They do seem the most natural progression from a standard MX5.
I'm still thinking of one, and won't be put off by somebody else's negative comments on them.

I seem to hear more good feedback about them than bad.

Some time this year, i will be checking them out

 

Bad comments are usually about the handling which you just need to be respectful of, 240 bhp and RWD why wouldn't you respect it, it has load of grip, but no aids thats what catches people out!

Also the peaky engine comes in for critisism, IMO it's similar power and performance as a 1.8 MX5 until 6000 rpm, then you get a healthy injection of around 100 bhp, all the way to 9000 rpm, its a sportscar it's meant to be driven hard, and it is very quick in vtec!

 

I've got to say I absolutely love S2000's! I would have one most certainly. I'd also love to see/hear/ride in a 350bhp monster

I've always been a huge fan of the VTEC and since my Dad had his Prelude VTEC written off, I kind of miss being around one.

Welcome to Nutz btw

 

Thank you, is there any way I can register as an enthusiast, which I genuinely am?

The vtec in the S2000 is the most agressive changeover Honda have made, I was really was taken back by it when I had a test drive, have a go of one you won't be dissappointed!

Thanks for the positive responses BTW!

BTW I haven't had a ride in a supercharged S, I'm not sure if I want to from a financial point of view if you know what I mean!

 

A mate of mine borrowed his bosses stuka a few years back and took me out for a spin in it. It was winter, he was being careful, and traction was a big problem on a very cold, frosty Glossop afternoon. But it was an awesome drive, it just kept revving and revving. That was an early model though, the one with the higher revving engine (9k redline?) and the twitchy suspension setup. The owner mashed the car on the M65 in bad weather conditions a few weeks later

Don't know if that was his inability to control the car, pure bad driving or the twitchy handling in combination with both the above.

I love Stuka's. I'd have one for sure, it's like a '5 but all grown up

Daz

 

Hi US,

Welcome Nutz

Yep i've driven a few S2k's now, i don't like the engine the handling or the interior.

To the point where i feel the engine is gutless till 5k, then kicks in way to much.
This coupled with handling that'd sooner spit you off the road than look at ya is NOT a good combination in my book.

The later cars got a fair bit better.

Again this is MY opinion, it just so happens that it seems to be the same opinion as other respected journo's in the car trade.
Obviously Honda also had a similar opinion or otherwise why would they carry out such dramatic chassis alterations?

As i say next time i'm over in the UK it'd be great to get a few 5's and a few S2's together on a decent track and thrash it out.

If using "correct grammar" pisses you off then i'd take a few Valium before visting this or ANY other car forum, the S2k forum being as bad as this one.

Help is at hand though you could always join:
http://www.forumswithcorrectgrammar.com
Hopefully someone on there will meet your expectations.

Cheers
Mark

 

So Gixer, have you actually driven an S2k for any length of time?

I went from an MX5 to an MR2 turbo to my first S2K (now on my second) and loved them all. The MX5 was a great car, but just too small and underpowered as standard for my liking. After the MR2 turbo the S2k did feel gutless because it has a lot less torque, but after you've driven one for a bit you realise that the car is actually far quicker than it feels and using the revs becomes second nature. You just have to change your driving style a bit to keep the revs high. The Vtec changeover is no more abrupt or agressive than when the boost would come in on my old MR2 turbo and when you are in VTEC you've still got a 3k revs power band to play with.

Secondly, the handling is not spit you off the road. I'm on my second S2k and track it regularly. The early cars were trickier in the wet due to the S2k specific Bridgestone S02's that were fitted with very narrow rain channels, but in the dry the handling is no trickier than any other powerful rear wheel drive car. Later cars were softened, and in my view the handling is acutally slightly poorer, but more predicatable to muppets who aren't used to driving a powerful rear drive car. Interestingly enough, on the track biased CR version they now offer in the states, the suspension geometry, damper settings and spring rates have reverted to something very close to the original S2k settings.

Lastly, i arrange trackdays for S2ki. They'll be a day at Rockingham in April/may next year and at Donington towards the end of the year plus numerous days inbetween where a number of us from S2ki will be attending. Why don't you put your money where your mouth is and see if your web-based opinion matches reality.

