so i just purchased a honda certified 03.......silverstone metallic......20,000 on the odometer....
im far from new to hondas as his is my 7th.......
i traded in my jackson racing supercharged ep3 civic for the s2k......
went to the dealer on a whim to see if they had any new civic si's on the lot, saw the s2k....
the salesman hands me the keys......off i go......took it out for 15 minutes.....and back to the dealer to negotiate the trade!!!!!

one question though....i tried to launch this car a few times...playing around with different rpms and such....and no matter where i leave from.....2500...3000..3500.4000 etc up to 5500...
i dump the clutch.....tires chirp......then it bogs?????
i do smell clutch a lil bit.....not too bad.....anyone have some advice....???
thanks!!!!
jon

 

Launch at 6-6.5k

 

yeah bro...ill try later tonight......
reason im asking is im wondering if its the clutch slipping when the tires grab......
which is kind of what it feels like.....
im off to japan on thursday morning for 2 weeks so im thinking about grabbig a clutch while im there......that and or a js intake........
thanks for the response!
any one else have any input???
jon

 

Make sure to let the clutch out very quickly. Don't ride the clutch when launching.

 

it took me a minute to figure it out also.....but i guess thats life at 9,000 rpm's

 

I have to warn you that launching your car fairly abusive to the S2000 drivetrain. Clutch and diff are the weak points. Just remember, I warned you.

 

yeah......i figured as much.....
as well as heard from others......im not really looking to drag race this car....
i was just trying to se how it might fair down the 1340.....
a time slip or two would be nice to have......
however its obvious this is not a drag car.....
im so amazed at how well this car handles the way it comes from honda.....
i really dont plan to do much in the way of drivetrain modifications at all.....
intake, test pipe, maybe an afc and some cams down the road......
thanks much!
its nice to know there are some knowledgable s2k heads on here......
jon

 

please don't launch this car...it's really not made for that and you'll burn your clutch very fast.

If you want some thrills go to a huge empty parking lot and practise taking corners at very high speeds without doing a 360.

Enjoy the car's braking feel and capabilites, the great shifter, the tight and quick steering, etc...

It's a go-kart not a Mustang

 

As long as you drop the clutch quickly (sidesteping it is the safest way) and have the revs high enough you will not damage anything (unless you've got a load in the trunk, are heading up hill, or have something else going on that adds traction in the back).

The car and its driveline are actually as tough as nails, but not tough enough to cope with excessively rough treatment. The way you have been launching the car is the best way I know to damage the driveline (clutch and diff in particular) so you may very well have already done some damage.

Someone may pop in next and try to tell you that the S2000 has a Miata differential and that the gears in the diff are made by Mazda. In truth, the diff is made by Mazda, and is substantially stronger than a Miata diff, and the gears are made by Kia. Less than 2% of the members of S2kI have had driveline problems, but those who have problems post more than those who don't, so it's easy to get the wrong impression. I'd suggest that you try to get your advice from people who have been able to drive the car hard without tearing it up, rather than from those who've either gotten paranoid from reading posts on S2kI or those who've proven that they can't drive the car without breaking it.

 

BTW, you need to be carerful. The S2000 is not as forgiving of driver errors as the FWD cars you're used to.