Any owners/previous owners of S2000s? I'd like to hear your thoughts....
10-26-2004, 02:47 PM
#2
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Yea, a friend of mine has one......
He has a 04. Its definitely has a "fun car" feel and to tell you the truth it feels much faster then it is even with two passengers. You definitely want a 04 because they have like 20 more hp then previous models. If a small fun car if what you want you cant beat it for the price.
10-26-2004, 03:05 PM
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My dad has one right now. I drive it weekly...
It's a beautiful car! It's like a go kart you can drive daily. It's soooo simple to work on as well. No MAF, no throttle by wire.....very refreshing. I almost bought one but it would have been my only car. I think it would get a little tiresome to drive everyday but for weekends it doesn't get much better for 30k. I drove it for about 3 weeks daily and I really started to miss the luxury and torque of the S4 but it was a funnnn 3 weeks! It handles superbly. The back gets a little slippery with stock suspension though. the new S2000 supposedly has addressed this. The stock S0-2 tires will last no more than 11k if driven mildly. I can't say enough good things about the car though. Below 6k before vtec it's not the fastest thing in the world but once you're in vtec it really moves along. There's something to be said tearing up the canyons at 9k rpm that's hard to duplicate in other cars. After watching any of the F1 races toward the end of the summer I was drawn to the garage to at least sit in the car if not take it out for 30 min or so. I'm 5' 10" and I fit absolutely perfectly in it. The feel is not unlike a video game. It's like I should put in a dollar before I can get it out of the garage. Overall a wonderful car that's beyond solid for a convertible. Much more solid than a Boxster and especially a m roadster.
10-26-2004, 03:47 PM
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I had an '01 S2000 and my take on it is that most of what you read/hear about the car
is just people repeating commonly heard stereotypes. For instance, my tires still had thread left on them at 15k when I sold the car even after I had tracked it. Here's an e-mail I sent to a friend looking @ S2000s which addresses some of the most common points of contention with the car:
------------------------------------
Hey Al,
the S2000 is a great car, but very single minded. As long as you keep in mind that its built around a 9000rpm 4-banger, and sacrifices things like sound deadening and space for performance, then you'll absolutely love the car. Don't believe the crap you read on S2KI. Common misconceptions:
S-02s suck in everything but the dry - they don't, the drivers do. I got caught in the sleet/ice storm we had last weekend, on unplowed roads. I made it home in one piece, with absolutely no "oh ****" moments. Even more so for the wet & cold. You'll see lots of people whining on how they lost control at 25mph on a corner in the wet. A load of crap. They either have bald tires or weren't going 25. Car handles great in the wet, very controlable. I've even hit a few areas of standing water on the highway, and the car was very controlable. As long as you don't panic, the car'll take care of you.
Snap oversteer - similar to above. People complain about the car's rear end coming out "unexpectedly." Being very worried about that, I went to a BMWCCA safety school (wet skidpad) and a SCDA safety school (track day) and am very glad I did because I found just the opposite. The car can be brought back from oversteer situations by reducing throttle application. I think most of these people just lift in corners, and that's why they spin.
No torque - always fun to hear that line. The car has an almost flat torque curve throughout the 9k rpms and is geared very high. The torque multiplication of the gearbox & final rations, make it very fast and very driveable. It won't have power at 1k RPMs like the V8s, but as long as you keep the RPMs above 3k, you have plenty of power for passing and tooling around town. No need to be in VTEC territory.
Engine failures are more common in early years, and the car does eat a lot of oil during break in. Mine took 2 quarts in 6000 miles. Just make sure to check your oil level every once in a while and you'll be fine. There was a very small number of engine failures due to cylinder 4 and all were replaced under warranty. Again, many more failures are caused by missed shifts & over revs.
The only problem I've had with mine is the 5th gear synchro going and the subsequent screw up in the rebuild. Once the gearbox was rebuilt the 2nd time, its as good as new. No other problems in 12k miles.
The car can be a daily driver and I know people that have it as such. That's a very personal decision, dependant on how loud you like it in your cabin and if you mind a stiff ride. I have no problems with it, so it'd be fine for me.
I can't speak highly enough about the car and its handling prowess. I've never had a car that's so responsive to turn in and steering by throttle. It is an amazing blast to drive. You'll have a stupid grin on your face every time you sit in the car. Even to this day I still do.
If you want a ride, we can meet up for lunch/dinner some time. I definately want to see how your stasis setup is.
Mike
------------------------------------
Hey Al,
the S2000 is a great car, but very single minded. As long as you keep in mind that its built around a 9000rpm 4-banger, and sacrifices things like sound deadening and space for performance, then you'll absolutely love the car. Don't believe the crap you read on S2KI. Common misconceptions:
S-02s suck in everything but the dry - they don't, the drivers do. I got caught in the sleet/ice storm we had last weekend, on unplowed roads. I made it home in one piece, with absolutely no "oh ****" moments. Even more so for the wet & cold. You'll see lots of people whining on how they lost control at 25mph on a corner in the wet. A load of crap. They either have bald tires or weren't going 25. Car handles great in the wet, very controlable. I've even hit a few areas of standing water on the highway, and the car was very controlable. As long as you don't panic, the car'll take care of you.