But i'd be surprised if you actually do because its far easier to slag off a car you know little about from behind a keyboard.

Yep i've driven a few S2k's now, i don't like the engine the handling or the interior.

To the point where i feel the engine is gutless till 5k, then kicks in way to much.
This coupled with handling that'd sooner spit you off the road than look at ya is NOT a good combination in my book.

The later cars got a fair bit better.

Again this is MY opinion, it just so happens that it seems to be the same opinion as other respected journo's in the car trade.
Obviously Honda also had a similar opinion or otherwise why would they carry out such dramatic chassis alterations?

As i say next time i'm over in the UK it'd be great to get a few 5's and a few S2's together on a decent track and thrash it out.

 

cant say much more

 

Before i say my bit i will say one thing, i love s2k's and hope to one day own one, even if it drives shit or not, i just love them, love honda's and love v-tec

The point Gixer is making is that its his "opinion" if you like the car like so many of us do then great, but he doesnt like them, wether he has or has not driven one is against the point, feck i hate any car that isnt jap, if i were given a lambo i would scrap it just to piss everyone off

i have a complete hate of french cars and hate to talk about them, ive never driven one its just my "opinion" that im entitled to same as gixer is entitled to his "s2k opinion"

Spoiler

even though he is wrong and they are great cars

Anyways welcome to nutz and hope this thread does not make you form an opinion on general mx5 owners

 

Not at all. I loved my MX5 (well technically it was my fiance's but i chose it and drove it a lot more than she did) and they are great little cars. There was one at Donington last weekend, fully stripped out and caged for racing and it was flying round

What's frustrating is when keyboard warriors start slagging off a car based on magazine reviews and a very small amount of real world experience.

 

Well If I can afford one in the future it would be a car I would highly consider. It's like the natural progression up from the 5. I'd obviously have to test drive one though but I rarely hear bad things about them and quite a few 5 owners have moved on to them.

 

Yep i've driven a few S2k's both RHD and LHD.

The S2 is not gutless, it's gutless below 5k and almost useless below 3k.
If you can be bothered and keep it on the boil it's obviously a rapid car (engine wise), the problem is on the road, if you misjudge a corner and turn in in to high a gear you've got a choice of either flooring it at low revs and watching your mate pull away in his 1.1 Micra, or you drop it down 1 or maybe even 2 gears and hold on tight if the vtech kicks in while theres still some angle on the steering wheel.

The interior plastics are absolutely shite as is the layout, again summet mentioned on various S2k forums by beloved owners, do you disagree?
The tops leak water even from new, again taken from various S2k forums. agree/disagree?
Again it is my personal opinion that the S2k has a on/off power delivery, are you saying this is wrong?
I also state that the handling is snappy, again are you disagreeing?

All the above lead me to form my opinion that the S2k is way to finicky, but again i'll say i am not alone in my opinion or even extreme.
Many trusted journo's mag's reviewers feel the same way, even the public in general feel the same.

A quick search around the net and a read through a few forums also back up my opinion, many S2k owners even admitting so themselfs.

Lastly there's the "vote with your wallets" consensus.
From 1999 up till 2004 only 14,000 S2ks sold in Europe.
Compare this to over 18,000 MX5's sold in 2003 alone.
The S2k was out sold by the Boxster and the TT, surely this must tell you summet?

Again without any prompting from me a mate who works in the Auto repair trade mentioned that near on every S2k he's had to repair had damage to the rear, obviously not a definitive test i admit but still bloody interesting.

I understand and admire your loyalty towards your car, but i can't see how any of my statements or opinions would be a surprise to you, a quick chat to motoring mates (who don't own S2k's) and they are ALL aware of these negatives, so i'm fairly sure unless you went into your Honda dealer blindfolded and with ear plugs in that you are more than aware of these criticisms.

