BrenRogers

Welcome. Almost 2 years ago I purchased my first S2000 and posted much of the following in the welcome section. Since then i haven't really posted about the odd jobs I've done. I don't plan on a big boost build or a stanced show pony, but instead a well sorted S2000 to enjoy on the road and the odd trackday.

I'm a long time lurker and the resources available on this site have really helped me understand and prepare for S2000 ownership. I've always loved the S2000 since it was released when I was a young lad. My previous cars have usually been small FWD hatches, starting out with the Mk5 Ford Fiesta Zetec-S and Mk1 RenaultSport Clio 172. In all my others have just been boring stuff for commuting. Thankfully my partner decided to buy her own car this year, so I could finally buy my dream car. A Facelift Honda S2000 (Irish Car, F20C).

Picking up the car was frankly terrifying. When you put something on a pedestal, acquiring it can be a little overwhelming. The long drive home, with an overnight stop at my parent's place I spent the whole time expecting something to go bang. After a couple of weeks of ownership I feel much more at ease. I was ideally looking for a GT model, but as they are relatively thin on the ground here, I opted for a low mileage model, and have a hardtop and fitting kit lined up.

The car is in relatively good condition, low mileage, but it does need a couple of small jobs. Preventative maintenance plus the front brakes feel like they need reconditioning. So I put a pretty big order in with Hendy in the UK for some genuine parts.She needed a good clean after the long drive, so I dropped her into a local place for a decent hand wash and wax. I'd like to get the paintwork machine polished at some point, but there is a couple of little stone chips I'd want sorted and I need to get the hardtop painted before I get around to that.

Here she is in all her glory: 2006 AP1 Facelift (F20C) in Berlina black and red interior.

BrenRogers

The first major job on the list was getting my hands on a hardtop. They are hard enough to com by in Ireland but luckily there was one with a fitting kit for sale in Dublin, so a buddy and I headed up to pick it up. It got tricky when we underestimated just how big the hardtop would be. Not one to turn down a challenge, and having drive 2.5 hours we picked up some ratchet straps and some bed covers from a local shop... and hey presto!



Fitting the hardtop required installing the fitting kit, which was a little fiddly, but thanks to the useful guides on here I had it installed in about an hour. I was mostly slowed down by missing a few tools. The most nerve wracking part was having to bend a section of the frame out of the way for the fitting kit. Not something that is required on a factory GT models.



Really happy with the hardtop, especially here in Ireland where it rains a LOT. ~18 months later this roof is still overdue being painted. It was supposed to happen in March, but Covid put a halt to that.

BrenRogers

The next big job was a break refresh. One of the front calipers appeared to have been replaced, but i feel much more confident knowing everything was working properly. One of the rear calipers also started to bind, so i booked in with a local mechanic and purchased newly refurbished front and rear calipers, along with new OEM discs and pads supplied by Hendy.







I felt much more confident knowing everything was new, fresh... and safe. (pricey though)

BrenRogers

Although I kept telling myself Id keep the car stock, I couldn't help myself making some small mods. Importantly for me they have to be reasonably easy to reverse should I change my mind. I don't ever plan on selling the car, but i'm pretty sure as I get older I will want it to be more subtle.

A Tegiwa carbon fibre cooling plate came up for sale pretty cheap, and I think they do a pretty good job of cleaning up the engine bay. Unfortunately as I was fitting it, I found the fitment wasn't very good and required me to adjust the bonnet latch. I decided to sell it but I'm still on the lookout for an alternative.

BrenRogers

Small mods can make a big difference. Something as simple as replacing small bulbs with LED I find really freshens things up.

BrenRogers

After a while, I really wanted to improve the sound. Fewer things are better than hearing a high revving NA engine, and if you can amplify that sound, it just becomes all the more enjoyable (within reason).

I was torn between the Tanabe Madallion Touring and the Invidia Q300. I opted for the Invidia Q300 with stainless tips although some warned that it would drone or be too loud.

Fitting the exhaust isn't too bad of a job as it comes in pieces that fit together perfectly, but if I had to do it again i'd get a buddy to to help. The hardest part is removing the old exhaust.









Apologies for the quality of the video, this was on a late February evening and the light was fading (it was very cold)

Before:
First Start:
On the Road:

Chuck S

Nice write-up!

I'm curious regarding differences to US cars. The wheels on your car were used 2004-2005 in North America. 2006-2007 wheels had different spokes. Our 2006 cars are DBW (drive by wire) allowing significant mid-range power with a FlashPro tune. Is your car DBW? If it is a tune will transform the car.

Good luck with the Invidia Q300...

-- Chuck

BrenRogers

Thanks.

Yeah, my 06 is a little odd as the throttle is still cable. Personally I prefer a cable throttle for the throttle response. The car was apparently registered in late 2006 so I'm not sure why it isn't DBW. The obvious difference with Euro and US is that it retained the F20C rather than the AP2 F22C.

Chuck S

We lost the "helmet hole" in the seats in 2006 as well. I think there's something different in registration years vs. model years some places. I know the UK guys often refer to "nn Plate" as if that was the model year. I've yet to find any throttle response issues with my DBW USDM car but if there was any it's easy to tune out.

Orjinal

Nice car!

Black with full red interior has to be one of the best colors for the s2000.