02 S2000, 62 miles, leftover from last year.
The Good:
-9K RPM redline. An interesting experience. My brain kept telling me to shift as my ears, in turn, kept telling me that a production engine 'shouldnt sound like that... stop it.'
-Interior. Really impressed. The seats were pretty supportive, the materials were the best Ive seen in a Honda, and everything was laid out exactly where you would expect to find it.
-Tranny. Wow... Best. Shifting. Car. Ever. The feel is direct, the throws are VERY short, but once you get used to it, its automotive bliss.
-Drop top. Even with the top up, the blind spots arent that bad. With it down, its a whole lot of fun - increases the '4 wheel motorcycle' feeling.
-Steering. Very tight, very responsive, and a very low twist/turn ratio. Go-cart like.
-Footwork. The throttle and brake are close enough to make H/T'ing relatively easy - good distance from the floorboard too - total travel is maybe 6 inches. The clutch pedal is great - I prefer to the mechanical feel of the engagement to the "drive by wire" feel in the 330. In the 330 I feel like Im fighting to learn the car while the car is fighting to learn me and we never get anywhere... was shifting and rev matching perfectly within 3 miles in the S.
-Brakes. Great stopping power - curb weight helps, obviously.
The BAD:
-9K RPM redline. It takes forever to get there and there is nothing useable below 6K.
-Engine output. It may say 240HP, but because of the total absence of torque, it feels like about 150HP. Magazine racing aside, the 330 felt like a 911 Turbo when I got back into it and drove home. The S may be 'kinda fast' on paper, but it feels like a dog.
-Chassis. Although very stiff for a vert, I didnt feel very confortable in the car. I felt that the feedback to the driver was far below what it should have been - maybe this is why people are spinning them. I, obviously, got nowhere near the limits of the car, but it felt vague even around town and in light (5/10ths) twisties. I imagine that once you get to the limit, the car just jumps out from underneath you - lending some credibility to the horror stories.
-Drop top. Although enjoyable, its noisy as hell when up. A hardtop might be a good investment.
-Radio. Who designed the controls for this thing? I dont think I ever fully figured it out.
-Steering wheel placement. I couldnt find an adjustment and it felt very 'low' for me. I would have liked to move it up higher.
-Dashboard. Although 'cool' looking and great for the Schumacher wannabe, I found the digital tach to be more of a hassle than anything else - although I imagine you'd get used to it.
-Seating position. The seats are too high up - I felt like I was sitting on top of the car rather than in it.
The necessary CHANGES:
-Desperately needs to be dropped at least 1 inch.
-Needs a nice, lightweight pair of 18's.
-Needs at least the factory aero kit if not something from the vast aftermarket. Stock, with no factory spoilers looks... well... just plain.
-FI. The engine just doesnt do it for me. I've heard no end of VTEC this and VTEC that and I was totally unimpressed with the curve. The engine feels like a guy trying to take a **** and at about 6K RPM it feels like a guy who is just trying to take a **** harder. "Poor mans turbocharger" my ass... an NA 2.0L engine with or without variable timing is still an NA 2.0L engine. It NEEDS at LEAST another 80HP... so a supercharger or a turbo setup is necessary for the power the car should have. Unfortunately, after purchase, installation and tuning, youre probably looking at at least $8,000 for a decent setup.
Overall 7/10. It remanis on my list of possible options, but I think Ill take a look at an 04 and note the differences. Great car, but it has the potential to be awesome with a few alterations.
