Hey guys, I just purchased a S2000 and wanted to know if anyone here has one with any recommendations on the break-in or other tips that may be helpful for a first time S2000 owner.

Thanks!

6/25/2008 3:04:06 PM

WTB: more torque.

6/25/2008 3:09:13 PM

follow the manual's guide on engine break in. Also, I'd switch to a full synthetic oil.

pics?

6/25/2008 3:09:24 PM

honda does a factory break in for their bikes i don't know why they wouldn't with their cars.

Just enjoy it.

[Edited on June 25, 2008 at 3:12 PM. Reason : .]

6/25/2008 3:10:30 PM

^^ Honda says synthetic only in the owner's manual. They might put dyno oil in for the break-in period.

I have an S2k...Here are my recommendations:
1. Follow the break-in instructions in the User's Manual.
2. Don't bend the valves.

6/25/2008 3:20:26 PM

havent received yet, going to Wilson in a little while to pickup!

will post some pics once i get it all cleaned up this weekend. only dissapointing thing that I can think of off the top of my head is the audio system in the S2000's. no MP3,XM support from the factory, and I am very leery of anyone, even the dealer of drilling a hole in the trunk to install a xm antenna, cause I know that it would never be centered enough for me

Yes, about the oil, I plan on using Mobile 1 in it.

6/25/2008 3:22:20 PM

Also, on a note about dealerships... i am pretty loyal to Wilson. I highly recomend them over any of the jackasses around here. everyone around here seem to forget about the "deal" in dealership.

I wont quote the price I paid cause I feel a little crazy/excited about paying 30k for a car. But HONDA is running a 2.9% for 60 months now for super-preferred credit people. And at that rate I couldnt pass it up this time, being that its summer time too If you really have some coin within 3 years, its 0.9% for 36 months

6/25/2008 3:29:41 PM

if you didnt negotiate a deal worth sharing, then you didnt get a deal worth mentioning.

6/25/2008 4:15:51 PM

Quote :

"forget about the "deal" in dealership"

steal.

no such thing as deal bro

6/25/2008 4:18:41 PM

Convertibles have shitty stereos generally. Thats cause you can't hear anything decent over the wind and road noise. Not to mention how easy it is to steal the stereo out of one.

You're probably gonna enjoy the sound of redline a lot more than the shitty music on the radio anyway.

6/25/2008 4:19:46 PM

My S2k has a great stereo. If anything you need a nice stereo to be able to hear it. My Wrangler was absolutely terrible.

6/25/2008 4:30:52 PM

So they don't break in the 9000rpm motor on the dyno before it comes to you? WTF?

6/25/2008 4:33:39 PM

^8000

6/25/2008 5:21:05 PM

Quote :

"no such thing as deal bro"

Not to bust your bubble, but I've seen an occassional car deal where the dealership lost money... And anyways, a person wouldn't buy a car unless 1) they have no other option or 2)they feel like they got a good deal. I'm pretty sure this is the later. There's nothing wrong with the dealership making money and the customer feeling good about their transaction...

[Edited on June 25, 2008 at 5:21 PM. Reason : .]

6/25/2008 5:21:11 PM

I worked finance for two years and did about 130 new and used cars/month. We lost money on two occasions, both were sold to good friends of the GM. There were hundreds of people who thought they got a great deal but we still made out, too.

6/25/2008 5:50:22 PM

if its not too late don't pay more than 30 OTD

finally received the title for mine today.


[Edited on June 25, 2008 at 6:00 PM. Reason : .]

6/25/2008 5:58:53 PM

we should have a gays2000 meet.

how many of us would it take to equal the torque of BBrams C5?

Probably five hahahah

6/25/2008 6:07:14 PM

Quote :

"I am very leery of anyone, even the dealer of drilling a hole in the trunk to install a xm antenna, cause I know that it would never be centered enough for me"

i haven't read the thread..but why would you do that? the signal can usually go through plastic and some other things pretty easy.. do some research and i'm almost certain you can find somewhere in the car you can put it.

6/25/2008 6:45:43 PM

im still shocked people pay more than $10K for a car nowadays.

6/25/2008 7:39:33 PM

Gratz man, you'll love it

6/25/2008 7:50:04 PM

I wont say what you could've gotten for 30k, with an 8800rpm redline

6/25/2008 8:00:07 PM

^

6/25/2008 8:00:58 PM

^^and a Toyota engine

( )

6/25/2008 8:38:34 PM

^^^

I cant think of a single new car that qualifies.

6/25/2008 9:20:31 PM

^ you can't be serious... isn't it obvious? It is to me...

6/25/2008 9:33:45 PM

he said new car.

6/25/2008 9:37:29 PM

ive always been a fan of a high redline.

its cool to say "i can rev to 10K"

6/25/2008 10:06:17 PM

why so adamant about following specified break-in? have there been problems with S2000s that got hard break-ins?

6/26/2008 12:59:15 AM

hard break in's are fine, it's the people who baby the things that aren't good.

leave the factory oil in it for the specified time. then switch to m1. get your oil tested (blackstone labs - is one place) and use a good filter.

6/26/2008 1:04:56 AM

yeah, i'm with the hard break-in school of thought, at least for a performance machine.

6/26/2008 1:06:41 AM

It has a warranty for a reason, right?

6/26/2008 7:43:23 AM

^6 no he didn't...

Quote :

"I wont say what you could've gotten for 30k, with an 8800rpm redline "

6/26/2008 8:45:12 AM

Quote :

"^^^ I cant think of a single new car that qualifies."

yeah, he did

6/26/2008 9:50:26 AM

To each his own but what an un imaginative way to spend 30k imho.