Snap oversteer - similar to above. People complain about the car's rear end coming out "unexpectedly." Being very worried about that, I went to a BMWCCA safety school (wet skidpad) and a SCDA safety school (track day) and am very glad I did because I found just the opposite. The car can be brought back from oversteer situations by reducing throttle application. I think most of these people just lift in corners, and that's why they spin.
No torque - always fun to hear that line. The car has an almost flat torque curve throughout the 9k rpms and is geared very high. The torque multiplication of the gearbox & final rations, make it very fast and very driveable. It won't have power at 1k RPMs like the V8s, but as long as you keep the RPMs above 3k, you have plenty of power for passing and tooling around town. No need to be in VTEC territory.
Engine failures are more common in early years, and the car does eat a lot of oil during break in. Mine took 2 quarts in 6000 miles. Just make sure to check your oil level every once in a while and you'll be fine. There was a very small number of engine failures due to cylinder 4 and all were replaced under warranty. Again, many more failures are caused by missed shifts & over revs.
The only problem I've had with mine is the 5th gear synchro going and the subsequent screw up in the rebuild. Once the gearbox was rebuilt the 2nd time, its as good as new. No other problems in 12k miles.
The car can be a daily driver and I know people that have it as such. That's a very personal decision, dependant on how loud you like it in your cabin and if you mind a stiff ride. I have no problems with it, so it'd be fine for me.
I can't speak highly enough about the car and its handling prowess. I've never had a car that's so responsive to turn in and steering by throttle. It is an amazing blast to drive. You'll have a stupid grin on your face every time you sit in the car. Even to this day I still do.
If you want a ride, we can meet up for lunch/dinner some time. I definately want to see how your stasis setup is.
Mike
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10-26-2004, 03:49 PM
#8
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They're a riot to drive... so much fun.
Awesome little car.
As others have said, Go-Kart like, easy to work on... lots of mods.
And the "lack" of power below 6k isn't that bad. If you wanna go fast, you just have to wind it up!
As others have said, Go-Kart like, easy to work on... lots of mods.
And the "lack" of power below 6k isn't that bad. If you wanna go fast, you just have to wind it up!
10-26-2004, 04:41 PM
#9
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fun to drive but it really doesn't have all...
the creature comforts like the S4. It has good handling characteristics but power delivery is lacking. Certainly a great car to drive around a windy road or track. But as a daily driver, it certainly doesn't compare.
I feel that this should be a second car to compliment the S4
I feel that this should be a second car to compliment the S4
10-26-2004, 04:47 PM
#10
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Re: I had an '01 S2000 and my take on it is that most of what you read/hear about the car
<B>Snap oversteer - similar to above. People complain about the car's rear end coming out "unexpectedly." Being very worried about that, I went to a BMWCCA safety school (wet skidpad) and a SCDA safety school (track day) and am very glad I did because I found just the opposite. The car can be brought back from oversteer situations by reducing throttle application. I think most of these people just lift in corners, and that's why they spin.</B>
You have experience with the S2000 and I don't but I have never heard of anyone correcting oversteer by lifting off the throttle. Lifting off the throttle even a little should cause the oversteering condition to get worse and not better since you'll be making the rear end a little lighter. At least that's the way it was with the 993 I owned. Again, I'm not saying you are wrong, it's just contrary to my experience.
<B>No torque - always fun to hear that line. The car has an almost flat torque curve throughout the 9k rpms and is geared very high. The torque multiplication of the gearbox & final rations, make it very fast and very driveable. It won't have power at 1k RPMs like the V8s, but as long as you keep the RPMs above 3k, you have plenty of power for passing and tooling around town. No need to be in VTEC territory.</B>
The S2000 doesn't have any torque. Why? Because it's a small engine. Even 900 HP Formula I engines have relatively little torque because of their size. One quick way to test a car's torque is to measure how fast it is from a rolling start. Torque monsters like an E55 AMG or Z06 will go from 40 to 60 MPH in a blink of an eye. Although I've never seen any test results on how fast an S2000 is from 40 to 60 MPH, I'd be willing to bet it won't be very fast.
An even faster way to determine an engine's torque is to look it up. My source tells me that the '03 S2000 puts out 153 lb-ft at 7500 RPM. That torque output is in Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla territory.
You have experience with the S2000 and I don't but I have never heard of anyone correcting oversteer by lifting off the throttle. Lifting off the throttle even a little should cause the oversteering condition to get worse and not better since you'll be making the rear end a little lighter. At least that's the way it was with the 993 I owned. Again, I'm not saying you are wrong, it's just contrary to my experience.
<B>No torque - always fun to hear that line. The car has an almost flat torque curve throughout the 9k rpms and is geared very high. The torque multiplication of the gearbox & final rations, make it very fast and very driveable. It won't have power at 1k RPMs like the V8s, but as long as you keep the RPMs above 3k, you have plenty of power for passing and tooling around town. No need to be in VTEC territory.</B>
The S2000 doesn't have any torque. Why? Because it's a small engine. Even 900 HP Formula I engines have relatively little torque because of their size. One quick way to test a car's torque is to measure how fast it is from a rolling start. Torque monsters like an E55 AMG or Z06 will go from 40 to 60 MPH in a blink of an eye. Although I've never seen any test results on how fast an S2000 is from 40 to 60 MPH, I'd be willing to bet it won't be very fast.
An even faster way to determine an engine's torque is to look it up. My source tells me that the '03 S2000 puts out 153 lb-ft at 7500 RPM. That torque output is in Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla territory.