Hi everyone! I guess I've been a member since about the time i bought my S2K (Dec '09), but haven't posted on here until now. Don't know if you'll be interested in hearing a long-winded story, but if you are, read on.

Once there was a boy who was given an '85 Maxima by his aunt as his starter car. It was really a good, reliable first car, and to make it even better, it was manual, it talked to you, and there was a switch to adjust suspension rigidity on the fly! Soon, though, the car was aging and he found he needed a newer car. Searching on OC Auto Trader (I think this was around year 2000), he found a really good price for a red '94 Prelude 4WS (manual of course) with very low mileage. This thing was a major step up for this guy, and boy it could do a U-turn in a phone booth (slight exaggeration).

Then...marriage. Things all fell together at the same time, but after a year or so, the wife wanted to get a new car (she had a white '02 V6 Accord - automatic). She ended up getting a Touring edition 2nd gen Prius. What were we to do with the Accord? Well, by this time, the Prelude was also feeling its age, and so, with a heavy heart, he took over the Accord and sold the Prelude (sniff). (By the way, the Prius is a great car...we average around 49 mpg, and it's sort of like a video game, trying to get as good of mileage as possible =)

After about 2 years of driving this car, he was starting to go crazy. It was, by this time, paid off, and he was itching to get another manual. Back to Auto Trader, and lo and behold! - A black '08 S2000 CR, a model (minus the CR) he'd looked at longingly since the year it came out! Only 3,000 miles!!! Carfax was clean! Had to be too good to be true. And, to a degree, it was. He ended up getting the car anyway, from a private car dealer that he'll never ever ever go to again, but here are some of the things that were, for lack of a better word, wrong.

- Front bumper isn't original CR, and isn't quite put on perfectly.
- Front right tire is almost bald on one side (oh, and it was reversed...wrong rotation! WTF?)
- Back tires are both P245 Kumho Ecsta ASX (rather than Bridgestone Potenza P255).
- Back right tire is also incorrect rotation, and cannot switch!
- Fairings (the body part behind the headrests that supposedly help with air flow) were missing, as well as the removable parts that lock into place when the hardtop is off.
- Hardtop itself was suuuper squeaky.

Okay, end of the "story" so I don't have to talk in 3rd person anymore. I've gotten the squeak fixed temporarily at the Honda dealer - from forum talk, looks like it'll get noisy again. I've now driven 10,000 miles on these messed up tires, and definitely need to get new ones soon...next month or so, probably. Bought the fairings and other pieces from Honda. I've added a head unit and component 6.5s, though I'm going to post some questions later about compatibility when adding an amp and small sub, as I'm definitely not an electrical guy.

Oh, and I just bought a CompTech Icebox intake from XLevelOnline, after scouring the forums researching people's opinions. I know a lot of you are Fujita CAI lovers out there, but I don't want to have to cut into stuff when I don't have to...and I know that any intake isn't going to really do much for me other than sound better when I'm lead-footing it.

So, other than introductions, and maybe I should post these questions somewhere else, but if you've read this far, I'm thinking you're more likely to be cool with offering some advice.

To give you an idea of myself and my situation, I drive 60 miles round trip each day to work. This translates, in traffic, to about 60 minutes each way, so I deal with a decent amount of traffic. I'm married, and old (32!!!), so I don't need to impress anyone other than myself (and my wife...she doesn't like the car because the suspension is waaay too stiff for her, but is changing her mind riding with me when the top is down). I'm not a racer, though I do like to take corners faster than the normal person, and hit Vtec, when the opportunity presents itself.

So...my current questions are as follows:

1. I definitely need those new tires. Going to get all 4 at once, and yes, I've read the forums...just don't really know what I should get. Just letting you know, on rain-slick days, just going around a street corner at 30, my rear tires are sliding when I'm only applying a little bit of gas. Thus, not so sure on those Ecstas, though maybe current alignment is an issue (camber)? I called a local Discount Tire, and they did recommend the Ecsta ASX, with a great price ($645 + tax out the door). Based on the above, I don't need super high-performance, and I want to save money where possible, so are there any suggestions for a reliable tire that will be sticky enough for my purposes and not slide out from under me on rainy days in So Cal (which are generally quite rare)?

2. What *cheap* upgrades would you recommend, if any? I don't think I want to mess with headers or exhaust, as I don't want to make my car louder when I'm just cruising. I won't mind the intake sound, as that'll only come out for short bursts when I step on it.

Thanks for reading, and for any suggestions you may have. Sorry, don't have any pics right now, but can post them later if you even care. Cheers!

 

So long ...... Post pic when ready

 

Sorry about the length...thought it might be a decent read for a slow Friday.

I realized I didn't even mention how much I love my car. After this one, I'll probably be settling down and getting some type of hybrid to please my wife, so I'm enjoying this as much as possible. I'm on the list for the Aptera

Okay, so I realized I needed to buy a subscription to post pics...so I'll link to my Picasa album instead, if you care to see. Only 5 pics...

S2000 Pics

Just washed and waxed my car...actually used the Mother's brand clay kit before waxing (http://www.amazon.com/Mothers-07240-...1224802&sr=8-1). Although I didn't SEE any difference in the paint, I could feel it (smooth vs. slightly gritty) after I used it...compared by doing half of the hood and feeling side by side. Good kit, and reasonable. After that, I just did one coat of Liquid Glass, which I chose after a bit of research (http://www.amazon.com/Liquid-Glass-L...1224902&sr=1-1). Also reasonable price, and I think this stuff is going to last forever...after the first coat, I've used up less than 10%, as far as I can tell. I'll do another coat in a week or so.

Anyway, thanks for humoring me.

 

Not to add more items to your list, but the headlights are not the correct headlights (they are from an AP1) and the wheels are not CR wheels.

 

Ah yes...I know about the wheels, didn't pay much attention to the headlights. Lol. I'll add another I forgot...the seats aren't stock seats either, though I personally like them better than the ugly CR seats.

 

The CR seats are nice man. very comfortable...
Kinda makes me wonder what kinda car you really got. an AP1 with all the stuff put on it, or a CR that was parted out partial and put on with cheaper items.

 

But congrats on the S

 

For your tires, I would suggest some Dunlop Direzza Star Specs. I know a few people with them, and I've heard nothing but great things, and they're very well priced.
As for the car, I don't want to be a hater or a pessimist, but I'm not convinced you got a CR at all. It's difficult to even tell what generation S2000 you've got on your hands. The rear leads me to believe that it's a CR. The interior leads me to believe that it's an 06+ model. The profile makes me think it's a 04-05 model. The front makes me think AP1. If I were me, which you are not, I would first try to figure out exactly which trim of car I was dealing with, and put it together correctly!

Besides all that, finding an 08 with 3000 miles is a great thing! And none of these aesthetic things should ever stop you from enjoying the car! Just get yourself some good tires under the car, and have fun with it before you go all Hybrid on the world again!

 

Nicely put skip. javascript:add_smilie("")

 

Well, the VIN number would tell him if it was a CR or not. But even if it was a CR, I would be sure to get the car checked over for previous damage, as I would be concerned about what the car went through to end up how it is today. Regardless I am glad you're happy with the car, as that's what's most important (besides the car itself being a safe vehicle).