rlaifatt

[QUOTE]Originally posted by red97gsr
[B]I don't get the hangup people are having with the 8k redline.

Left Breast

hey guys, 'bout the whole black & red interior deal...
i know this dun mean much but when i talked to my local dealership 'bout ordering a black '04... the salesperson asked me if i wanted black or black & red interior

so there's still a lil 'bit of a chance, eh?

ttb

[QUOTE]Originally posted by red97gsr
[B]I don't get the hangup people are having with the 8k redline.

Intrepid175

According to the October 2003 issue of Motor Trend, page 108 (they're a reliable rag, right? ), the 2.2 engine still makes 240 hp only at 7700 rpm instead of 8300 rpm. Torque is up to 163 ft/lbs or 220.998 Nm* at 6500 rpm over the 153 ft/lbs at 7500 rpm on the 2.0.

I would imagine that the 2.2 version of the S2000 would be a little easier to launch off the line than the 2.0. Whether it's faster in the long run remains to be seen. Since total hp rating are unchanged, I don't see where all out performance would be that different. It will depend a lot on how well Honda matches the new gearing to the new power band. They obviously did a pretty good job with the 2.0 engine. We'll see......

It would be interesting to get hold of the torque curve measurements for each engine and and calculate the hp rating at 500 rpm increments starting at about 4000 rpm or so. That would give a little better insight into the 2.2's potential performance advantage over the 2.0. Personally I can't see it being that great but you never know.

As for the looks of the car, the front facia will take a little getting used to but I don't think it's that bad. I like the two tone interior. The solid red was just "too" much for my taste. I'm neutral on the rear end, I like them both and the new dash design is Ok either way. Actually, I'd prefer an analog instrument panel over the digital readouts but I can certainly suffer with the way it is now!

FWIW,
Drive Safe,
Steve R.

* I got the metric conversion for the torque specs at:

http://www.majorleagueduning.com/tech/Scri...conversions.htm

red97gsr

But like you said, "if it's still reasonably driveable on the streets". There's a point somewhere where people will start feeling that it is not as easy to drive on the streets. What about 50ft/lbs of torque and a 20k redline? Imagine that you have to drop the clutch at 15k rpm to beat the guy next to you to the lane merge after the light. Of course there is the small % of people who still love it, but I don't think that would be very practical to drive everyday. I knew of people with cars that had race cams installed where the low rpms just sucked or 600whp Supras with that huge turbo lag, and they drove it everyday, but most people (including me) would hate driving those cars everyday. And it works the other way too. I wouldn't want a car with a 3k rpm redline and gobs of torque either. But I don't see 8k as a big deal at all. It's not exactly considered a low redline even with today's standards.

I really like what they are doing with the '04, except I wished they used i-VTEC. And the complaints with the 'softer' suspension are a bit early. I don't see softer as necessarily worse yet. We'll all know later. But for some of those that are complaining about it and own '02 or '03s, they might as well sell their car and get the '00 or '01, because the suspension was softened already back in '02. But there aren't too many compaints about that.

ttb

I got my 03 two weeks ago...still breakin it in...very gentle throttle....haven't passed 5.5krpms.....if anything, i should be complaining about the torque for my everyday driving...but i dont see the 03 lacking any power at lower rpms. i drive it fine on the streets....so lowering the redline and increasing displacement to get a little more torque for driveablility doesn't really ring home with me since i've had not complaints with the torque in the 03. i really do think that people who complain about lack of torque just need to stop drying to stop light race the s2000.

mikecl713

i dont know if itll be faster.....
regardless of the extra 163 tq that will be used to haul the extra .2 displacement in my opinion.....
prob itll be just as fast as the 00-03's

hensonbear

I'm in total agreement that the previous years may be the best of the breed in terms of true sportiness. I have just hit 3500 miles on my 03 and it's getting quicker and nastier all the time. Have to agree with many about the "watering down" of our beloved car. It's too bad more people didn't buy the "original versions" of the S2000 so Honda would be resistant to make it more civil to the public. I just hope a few more people will buy the newer version so it doesn't have to be civilized any more. Honda built a world class sports car for us from the git-go and I hope they can retain the original spirit. If they can't I almost would rather them cut the line than do a "Thunderbird". I'm still amazed they build the car for the amount of money with all of its attributes.
As for the styling, I don't see how you could make it too much better. Better they leave it alone. It's clean, pure lines are simple and beautiful.
---Don't like the dash.
--Add some oil and ammeter gauges.
-- The interior is really too small for any decent cup holder because it gets in the way of the natural shifting position. Maybe it should be left out altogether.
-- A mesh front metal grill would keep out the bugs and rocks from the radiator but still get all the air this baby needs. It would also give it the custom look it deserves.

Cruise with attitude,
hensonbear

Murgen

Probably they just assume that a black/red interior is available for all cars. And it is a obvious interior for a Black car. But, who knows, maybe the color combos we've seen are just the standard ones and we have other options that didn't make it onto that little color chart. That would make me giggle like a little school girl. If black with black/red interior was available I'd probably be talking to my local dealership this weekend. I guess I could give them a call tomorrow. What the hell, all they can say is no. I hope it is true! Please oh please oh please let it be true!

FCGuy

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Intrepid175
[B]

According to the October 2003 issue of Motor Trend, page 108 (they're a reliable rag, right?