Why you single me out as a "keyboard warrior" for pointing out what many believe as hard facts i've no idea

I personally believe that my non stock MX5 would be faster around almost any track compared to a driver of similar skill in a S2k.
What's a stock S2 240bhp?
That's roughly what i guess my 5 is putting out, but i believe the lower weight and more linear power delivery of my SC'd 5 and the less knife edge handling would give me a slight advantage.
Do you disagree?

I think perhaps it would be more productive if you actually told me what you disagreed with in my statements and then wrote your collaborating facts/evidence rather than read into my posts what you want to and disregard the rest, and make sweeping statements without any facts or knowledge of a person.

Cheers
Mark

 

Post split to allow enough quotes

The S2 is not gutless, it's gutless below 5k and almost useless below 3k.

Totally disagree. I've just had new engine in my car (under warranty thankfully) and i can't vtec it for another 600 or so mile. The engine is not gutless, it actually pulls similarly to other 2 litre engines below 6k revs. It just comes totally alive above those revs.

If you can be bothered and keep it on the boil it's obviously a rapid car (engine wise), the problem is on the road, if you misjudge a corner and turn in in to high a gear you've got a choice of either flooring it at low revs and watching your mate pull away in his 1.1 Micra, or you drop it down 1 or maybe even 2 gears and hold on tight if the vtech kicks in while theres still some angle on the steering wheel.

As i said before, keeping on the boil isn't hard once you're used to the car. The engine is so smooth anyway you tend to drive with the revs 1.5-2k higher than you would in another car, and dropping down a gear is very easy to do. However, the engine isn't as all or nothing as you make out and does pull fairly well out of Vtec. What it doesn't do is pull as well at 4k revs as similarly fast cars do, usually because the similarly fast cars have another litre of displacement for a similar total power output.

The interior plastics are absolutely shite as is the layout, again summet mentioned on various S2k forums by beloved owners, do you disagree?

totally disagree. Have no idea where you get this from.

The tops leak water even from new, again taken from various S2k forums. agree/disagree?

Generally disagree. A few leak, but not many. I've had 2. The first one was 3 years old when i bought it and it didn't leak. My current one i bought new and it doesn't leak either. There are some common problems with the s2k (as there are with all makes and models) but a leaky hood isn't one of them.

Again it is my personal opinion that the S2k has a on/off power delivery, are you saying this is wrong?

The S2k engine comes alive in vtec, but certainly isn't all or nothing. Its obviously much faster in vtec, but you can still make rapid progress without it.

 

I also state that the handling is snappy, again are you disagreeing?

early cars in the wet are very snappy if you overcook it. In the dry they are much better.
However, it is not throw you off the road snappy. It is by no means as predicatble on the limit as an MX5, but if you drive it properly its a surprisingly agile and predicatble car. It is very sensitive to having the alignment set correctly, and the alignment doesn't tend to be great from the factory, but when set up properly to factory specs it is nothing like the journo's would have you believe. If you do come to a trackday, i'll take you out in mine. You'll be surprised.

Again without any prompting from me a mate who works in the Auto repair trade mentioned that near on every S2k he's had to repair had damage to the rear, obviously not a definitive test i admit but still bloody interesting.

I work in the trade (i run a company that makes spray booths for painting cars) and i wouldn't disgaree with this statement. However, the damage to most powerful rear wheel drive cars tends to be to the rear (or they get rolled) so the S no different from many other cars.

I understand and admire your loyalty towards your car, but i can't see how any of my statements or opinions would be a surprise to you, a quick chat to motoring mates (who don't own S2k's) and they are ALL aware of these negatives, so i'm fairly sure unless you went into your Honda dealer blindfolded and with ear plugs in that you are more than aware of these criticisms.

I am aware of SOME of these criticisms, but disagree with many. Hence i am on my second S2000, and still appreciate the car.

You may be aware of the S2000's legendary reputation for reliability. My tally so far is 2 S2000 and 5 engines. Thankfully, they've all been under warranty.

Why you single me out as a "keyboard warrior" for pointing out what many believe as hard facts i've no idea

Because most of your facts are based on magazine reviews, and not real world experience. That belief is also born out by the fact that you make no reference to my offer for you to experience an S2000 on the track.

