Common S2000 problems?

Here is the rip in the top:

I'm going to be there first thing in the morning to look at it. Assuming the car looks like it does in the pictures, I can imagine I'll likely bring it home.

I figure as small as that tear is, properly fixed, it should 1-2 years before the car needs a replacement top. What do you guys think?

GameboyRMH wrote: No mention of the infamous air pump yet? It's a piece of emissions equipment that fails fairly often and costs a fortune to replace.

A quick google shows various delete kits.

We don't have inspections/emissions in OK, so if turns into a problem. It will just get ditched.

Also in regards to someone mentioning the S2000 is going to ruin the Miata for me. The Miata is the paid for track toy. If I hurt, I wouldn't mind too much.

GameboyRMH wrote: No mention of the infamous air pump yet? It's a piece of emissions equipment that fails fairly often and costs a fortune to replace.

True, I took mine off when the AEM was installed.

2006+ dont have any of that.

That looks more like a tear than wear, but its right on the wear spot. Check the other side, it usually starts from the inside out. I would patch that from the inside and forget about it for now.

Is that suzuka blue or silverstone?

Also, turn the lights on and the AC and the hazzard lights. If the dash lights dimm slightly when the hazzards blink, its the rectifier on the alternator ... not sure why, but I had to replace that twice on mine. Not a big deal to change and you can just buy the part right from Honda, but it was like $160.

J

carguy123 wrote:

Greg Voth wrote: I find them miserable to drive around town. The motor feels like it has no power until you hit Vtec. Once in Vtec and keeping it in Vtec it is quick but feels gutless everywhere else. Seats are apparently theft fodder and tops wear out. NC: The NC's Ive drove also have a nice interior and feel well built. I like them better around town but feel like they run out of breath up high to me similar to NA and NB's.

If you thought the S had no power down low then you didn't like the Miata. Put them side by side and in every low rpm test you can name the S will be equal to or faster than the Miata. Once Vtec hits the Miata is history. So what you were feeling was the comparison between the VTEC rush. Yes Vtec makes off Vtec feel slow, but it's not, it's just the difference between the 2 states. And if you thought the Miata ran out of breath up high then you want the S.

I think we both have been over this part before. It probably is just the perception but both the AP1 and AP2 CR S2000's I have driven feel painfully underpowered out of VTech. The AP1 I drove around two weeks ago struggled to keep up with stoplight traffic unless I rang it out. I had the same problem with my modified nonturbo RX-7.

I find NA and NB Miatas to be painfully slow and unwilling to rev. The NC felt slightly better but still ran out of breath. It probably coming from a rotary background. To me the worst parts about a Miata are the motor which I find completely uninspiring and the looks of NA's.

As a toy I think the S2000's are great. As a DD I would tire of it quickly.

To be fair, everything is going to feel slow compared to the 5.0

Slippery wrote: That looks more like a tear than wear, but its right on the wear spot. Check the other side, it usually starts from the inside out. I would patch that from the inside and forget about it for now. Is that suzuka blue or silverstone? Also, turn the lights on and the AC and the hazzard lights. If the dash lights dimm slightly when the hazzards blink, its the rectifier on the alternator ... not sure why, but I had to replace that twice on mine. Not a big deal to change and you can just buy the part right from Honda, but it was like $160. J

Silverstone, I thought it looked like a tear as well. Even the wife said, "The money saved from ditching the mustang would buy you a new top before the end of the year if you wanted" so I'm not going to stress to much about it.

Good call on the rectifier check.

What kind gains can be expected with intake, header, exhaust, tune? Any suggestions on coilovers that would be 95% street maybe some auto-x, the Miata is really setup for HPDE work.

Also, anyone running square setups on these? The weight distribution and low power (compared to the 420 I have now) seems awfully staggered.

Tune is where you will find the power, and it will be mostly midrange. I would think with a flashpro and those parts you would likely put 225-235 rwhp. I had mine tuned by Mase, who is very well known in the S2000 community ... but Evans tuning is good too and he can do it for you remotely.

Coilovers, I would look at KW V3s ... pricey but they are very nice on a daily. I had Tein and they are very stiff.

I run a square set-up. This was one of the best mods on this car, it made it feel really planted, and it handled really well. I can dig out the set-up but I am pretty sure they were 17x9.5 +47 all around with 255 tires.

This car is not the most powerful, but its a hoot to drive. So much so, that I drove mine to california and back with my wife and twice to the dragon. The heat/AC is one of the best I have ever experienced, probably due to how small its inside. Parts are going to be expensive, though.

J

GameboyRMH wrote: No mention of the infamous air pump yet? It's a piece of emissions equipment that fails fairly often and costs a fortune to replace.

What you talkin' bout Willis? Famous air pump failures? I've been on S2ki since 2002 and I've never heard of even one failing.

I have heard of people trying to delete them and having trouble with CELs since it's not as simple as a resistor.

Good info, what are they putting down stock? It seems from a quick search it seems the I/H/E + tune nets about 25whp or so, is that right?

