Hello fellow members,

I had planned on looking at S2000's starting in January of next year, but I came across a very low mileage one during my research. I picked up a low mileage MY06 SSM S2000 with red/black interior to replace my 1997 Nissan 200SX SE-R. So far the Honda has been everything what I expected based on my research, and I am very pleased by its balance of power and road-holding. I'm somewhat new to the Honda scene, coming from the world of Nissans and Subarus, so I have a few quick questions:

1) I picked up the car 2 weeks ago, and it had only 1500 miles on it; the previous owner changed the oil very recently, draining the Honda break-in oil for whatever conventional oil he threw in here w/ a Fram filter. From my knowledge/research, Honda runs break-in oil with specific additives in order for the rings to seat properly which should remain in the motor for at least 5K miles if I remember correctly. Should I source that break-in oil and swap oils for the next few thousand miles?

2) At what point is the motor broken in? I've been flogging it here and there a bit but only from rolls, nothing from digs.

3) If I switch to semi-synthetic or full-synthetic at this point, is there harm in that? Will that cause oil leaks in the future due to the release of the sludge that has formed around the seals?

4) On the expressway, she hits 4K @ 75mph w/ the stock gearing. Is there any harm in staying at this type of RPM for extended periods of time? I understand the oil levels have to, of course, be kept a close eye on. I commute frequently from Chicago to Detroit and Toronto to visit friends/family.

5) Since the S2000 was sitting for most of it's 3 years of ownership, is there any other maintenance issues I should be handling right away? It runs like a champ, blows extremely hot air through the vents, and doesn't make any funny noises from the rear diff. The tranny shifts smooth as butter too.

I look forward to gaining as well as sharing my insights/thoughts/knowledge while on s2ki.com.

Thanks,
Sonny

 

I drove 19 hours straight at 4,500+ RPMs for an entire day on the race track in my AP1 with about 70,000 miles and a week of nonstop city driving and then another 19 hours back home. She now has 80,000 miles and still no problem. The only thing that broke on that trip was my gas cap lol I don't think 4K for extended periods will harm the car. There will be normal wear of course, though.

That's the best info I can provide you. I'm sure other people can answer the other questions better than I can.

 

and welcome......

 

welcome to the boards!! You won't run into any problems with your S, guaranteed! No need to knock on wood

 

Thanks for the feedback/welcome, guys.

S

 

Sounds like you've found yourself a gem. Check the owners manual for service times. Your car would have been considered broken in after 600 miles. Enjoy!
Levi

 

Wow: Check the oil level? I am on my 6th Honda automotive product and not one of the 1st 5 have ever burned a drop of oil based on +- 3.5K oil change intervals. It sounds like the nature of the S2K engine is that it is expected to consume oil..is this true? Also, although I am up to a whopping 150 miles on the odometer, I just checked my owner's manual and it states to start thinking about changing the oil when the indicator says 15%. As the S2K will be driven primarily on weekends (okay, maybe not based on the 1st 24 hours of ownership), I can't imagine keeping the original oil until the "scheduled maintenance time". Is this what most of the other owners are doing? Also, should we be running a 100% synthetic like Mobil 1 or just what they use at the local Honda dealer? Thanks in advance for your feedback.

 

Welcome to the club. Regarding your questions you should be okay changing to synthetic or semi syn. with no problems. According to the manual the 1st 1k miles you want to avoid a fix rpm for a prolonged period, but it seems that your car is above that mileage so you shouldn't have to worry about a long trip at 4k rpm

 

I DD my S2000 for my work commute (15 miles of interstate) and I'm consistently doing 85-90mph, which is probably somewhere around the 4700rpms or so range for the AP2, so I wouldn't worry about being above 4k on the highway at all (otherwise you'll never be doing anything over 75 mph, which in a 70 speed zone is too slow IMO)
This car's meant to be driven with some spirit! ;-)

 

Thanks for the welcomes and input, guys... regarding the freeway revs, what you're saying makes sense, plus 4K is only halfway to redline and it seems that the F22C is made to rev. It's just very different from what I am accustomed to. I'll just keep an eye on the oil which I am also accustomed on doing since my other car is turbocharged.

I'll switch to semi-syn or full-syn eventually, but for now, I'll just run some decent conventional oil, Valvoline or similar. I haven't had the opportunity to search and see what is recommended by the veteran owners of the S2Ks as far as brand/weight, etc.