I personally believe that my non stock MX5 would be faster around almost any track compared to a driver of similar skill in a S2k.
What's a stock S2 240bhp?
That's roughly what i guess my 5 is putting out, but i believe the lower weight and more linear power delivery of my SC'd 5 and the less knife edge handling would give me a slight advantage.
Do you disagree?

a modded mx5 with a better power to weight ratio most probably would be quicker than a stock S. The MX5 has an excellent chassis, so with a better power to weight ratio, its a bit of a no brainer.

I think perhaps it would be more productive if you actually told me what you disagreed with in my statements and then wrote your collaborating facts/evidence rather than read into my posts what you want to and disregard the rest, and make sweeping statements without any facts or knowledge of a person.

My comments above are based on owning 2 S2k's, have owned an MX5, and having tracked both. I think i have more substance to my views than you do as my views are based on real world experience, rather than magazine reviews and hearsay.

 

You may be aware of the S2000's legendary reputation for reliability. My tally so far is 2 S2000 and 5 engines. Thankfully, they've all been under warranty.

Zoiks - 5engines! What's been/gone wrong with 'em mate? I've read that early ones had clutch (or diff/gbox?) issues, but nowt about the engine.

 

A lot of my opinions are down to personal preference, generally i much prefer torquey engines with power lower down in the rev range, diesels and many big block engines as an example.
That's partly the reason i chose a SC over a turbo when FIing my car.

Don't get me wrong rev happy cars can be a blast, when your out on a lovely sunny day and your hitting every corner entry and exit exactly right and in the right gear a rev happy engine can feel very satisfying.
But the other 90% of the time i just find it frustrating and tiring hunting for the right gear.

Granted this is my personnel opinion so not something that can really be measured or quantified, but the fact that this opinion is expressed a hell of a lot when the S2k is mentioned i honestly don't believe i'm alone or unfair in my criticism.

I could really copy and paste most of my statements above but change engine to handling as it's also subjective, theres no doubt that a S2k needs to be handled with a cautious hand, especially compared to the MX5, but then what 240bhp rear wheel drive car doesn't?
My main criticism and something that was common amongst all the s2's i've driven was the snappyness at which traction broke, maybe it's the larger tyre patch, but the moment from grip to lose of grip was instantaneous and no where near as progressive as i'd like, nearest example i can think of is mid 90's 911's, easier to catch in the s2 for sure, but the step away is almost identical.

Don't know what else to say that i've not said already.
My opinions are drawn from personal experience of driving and being driven in S2k's, not from magazine reviews, i also do not tend to jump to half hearted opinions.
Every time i've got out a S2k after a drive my thoughts have always been "shite"
A bit too cricital?
Yea i'd go along with that, but in comparison to the other cars in the class i've driven, (various MX5's MKI MKII MKIII, Boxster, Elise/VX220, SLK, Caterham, Z3, etc) it's the least convincing of the lot to me.
There are more comfortable and faster sportier sports cars available, some are good some not so good, but out of the ones i've driven so far the S2k is currently at the bottom of my list.

If you or your other forum members want to meet up and take me fer a spin (or even better let me drive) with a view to changing my mind then great. if you succeed i have no problem retracting my statements or even admitting i was wrong.

I thought i'd answered the track question when replying to Urban sports posts.
It'd be great to meet up at a local track, the more the merrier, maybe we could have a joint club gathering Nutz and S2k, if there's any willing FI'd S2k's it'd be even more fun to see how the FI'd 5's compare.

I'll be back over in the Midlands again probably around easter, but i won't be bringing the car then, i'll be over with the car for JAE so when's that June July?
Be nice to use my car, but if Easter suits we have a member here that hires 5's out for track days, it's a NA 1.6 but still i'd be up fer a day out at Donny, Mallory etc.

Cheers
Mark

 

Who started this topic and what was it about again

I drove a 2002 S2000 on the track and i could not keep the thing on it at all,
I came of everywhere , power was not usable, I found it to be all or nothing.
Did not like it at all, Great looking car all the same.
But after seeing some of the S2000 youtube links on this topic, must
be down to set up, as has been said above, standard set up is not great.
Them links would make me think again.