Do the 255s all around require a roll or pull? I like the idea of a square setup for the handling and tire rotation.

My track car has less hp than my old sportbike I used to take to the track, so that's OK. Honestly, the Mustang has so much power as to be not fun sometimes.

I'm OK with pricey parts as I'll DIY most stuff and with a dramatically lower starting point, it won't be a big deal.

At least OEM tire setups aren't $1700 with $150 DIY oil changes like on the Track Pack GT.

z31maniac wrote: Good info, what are they putting down stock? It seems from a quick search it seems the I/H/E + tune nets about 25whp or so, is that right? Do the 255s all around require a roll or pull? I like the idea of a square setup for the handling and tire rotation. My track car has less hp than my old sportbike I used to take to the track, so that's OK. Honestly, the Mustang has so much power as to be not fun sometimes. I'm OK with pricey parts as I'll DIY most stuff and with a dramatically lower starting point, it won't be a big deal. At least OEM tire setups aren't $1700 with $150 DIY oil changes like on the Track Pack GT.

Mine put down 214-216 stock. With a +47 offset, it will depend on how low it is. When I said parts are pricey, I meant aftermarket parts. Honda parts are reasonable. I am very anal on maintenance, since I drive the car like it was meant to. I used to change the oil, transmission fluid and differential fluid all at the same time. I used Amsoil on the engine and rear end (also Lubricators Eng.) and Honda factory transmission fluid, and I still dont think I spent as much as you on a Mustang oil change lol. Use only Honda filters if you buy the car.

Also this car's top is very very good at sealing. If any of the seals look worn or old, you can buy Shin-Etsu grease from Honda and it will make them like new again.

J

If you were closer, I'd buy you a beer for all your helpful information. Thanks!

If I like the car, I can't imagine not bringing it home.

I'll second the square setup. I've got the 17x9 +63 TRmotorsports C3's (cuz they were cheap!) and it's easily the best mod on the car. Not the prettiest, but inexpensive and the correct sizes and offsets. no fender roll, but I did bend up the little tabs that the inner fender liner attaches to. it does rub the plastic liner a bit at full lock, but it doesn't hit the fender. Here are said wheels:

Now going to a square set up will increase the tailhappyness of the car. Not as pronounced in the ap2's due to corrected rear bump steer geometry and a smaller rear sway bar, but a front sway bar is a good idea. Most autocross guys will tell you to buy the biggest front bar you can find, however I disagree with that. I've driven a car with the largest bar on the market and it completely killed the steering feel of the car. It was fast in transitions, but the car pushed a lot and and the steering felt dull. I run a whiteline FSB which is one of the smallest out there (32mm solid bar) and I think the car has a very nice balance (still oversteers, but predictable and easy to catch) and they're under $200 new. Found mine for $50 used :)

Since you are looking for a comfy DD, let me tell you about my setup. It rides better than stock, performs better, and was very inexpensive. After having a heavily modded 240sx for almost 8 years, I was ready for something that would beat me to death driving it to and from autocrosses (hour each way for me) and to the dragon and back (6 hours). I decided to keep the stock springs, but with a twist. The ap1s had stiffer springs in the rear than in the front (they changed spring rates every 2 years, find the rates here ) and the springs are the same dimensions front and rear. So I ordered off the shelf Koni yellows, put the spring perches on the lower mount (3/4 inch drop front, 1/2 inch rear) and put the rear springs on the front, front springs on the rear. I also picked up a set of hardrace camber adding lower balljoints. These are the better way to go with camber adjustment if you run the 17x9+63 wheels. They push the bottom of the wheel out. If you run the upper ones that pull the wheel inwards, the inner wheel lip will hit the lower control arm at full lock. Then had the local race shop put an aggressive alignment on it and the car is golden. Ride quality is better with the shocks at full soft and the softer rear springs, the stiffer front springs also help tone down the oversteer, and best of all......under $1k!!!!!

And for comparison (and a little video whoring) here is the car bone stock at my 2nd autocross with it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJIit-_RHbI It pushes at turn in, then quickly transitions to oversteer.

And now on the current setup: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTp9CBNaj8o

To balance my car out a little better (I was used to RWD but so many people coming to the S came from FWD) all I did was up the percentage of width of the rear tires slightly and then disconnected the rear sway bar.

The only time I felt the S was the least bit tail happy was in steady state long sweepers when I was riding the edge. I felt slow and wanted to crank in some throttle, but any more throttle caused the rear to come out from under me.

Stock tires makes the car feel very nimble, but wider tires do increase the overall grip level. The car feels a little less nimble but it's faster and that's all that counts.

Hehehe, everything feels nimble compared to a front heavy 3600lb Muscle car.

Like I said, if the car is nice, the top repair is good and I like the way it drives, I'll be bringing it home tomorrow.

Thanks to all you guys for your input............but more input on potential mods would be nice.

So, did you get it???

Greg Voth wrote: I think we both have been over this part before. It probably is just the perception but both the AP1 and AP2 CR S2000's I have driven feel painfully underpowered out of VTech. The AP1 I drove around two weeks ago struggled to keep up with stoplight traffic unless I rang it out.

