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Honda S2000
Overview
Manufacturer	Honda
Production	2000–
Body and chassis
Class	Sports car
Body style	2-door roadster
Chronology
Predecessor	Honda S800

The Honda S2000 is a roadster automobile manufactured by Honda Motor Company since April 1999. The car continues in the tradition of lightweight roadster 'S' cars such as the S600 and S800. Like previous 'S' cars, the name of the S2000 comes from its engine displacement of approximately 2000 cc (although Honda would later introduce a 2200 cc model). From its inception in 1999 to 2003, S2000s were manufactured in Honda's Tochigi plant. S2000s since then have been manufactured in the Suzuka plant. Portions of the S2000 are assembled by hand.

Design

Honda created the S2000 as a birthday present to itself, in order to celebrate the company's 50th year. The rear wheel drive platform continued in the tradition of the car's predecessors, S600 and S800. Power is delivered via a Torsen limited slip differential mated to a six-speed manual transmission.

The S2000 is constructed using an X-bone monocoque frame which is extremely rigid, thus improving handling, road noise, and steering feel and feedback. Other features included double wishbone suspension, electronically-assisted steering, integrated roll hoops and an electric top that takes 6 seconds to operate, touted as the fastest opening top among all convertibles.

Models

The 2000 to 2003 models featured Bridgestone Potenza S-02 tyres.

The 2004 model introduced new-design 17" wheels and Bridgestone RE-050 tyres, and a retuned suspension which reduced the car's tendency to oversteer. The spring rates and shock absorber damping were altered and the suspension geometry modified to improve stability, by causing toe-in under cornering loads. In addition, cosmetic changes were made to the exterior with new front and rear bumpers, revised headlight assemblies, new LED tail-lights, and oval-tipped exhausts. The 2.0 L engine was also revised, with its redline reduced from 9000 rpm to 8,200 rpm. Honda also introduced a 2.2 L variation of the engine to the U.S. market.

The 2006 model introduced a drive by wire throttle, as well as a Vehicle Stability Assist system, which would prevent the car from dangerously spinning. Interior changes included revised seats that had stereo speakers integrated into them and headrest padding where previous seats had helmet depressions and screens. The 2.2 L engine was also introduced to the Japanese market during this time.

Powertrain

The first S2000s came equipped with a 2.0 L (1997 cc) F20C I4 engine producing 240 hp (179 kW) at 8300 rpm and 153 ft·lb (208 Nm) of torque at 7500 rpm, though the Japanese models were quoted with additional 10 hp (at 250 PS) due to a small difference in engine compression ratio.

Because of its high-revving nature (9000 rpm redline from 2000 to 2003 models and 8200 rpm in 2004 onwards models), it is one of the few naturally-aspirated engines to produce over 100 hp/L. The compact and lightweight engine allowed the S2000 to obtain a good front/rear weight balance and low rotational inertia for improved handling.

For the 2004 model, Honda developed a variation on the F20C engine, the F22C1. By increasing the stroke of the motor, the displacement was increased to 2.2 L. Correspondingly, torque was increased by 6%. The redline was reduced to 8,000 rpm, mandated by the longer stroke (and consequently higher piston speeds). The F22C1 is quoted by Honda as having more torque at lower rpm than the F20C, although officially the power output remains the same between the two engines. Initially, the F22C1 was intended only for the North American market, but it was introduced to Japan for 2006 models.

In addition to the displacement change, for the F22C1, Honda changed the transmission gear ratios, by shortening the first four gears and lengthening the last two. Another change was the inclusion of a clutch release delay valve, to improve drivetrain longevity by reducing shock loads.

2006 Honda S2000 United States EPA Fuel economy:

• Fuel Type: Premium Unleaded
• City: 20 miles per US gallon (MPG)
• Highway: 26 MPG
• Combined: 22 MPG

Awards

• The S2000 was on Car and Driver's Ten Best list for 2000 through 2002 and 2004.
• The F20C engine won the International Engine of the Year award in the "1.8 to 2 liter" size category for five years from 2000 through 2004.
• The S2000 was voted as the #1 sports car and #1 car overall in the 2004 and 2005 Top Gear viewer survey.
• The S2000 was the highest-ranked model in the J.D. Power 2004 Vehicle Dependability Study's "Premium Sports Car" class (covering 2001 models) and consistently holds one of the top three positions.

Reviews

The S2000 has received much praise from critics and motoring journalists and has received favourable reviews from Car and Driver, Car magazine, the Los Angeles Times and Road & Track magazine, among others. In particular, most reviewers single out the power output and 9000 rpm redline of the engine and the handling characteristics of the stiff chassis.

Criticism

Despite acclaim in several areas, such as the engine output per liter, a smooth-shifting transmission and fast electric top, the S2000 was also criticized for certain design characteristics.

Despite the high power output of the engine, the torque of 153 ft·lb (207 Nm) in the 2.0 L version and 162 ft·lbf (220 Nm) in the 2.2 L version was quite low even compared to other sports cars with four-cylinder engines (e.g. the 1989 Porsche 944's four-cylinder engine produces 206 ft·lbf (279 Nm) as a result of its higher displacement of 3.0 L).

In addition, many of the S2000's competitors (BMW Z4, Porsche Boxster, Nissan 350Z convertible) offer engines with more cylinders and/or more displacement which produce almost as much (if not more) power as well as more torque and competitors like the Lotus Elise had a higher power to weight ratio even though they had less total power.

Another area where the car was singled out for criticism was handling and roadholding. Many drivers commented on the early cars' tendency for snap oversteer, especially in wet or otherwise slippery conditions. In the words of one reviewer, the car was descriped as "unpredictable at its limit, prone to enthusiastic oversteer" . The AP2 model, with its revised suspension and wider tires reduced this characteristic. The introduction of stability control in 2006 further reduced this tendency and made the S2000's behavior more predictable in normal use.

Another criticism of the S2000 is the way the car is geared. The short gearing allows the car to accelerate reasonably quickly, yet it forces the occupant(s) to endure high-engine revs and correspondingly high levels of engine noise while travelling at highway speeds. In 6th gear, the car is only capable of around 18 mph/1000 rpm - at 75 mph, the engine would be running at roughly 4200 rpm. For comparison, most sports cars tend to achieve about 25 mph/1000 rpm in top gear.

The changes to the 2004 model brought a revised suspension and a lower redline (lower redline and 2.2L Engine on US model only). This triggered some criticism from those who saw the original 9000 rpm redline as a key selling point. However, road tests showed that the new engine produced more power than the previous version.

Changes to the 2006 model also drew criticism with the introduction of stability control and drive by wire throttle. Handling experts and enthusiasts were doubtful about the usefulness of the newly implemented VSA system, but user-feedback consistently reported that previous models of the automobile had significant problems with traction and control in rain and wet-weather conditions. It can be concluded that the function was added by Honda for everday driving benefits rather than for performance benefits. The fact that the system could be turned off if desired by the driver meant that, from a strictly performance viewpoint, the only disadvantage of the system was a few pounds of additional weight.

External links

• S2000 Official Site (US)
• AutoGuideWiki S2000 page
• S2000 International owner community

• Honda vehicles
• Rear wheel drive vehicles
• Sports cars
• Coupes
• 2000s automobiles