I finally got my 2004 s2000 that I bought over the winter and have started to do a few tweaks. I added the K&N filter with the free flow airbox mod. I also picked up a carbon fiber AUT cooling plate. I plan to do some powdercoating. So far I have powdercoted the spark plug cover. I will be doing paint correction and a ceramic coat within the next week or so for the first time.

 

Cool! Do your research here before any mods, to make educated choices. Your choices so far are good.

For example, it looks like a po put on a 'strut brace'. They don't do anything on this car. It doesn't have struts, and its already so stiff the brace doesn't add anything.

It is a useful place to rest your arm when you're bent over working on the car...

 

This forum has been great for info. I read a lot while I waited to get the car. You're right, the strut bar came with the car when I bought it and your comment about resting your arm on it is spot on for me.

 

That man don't know what he's on about the part where your brace is mounted is a strut top. fitting a brace to any car no matter how stiff chassis will improve the stiffness of the front, and rear braces also get overlooked

 

All the cool kids have front strut bars on their cars. 10 minute installation and, as noted a great place to lean on when servicing the car. Honda put one on the rear of the CR, but not on the front.

I watched a Supra video where one of their engineers pointed out recesses under the hood where strut bars had been removed. Their test drivers found they made the front end too stiff so they were removed from the production models but they left the holes and recesses for the "aftermarket" folks. (see below at about at 2:40)


-- Chuck

 

Yes, if you add what is commonly referred to as a strut tower brace to our cars, which don't have strut towers, it will undoubtedly make the front 'stiffer'.

With cars that actually have struts, it makes the front significantly stiffer, in ways that can be immediately felt, and performance improvement measured. They are worth the time, expense, and weight to fit them.

The problem is with our cars it doesn't offer any real value. It may make it a tiny fraction stiffer, but you'll sensitive scientific instruments to measure how much. It simply isn't worth the time, expense or weight. It does nothing for performance on this car.

 

While having a beer and checking out the forums here I decided to order some new side marker lenses. The previous owner (my dad) had clear lenses when he originally bought the car but cannot find them. I personally wanted smoked out lenses and more recently flat lenses. I ordered these based on info I found on this forum. I wish they were darker but I can always add tint. I'm sure there are cheaper options but no complaints here.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/94-01-Acura...c9e85f702:g:VX

 

I realize you’re a newbie here but please do some searching on this forum for threads from folks with lots of experience over the past 19 years with our cars.

we don't have a “strut top” or strut tower because we don’t have struts.

based on the opinions of hundreds of folks who have installed a strut brace over the years (including many with S2000 racing or autocross experience), the consensus is they’re nothing more than a place to rest your hand when working under the hood—-they do nothing for the handling of the S2000.

But you do make a good point about the rear brace—the one that comes on the car is a flimsy U shaped piece of sheet metal—-I’ve switched it out to a Cusco rear brace on both the S2000s I’ve had—that seems to make a difference to me.

And there’s about a 50/50 split on this forum on whether a lower front brace does anything —-I’m in the camp that it does so I have a Cusco front brace on mine. Others use an X brace or none at all.

 

Clear side turn signals are standard Honda parts. Lots of sources including Ebay:



https://www.ebay.com/i/202068020501?chn=ps

-- Chuck

 

Yeah, I meant my dad has a pair of the clear ones that he got with random extra parts when he bought the car but he can't remember where he put them. I like the flat ones better so I ordered those instead.