6/26/2008 9:57:25 AM

total was $33241 including all fees and taxes, car was $31800 before all the fees and taxes

i felt good about the deal, yeah its $30k, but with the 2.9% for 60 months, who can turn that offer down right now?

haven't driven it more than 70 miles, to bring it home. cant wait until this weekend when I can clean it up and do some more driving in it.

all I can report right now is on the on-ramp handling of the machine. everyone know the on ramp from hillsborough road to i-440 south, how the ramp sharply cuts onto 440, the s2000 at 60mph handles it like a champ!!! i was riding as a passenger and didn't feel any "roll" in the car at all.

6/26/2008 10:17:08 AM

^^^ my bad. I was referring to Noen's statement and not Quinn's. Yeah, i can't say I know of a "new" one. But a slightly used still under waranty yes...

^I now need to go see if my car can do that... You know that Wade Ave onramp to I40 (heading west on Wade/Raleigh-Chapel Hill Expy) where you do a ~270* and go over the bridge... I've been able to hold 60mph on that and take it up to ~130mph before slowing down back to 70 to merge back on before the tree line ends... (in case there's a cop on the hwy...) Funnest turnpike in raleigh imo.


[Edited on June 26, 2008 at 10:29 AM. Reason : .]

6/26/2008 10:24:54 AM

yes sir, I must confess I forgot about that ramp, it is indeed a beast of a slope and turn

6/26/2008 10:33:29 AM

I am scared for you people now.

6/26/2008 10:39:17 AM

you dont buy these vechiles for a nice sunday cruise in the country

6/26/2008 10:40:15 AM

Quote :

"the s2000 at 60mph handles it like a champ"

wait, I remember which one you are talking about (I had to maps.google.com it ). I can hold ~55mph on that until when it cuts in just before the merge. I haven't done it in a while, but with my old suspension, pushing it to the limit, and the rough road, all I could do was ~45-50mph on that last bit with a little tail wiggle. That's quite impresive (the s2k that is...)

Going 60 around the wade exit is all the beast has (squeeling tires and the rear end feeling very light).


[Edited on June 26, 2008 at 11:05 AM. Reason : .]

6/26/2008 10:59:01 AM

lolz, my Rabbit handles like a champ at 60mph

btw, i often do the 440->Wade Ave-I40 ramp at about 90-95. W/ the right line through there its not hard at all. Its all NASCAR technique, boys.

OH, and yes, modern cars are all broken in at the factory and parts have really excellent tolerances. This isnt a '65 Ford, just drive the damn thing.

[Edited on June 26, 2008 at 11:28 AM. Reason : fdf]

6/26/2008 11:20:12 AM

i like your attitude!

6/26/2008 11:30:18 AM

ha, I hold the line just fine, but seriously, if you drove my car, you'd be like "woah! That's some serious hp! BUT damn it handles like shit!"

Oh and my yokohammer tyres suck.


[Edited on June 26, 2008 at 11:46 AM. Reason : .]

6/26/2008 11:43:08 AM

if you're a real man you'll close your eyes and take the line without your hands moving.

if done right, you'll be golden.

6/26/2008 12:08:48 PM

Quote :

"To each his own but what an un imaginative way to spend 30k imho."

unimaginative? $30k for a brand new sports car is unimaginative? Sigh...

6/26/2008 2:01:10 PM

Quote :

"Not to bust your bubble, but I've seen an occassional car deal where the dealership lost money"

and they are no longer in business.

horay for vtech on the jersey turnpike.

j/k man have fun.

6/26/2008 2:08:08 PM

^ wrong again...

Sometimes it's worth advertising a car at a 3k loss on a dealership to get people to come in and end up selling 6-10 cars that day. Other times, its okay to lose 1-2k on a car deal or two at the end of the month so you can reach your inventory sold bonus (I forgot the terminology) so you get that extra bonus from the manufacturer which nets you +$25k or however much they're offering that month.

Taking the turns is where it's at...

To contribute to the thread, I say drive it like normal, just hold off on revin' the piss out of it...

[Edited on June 26, 2008 at 2:20 PM. Reason : .]

6/26/2008 2:19:08 PM

^exactly. Sometimes you have to lose money to make money.

6/26/2008 2:21:22 PM

no you spend money to make money.


[Edited on June 26, 2008 at 2:30 PM. Reason : are you going to do any track days after break in of course]

6/26/2008 2:28:51 PM

Quote :

"You know that Wade Ave onramp to I40 (heading west on Wade/Raleigh-Chapel Hill Expy) where you do a ~270* and go over the bridge... I've been able to hold 60mph on that and take it up to ~130mph before slowing down back to 70 to merge back on before the tree line ends..."

I may have done that in a Boxster one time.
On a test drive.

The S2000 grips very well, but it's not an easy car to drive IMO. The tight steering takes a lot of getting used to. It's very easy to find yourself turning in much sooner than you planned and hitting the apex way too early. The rear tires don't break traction easily, but the downside is that when they finally do break you're going to be hauling ass. Accidentally breaking traction at night running 80 MPH on a 2 lane country road doesn't leave much room for error, so learn to Tokyo Drift that bitch in a safer location. It does gain traction back very smoothly if you just let off the gas a and steer into it a tiny bit. A lot of cars love to let the ass end pass you, but this really isn't one of them.

[Edited on June 26, 2008 at 11:56 PM. Reason : l]

6/26/2008 11:50:51 PM