This is so untrue it's just silly. I hit VTEC on the street in my AP1 maybe once a month, usually accidentally, and I have never had any problem keeping up with traffic. It's not a torque monster under 6k, but it is perfectly adequate. It just feels like a regular car, nothing like my old NA Miata which really did have trouble keeping up with traffic. Maybe if you're driving it like a v8 and shifting it under 3k in traffic it might feel sluggish, but this engine is meant to be revved a little. I typically shift around 4500 in traffic and it isn't straining the engine in the slightest to do that (it barely makes a sound until you hit vtec).

The biggest problem I've had with my s2000 is not having bought one sooner. Honestly the worst thing about owning it is that I don't really have any major reasons to dislike it, which keeps me from hunting for a new fun car all the time, which is a process I really used to enjoy.

Just pulled up to the lot to look it over, raining like crazy. So not he best situation for a test drive

z31maniac wrote: Thanks to all you guys for your input............but more input on potential mods would be nice.

Um, maybe don't? IMO most guys who mod s2000s just end up ruining them. If you're going to autocross it get a big front swaybar and maybe better shocks if the stock ones are worn out (the stock ones are very good). You can drop a bunch of weight with a single exit exhaust, but uncorked s2000s honestly don't sound all that great to me. I am putting together a custom single with a Dynomax VT muffler as soon as I have time, I will post clips once I get it on. Typical bolt on stuff costs 2-3x what it would for a civic and gives very minimal gains. The engines really respond well to forced induction, but I don't think I'd want that headache on a DD.

Josh wrote:

Greg Voth wrote: I think we both have been over this part before. It probably is just the perception but both the AP1 and AP2 CR S2000's I have driven feel painfully underpowered out of VTech. The AP1 I drove around two weeks ago struggled to keep up with stoplight traffic unless I rang it out.

This is so untrue it's just silly. I hit VTEC on the street in my AP1 maybe once a month, usually accidentally, and I have never had any problem keeping up with traffic. It's not a torque monster under 6k, but it is perfectly adequate. It just feels like a regular car, nothing like my old NA Miata which really did have trouble keeping up with traffic. Maybe if you're driving it like a v8 and shifting it under 3k in traffic it might feel sluggish, but this engine is meant to be revved a little. I typically shift around 4500 in traffic and it isn't straining the engine in the slightest to do that (it barely makes a sound until you hit vtec).

Again just my opinion. Certainly its not as bad as a CRX HF or old Merc diesel which are truly rolling hazards but I certainly felt as thought it was struggling in the stop light to stoplight drive. I was shifting around 5k or so.

My DD (company car) is a 2012 4cyl auto Fusion so its not like I am used to fast torquey cars.

As I said before I really like the S2000 as a toy. When I took the S2000 CR on a couple hour country drive with two lane roads that allowed passing it was alot of fun. Driving in traffic around town for an hour and I was sick of it.

Car drives amazing, definitely want one of these over an NC Miata. I felt the car down low was just fine, like a Miata, then bang, glorious noise and pretty good acceleration. The car is priced right, although there is a bit of wavy/dent spot right behind the driver door.

The sheet metal feels pretty thin all the way around the car. Guessing that's normal.

Left the lot to think about it, sitting in a gas station parking lot having a snack and a bottle of water.

Yes, ignore the naysayers if you like the power of the Miata on the street then you'll love the S because unlike the Miata it's also got VTEC!

It's Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde.

It's a mild mannered Miata, from a power point of view, on the street until you need it then it transforms into what sounds like a fire breathing monster.

I don't hit VTEC as much as I used to either, it's simply not needed. Wanted, but not needed.

Well I passed on the car, that little dent/wavy area along with their crappy patch job and few other little things..........I've definitely decided against an NC Miata vs an S2000.

However, it looks like I'll have to up my budget from $15k-ish to around $20k to really get something clean and with lower miles.

Even though that doesn't save me as much on the payment, the maintenance will be so much more afforable than the Mustang along with the gas.

Slippery:

So $10,700 to replace the seats and top? Did they take or destroy anything else?

Why are the seats such a theft target, for bolting into other Hondas?

What other car are you moving on to?

turtl631 wrote: Slippery: So $10,700 to replace the seats and top? Did they take or destroy anything else? Why are the seats such a theft target, for bolting into other Hondas? What other car are you moving on to?

This should clear up what the $10700 was for ... the replacement seats were used btw ...

Have an '87 e30 that I daily now and the e36 M3 that is my track car. I have not driven the S2000 but probably 5 times in the last 2 years. It just sits in the garage, with three kids its always difficult to go for a drive. At the same time, I am somewhat reluctant to let it go ... but its doing me no good sitting there.

J

How do the 2004-2005 models compare to the 06+ models?

I'm thinking an '04-05 may have to work based on prices I'm seeing (I'm searching within a ~350-400 mile radius of my location.

I don't really want to approach $25k and I don't want an AP1 or a ton of miles.