Well, got the car registered and tagged. Been driving it to and from work this week. Before purchasing I did a brief drive up and down the street as the car had no tags, so I really hadn't had the chance to really get a feel for the handling, etc. of the car.

My first impression is Wow, when it comes to handling and feel. It tracks like a go cart. It's been a long time since I've had rack and pinion steering with that kind of response. On the other hand, the suspension and ride feel a lot like a go cart as well. It's as close a ride as I've felt to my old 65 MGB (not sure that's a compliment). But, I'm not looking so much for creature comfort. If I was, I would have gone back to a 3 series.

Acceleration is impressive, although I have to admit that on my 30 minute commute from home to work, I rarely have the opportunity to rev the engine over 6K RPMS. Jesus ... how often to you see 9K?

The BF Goodrich tires on the car are crap. They are old and probably the compound has hardened. I suspect they are partially responsible for some of the ride issues. The engine/drive train is buzzy when engine braking or decelerating. Is this normal? Otherwise, the sound of the exhaust (stock) is pleasing.

The transmission is smooth as silk. Not the slightest noise when shifting up or down. The clutch feels new, even though it's probably the original.

It rained yesterday so I had to put the top up going home. OMG! Who designed the top? They must have sent it out to a third party as I can't imagine a Honda engineer making a top that is that noisy when in place. It sounds like the entire leading edge at the top of the windshield is passing air through the seal. Anything to be done to make it seal better? It is noisy as hell with the top up. There are even noises from the top's frame when you hit a bump. It is the second thing that reminded me of my old MG.

Don't get me wrong, in all, I am quite pleased with the car. With the top down, the car brings a smile to my face. I can't wait to take it on an extended drive.

 

Well I hit 9k quite often.

The rattling noise could be the clutch buzz from the earlier models. If the clutch was never replaced I'm positive that's what it is.

I don't have any rattles or wind noise from the top seal. Not saying it's the quietest ride but it has no air leaks. Just your typical convertible noises.

 

Every time I drive it, how else can you get it moving fast?

 

for the top noises, first try greasing the seals with Shin-Etsu grease, available from the dealer. The other thing to try would be hardtop strikers or adding a small piece of silicone hose over the hook on the latch that grabs the striker to give pull the top closer to the windshield frame.

 

Good ideas. Thanks. I suspect that the top has sat and that might have affected the seals. The hose idea is clever.

 

Agreed on the clutch buzz when decelerating or braking. That issue comes from the springs in the clutch disc rattling, there's a TSB for it. Unfortunately, since it's a clutch job it's a little bit expensive/labor intensive to fix.

Have you changed the clutch fluid and checked the coolant level/coolant life? Those are worth checking out just for peace of mind and the clutch fluid will make the clutch pedal feel better on a lot of cars.

In my first S I used to hit 9k a few times a week on the way home from work. I've only wrung out the new one a couple times - getting unlucky with the amount of traffic I've hit lately.

What model of BF Goodrich tires do you have on the car? From experience I'd recommend against running all seasons. They make the car feel a lot worse and increase the tendency towards snap oversteer, at least on AP1 models. There are a ton of tire threads in the appropriate forum section so it's worth reading up before you purchase anything.

Good luck and enjoy!

 

At least if I know what it is, it'll bother me less. The Clutch actually feels great on the car, so I don't think there's any abnormal wear. If it's just rattling springs, so be it.

 

I did this TSB to my soft top and it made a huge difference eliminating noise and rattles:

Convertible Top Creaks, Pops, or Rattles While Driving Over Rough Roads