Is the AP1 transmission really crap?
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,947
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Ap1 gear ratios
1st: 3.133
2nd: 2.045
3rd: 1.481
4th: 1.161
5th: 0.970
6th: 0.810
Secondary gear reduction: 1.160
Ap2 gear ratios
1st: 3.133
2nd: 2.045
3rd: 1.481
4th: 1.161
5th: 0.943
6th: 0.763
Secondary gear reduction: 1.208
1st: 3.133
2nd: 2.045
3rd: 1.481
4th: 1.161
5th: 0.970
6th: 0.810
Secondary gear reduction: 1.160
Ap2 gear ratios
1st: 3.133
2nd: 2.045
3rd: 1.481
4th: 1.161
5th: 0.943
6th: 0.763
Secondary gear reduction: 1.208
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 5,875
Likes: 5
From: Santa Clartia, Ca
The Honda s2000 no matter what year it is is well renowned for having one of the best transmission out there. People compare them to Porsches and other sports cars.
Your friend has no idea what he is talking about. Your drive an S.... does your transmission suck?
Your friend has no idea what he is talking about. Your drive an S.... does your transmission suck?
Registered User
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 2,671
Likes: 10
From: SoCal
<-- with almost all of the posts above mine.You either don't know how to drive your car right (the S2000 is a tiny bit different than most manual transmission cars and it has a learning curve to know how to drive it smoothly) or the transmission is messed up. My AP1 shifts so smoothly that if I revmatch on downshifts and upshift smoothly with good clutch off/gas-on transitions, it can feel smoother than an automatic. It's all about skill.
That being said, don't skip-shift the S2000 transmission. Sometimes it can't be helped, like in emergency situations, but if you have time, either go through the gears in order (I do this in revmatched engine braking for almost all of my stops) or double-clutch and then skipshift.
BTW, your friend is ignorant and just spreading FUD.
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Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 8,678
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That's funny. I shift pretty smoothly with the S2K. It's with other manual transmission cars where I have to get used to shifting properly. I guess learning to drive stick on an S does that to a person. 
The one car that I couldn't shift smoothly in, even while granny shifting, was the 350Z. Even the owner couldn't shift without a tad bit of jerkiness.
My point is that the S2K's transmission is world's better than the competition. You'll have to step into (maybe) $100k+ territory to find a car with a better manual gearbox...
But that's assuming you can find a car for $100k+ that even offers a pure driver's transmission any more.
Most offer automatic variants called "e-gears", F1, paddle-shifters, PDK, DCT, etc.
The one car that I couldn't shift smoothly in, even while granny shifting, was the 350Z. Even the owner couldn't shift without a tad bit of jerkiness.
My point is that the S2K's transmission is world's better than the competition. You'll have to step into (maybe) $100k+ territory to find a car with a better manual gearbox...
But that's assuming you can find a car for $100k+ that even offers a pure driver's transmission any more.
Most offer automatic variants called "e-gears", F1, paddle-shifters, PDK, DCT, etc.
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 6,863
Likes: 125
From: Pawtucket, RI
Originally Posted by justind,Sep 18 2010, 02:27 PM
uhhh you know 1-2 in an ap2 is shorter than ap1 right? meaning ap2 has closer ratios
but anyways, ap1 and ap2 are both great trannys, i wouldnt say ap1 is crap at all
but anyways, ap1 and ap2 are both great trannys, i wouldnt say ap1 is crap at all
Agree that neither are "crap", and AP2 ratios are plenty close compared to most street cars. But AP1 4-6 ratios are closer.
Registered User
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,077
Likes: 0
From: Miami, FL
the ap1 isn't an overall inferior car. your friend is just trying to make you feel like shit. not the greatest type of friend to have. and there's nothing wrong with ap1 transmissions. my ap1 has 130k miles and still shifts like butter.
bottom line: he doesn't know what he's talking about.
bottom line: he doesn't know what he's talking about.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 36,017
Likes: 226
From: Queen City, NC
Originally Posted by AR-9,Sep 18 2010, 03:12 PM
A friend of mine asked me last night: "Did you really get the year you wanted or did you buy what you could afford?" and I said a bit of both because I wanted the 06+ because of the nicer interior and more symmetrical dash cluster but couldn't afford a 08 so I said I'll get the last year of the first gen. and he says alot of people buy older ones and kinda just try to justify it by saying "Yea I wanted the 9K redline when really the transmissions crap and its an overall inferior car."
I'm not knocking the AP1, this is what he said and I only drove a AP2 once at carmax for like 5 minutes. Is he right? All car pride aside? I mean I'm used to my car and I still feel a bit of jerkiness in shifting where my friends Mazda 3 shifts like an automatic, you can barely tell.
and does the higher power band really have its own pros over the F22C? Besides it slightly louder for a second or two? because I mean at that point if it's all bark I mean why not at that point just stick one of those things in your muffler that makes it sound supercharged if that's the only point of the F20C? (Rhetorically speaking)
Once again, I'm not bashing but I'd like to hear a honest unbiased response from you guys. I'm not very knowledgeable with cars and don't claim to know anything (as you can see from my posts I ask alot of questions and I appropriate all your responses when your being helpful and not mean). I'm just telling you what I was told, how I feel and want to know if he's right or if I'm getting false info.
Thanks!
I'm not knocking the AP1, this is what he said and I only drove a AP2 once at carmax for like 5 minutes. Is he right? All car pride aside? I mean I'm used to my car and I still feel a bit of jerkiness in shifting where my friends Mazda 3 shifts like an automatic, you can barely tell.
and does the higher power band really have its own pros over the F22C? Besides it slightly louder for a second or two? because I mean at that point if it's all bark I mean why not at that point just stick one of those things in your muffler that makes it sound supercharged if that's the only point of the F20C? (Rhetorically speaking)
Once again, I'm not bashing but I'd like to hear a honest unbiased response from you guys. I'm not very knowledgeable with cars and don't claim to know anything (as you can see from my posts I ask alot of questions and I appropriate all your responses when your being helpful and not mean). I'm just telling you what I was told, how I feel and want to know if he's right or if I'm getting false info.
Thanks!
I suggest you read the FAQs here and learn more about the S2000.
