

S2000 will not compete with FRS, some buyers will consider both but most will not, simply because One is convertible 2 seater with no refinement and 1 is a coupe with 4 seat.

S2000 have always competed with Z4, 350/370Z, Miata and etc..

FYI S2000 was $32-$34k 13 years ago, more expensive than my CL-S back in 2001. So S2000 was never a cheap car.

 

I completely agree as well, I love my S2000, especially in the corners. I would like to see Honda produce a lightweight, 300hp sports car that can handle at least as well as or better than the S2K.

 

They don't have any 4 cylinder motors that they could breath a little life into to reach those numbers, so they'd need to develop something new which takes money and time. The easiest way for them to hit 270hp is to put the J35 in it, but thats not an S car.

And I understand that the S2k wasn't a cheap car in its day. But part of product planning is trying to pinpoint where the market is headed. Aside from commuter cars, it appears (to me) that cheap semi-sports cars are going to be a growing market. I'm trying my hardest to not bring up the 86 platform, but that has made other companies take notice. Coming out with a $40k Honda sports car can definitely be done, but it's Honda. They'll do something stupid and it will fall flat on its face. A $40k sports car is something Acura needs. Honda should be focused on a sub-$30k sports car, which, as nice as it sounds, a 270hp high strung 4cyl doesn't fit the budget.

This is purely my opinion.

 

An F22 bored to an F24 will hit those goals, and could be mass produced in a reasonable roadster format for 30K. F engines were pricey, but I am willing to bet that in the past 13 years Honda has been able to figure out how to get a NA 270 bhp engine. The issue will be the same as the S has now which is that the TQ is abysmal, but winding it up resolves that (sort of).

The S2K technology/mechanicals that drove the price into the 30K+ range should be available for cheaper today. Basically an S today is mid pack with its competitors. Why couldn't Honda make some tweaks, keep the price reasonable and have a solid performance competitor?

 

Installed my HKS 75mm single exhaust today. It's pretty loud, lol. The butt dyno says that the engine feels a little more powerful though.

 

Nice.. time for me to hop on Youtube so I can listen to one

 

I'm installing these today

 

....and even then, it's a not so direct competitor to each. I've driven my friend's AP1, as well as the Z4 and my son's 350Z roadster. The S2K is more of a blast to drive.

I'm just waiting for prices to sort of bottom out before I get one -- preferrably an AP2 -- to replace my 97 Prelude.

 

Sounds pretty good on YouTube but the extra cut out in the bumper would bother me because I'm weird.

Here is a clip to save everyone the search
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qNtdxBOGBgQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

Sounds about right. A little deeper though in person. Drones quite a bit at 3k rpm - that could get annoying, but we'll see. I don't mind the hole in the other cutout.

 

Is the HKS exhaust Invidia loud?

I mean, IS THE HKS EXHAUST INVIDIA LOUD?

WHAT? I COULDN'T HEAR YOU!



I have seen a few videos of the HKS in action on YouTube and it doesn't seem too loud. Or at least not Invidia loud. Thank goodness.

 

I've only heard the Invidia at idle, and it's not quite as loud. My exhaust has a leak, because there is no gasket between the cat and exhaust pipe (I need to order a house gasket, this didn't come with it), so that should quiet it down some. I'm going to get the silencer for it as well, so I don't have to watch the throttle as much as I drive past cops.

 

Installed my suspension today. Koni singles with custom race/autox valving and 800/600 lb/in springs in front/rear. Also installed SPC upper ball joints in the front so I can get more camber. These shocks are AMAZING. The car handles really well and is smoother than stock over normal bumps, even with such stiff springs. I'll be autocrossing both days this weekend, so we'll see how they really are then, but they won at the Dover nationals tour a couple weeks ago competing against $5000 Motons and $7000 Penskes, so I know they're the real deal.

 

Is this HKS too?
because I love the downshifts on this one

 

I don't think so, that sounds louder and more raspy. And that guy's driving is hard to watch. He has to be the least smooth driver I've ever seen.

 

Would you guys trade your TL in for an S2000?

 

I had an '05 TL, so I can say definitely yes.

On the other hand, i have a practical car to fall back on when needed.

 

If I didn't need 4 doors, I probably would. But I'm in a '00 TL.

 

Yep, stock setup it drones at that RPM, subtle but noticeable with the top up.

You learn these things on long drives in the middle of nowhere

 

Try cruising at 90+ at almost 5k rpm in my old S2k. Ask me how I know.

 

This is another level of drone though, as in I may as well remove the radio. Sounds fantastic, but bad for long trips.

I'll be getting a silencer for this, and have to fix a leak between the cat, which will make it much quieter.

 

For those you who autocross/track your s2k. i would recommend buddyclub spec 3 single.

It weighs around 10 lbs for the whole entire catback and the design is as straight as it can be.
The only downside is it is probably the loudest exhaust you can find for S2k. But great for track!

I had one in my 05, i almost went deaf after 2 weeks. But the performance was there.
The rear went up about 1 inch because of the weight saving.

 

For the 06+AP2 the Gernby midpipe (S2Ki) is the best TQ improvement you will see. The drone is minimized (almost eliminated) and the remapping Gernby does is awesome.

I have it with the stock catback components and the sound and moreso the performance is amazing.

+1 for Flashpro and excellent components