 

Learn how to drive the S2000 properly, I tracked mine and wasn't hanging around on a mixture of wet and dry, in the wet it was a handful but then again the only cars that came off when I was there were front wheel drive hatches and a BMW 3 series.

If you cant keep a sports car on a track at all I would seriously consider as the whether or not you should be there in the first place.

Power was not usable, how come? My 240 bhp powered me along nicely thanks, remember if you are in an S2000 on a track you should be in vtec which makes the power very usable!

My had far more grip in the dry than I had ever imagined and believe me at Oulton park it is needed, my brothers who were there in their MX5 found that theirs was a handful in the wet, and in the dry it too had lots of grip but they both said they needed much more power.

 

I take it you'd be interested in any possible s2k vs Nutz track bash now then Eddie?

 

I would. But only for a laugh. I have never driven an S2K, so can't comment.

Good looking things though IMO

 

Would be a giggle mind .... not haveing owned the S2k for long and not tracked it i would be able to say but i havent felt any twitchy ness when driving it on the roads ...

 

What forum you S2k lads from?

Any decent FI'd examples local to the east mids?

Dunno who's got the best/fastest track car here, or who's the best driver, we've a few 5's over 240bhp, but i dunno who's the best drivers

I'll just say a'fore hand if i beat you guys, you'll NEVER here the last of it, i recon the internet headline will read summet like.

"14 year old Automatic MX5, drives from Greece to Donny, THRASHES S2000's and then drives back"

 

And breaks down when finally gets back ,.... lol never to return

only kidding

 

I think i've gorrit!

As the only true impartial person, not owning a '5 or S2k - you can all bring your cars to a track, i'll thrash them to within an inch of their lives and give the verdict?

Deal?

 

Don't you have a saloon car.!?

 

To Eddie and Greddy,

As long as it breaks down when it's back then i'll not be smiling fer sure, but i'll be silently content

Slowpoke,
I'm sorry but unless you've passed the "I am Aryton Senna reincarnated" test then us mere mortals can only watch in wonder in amazement

 

daft question but did gears confuse you ???? who buys an automatic sports car ....

not meaning to be cheeky (much lol)

 

Nope, since 2003 my left arm is paralysed so has to be a Auto

Could even add that to the headline.

"1 armed man, drives a Automatic MX5 from Greeece to Donny, Thrashes a crew of S2000's and drives back, in 24 hours"

 

When yer first comment to someone is 'learn how to drive' you shouldn't expect much more really fella

It's only banter

 

It wasn't actually it was "learn how to drive an S2000 properly" if you read my post.

I didn't critisise his driving, I don't know him. He critisised his own driving.

 

Ah my apologise to Gixer ... no offence or hurt intended

 

No need to appologise it wern't your fault.

Was it

 

I dunno

I hope not

 

So i'll take a 1 vid of a well driven S2k and i'll raise ya:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TddPGx19DFU...feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3bj_ItduSY...feature=related

A disappointed Tiff
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QtTY4W7h_M...feature=related

 

Rearrange this

time youv'e much too hands on your

 

Tis true,

But then i'd be a bit of a twat to complain about getting paid to sit on me arse faffing on the net

But in this instance i gotta say those little gems came up on the first search results on youtube, i just typed S2000 crash and there were THAT many results it overloaded the server and it crashed

 

I saw this thread mentioned on the S2000 forum and having been to Donington on Saturday in my stock 2002 S2000 with a video camera and had a very pleasant day. From about 2:15 into this video, I let an MX-5 pass me as he was going quicker round the corners than me. You can hear me backing off down the straights as I'm well aware that any idiot can drive fast in a straight line, me included!

The driver of the MX-5 has, and I quote from the track day organiser "to be fair - that MX-5 on saturday was being pedalled by Richard of BLiNK Motorsport -he's done more track days than I can remember over the last decade so should know what he's doing!"

I've been to Donington 3 times and have done a grand total 8 track days, as mentioned above, my S2000 is stock. The MX-5 is completely stripped for racing (or at least as far as a non-expert like me can tell).

Enjoy...