txst

This is a very good observation. To say that we DEFINITELY need this update here in the States, and that Honda is negligent in not providing this update to us is ludicrous. Only Honda engineers know the real story. If the problem exists only if the engine is at high RPM's for hours on end, it's not going to be an issue for well over 99% of the S2000 population in the US. Who here knows what the problem really is? Does this modification result in ANY benefit at RPM's less than 6000? 7000? 8000? Does it result in ANY benefits at run times of less than 2 hours at high engine speeds? 3 hours? 4 hours? Sure, the pistons may run cooler, but does it have any significant effect on measurable engine reliability at conditions the vast majority (well over 99%) of the S2000 population in the US? Does that effect warrant the risk of other problems that may occur if dealers open up the bottom end of the engine on almost all US spec S2000's sold to date?

While it would be interesting to know what bolts Honda is putting into the current 2002 US spec models, it doesn't necessarily mean that Honda is admitting that it made a mistake for US cars (if they have the updated bolt) - they could have done it for standardization.

Gernby

I wonder what trade-offs might exist with the new bolts. The entire lubrication system was designed as a unit, so these new bolts may be a bandaid fix for a specific problem, that we would not benefit from. I would be a little concerned that there may be some negative potential with the new bolts, that the original bolts didn't have.

cdelena

[QUOTE]Originally posted by txst
[B]

To say that we DEFINITELY need this update here in the States, and that Honda is negligent in not providing this update to us is ludicrous.

vapors2k

started a new thread on the search for the banjo bolt update:

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.php?...&threadid=79190

twohoos

A warranty is a warranty. It applies to 100% of the owners, not 99%. And operation of the engine below redline, for any amount of time, is covered by the warranty and should be backed by the factory.

vapors2k

[QUOTE]Originally posted by twohoos
[B]A warranty is a warranty.

Luis

consider yourself lucky... in Japan they go one step ahead and actually physically limit the maximum speed to 110MPH or thereabouts on the S2000. Who knows, maybe Honda Japan has known about these shortcomings all along and was trying to get away with it...

BTW, is AHM into the law enforcement business as well?

txst

No attitude here, just laying the facts on the table. How much cooler will the pistons be with the new bolts at 6000RPM's after 20 minutes? 60 minutes? 2 hours? How about at 7000 RPM's? 8000 RPM's? Based on the coefficient of thermal expansion, what is the difference in the size of the piston at those temperature deltas? What about the effect on the coefficient of friction? The effect on the Mean Time Before Failure? The people complaining about these bolts can't answer any of these questions, all they say is "If the people overseas need them, so do we!" Until I know the answers to these questions (and many others), I won't jump to any conclusions. I don't know if I need these bolts or not. In my job, if someone came to me to change a product design and I asked why we needed to change it, and their argument was "Because they do it overseas", I would tear them a new butt hole. Now, if that same person came to me and said "We need to rework all existing product because at engine speeds over 5000RPM's for sustained periods of over 1 hour cause the piston temperatures to steadily increase until a maximum temperature of X degrees is reached at which time the piston to bore clearance decreases to a point that seizure could occur in X percent of the population", I would listen to them and still ask a ton of questions.

Jeez, if it bothers people that much, or you are one of the ones who drives at sustained high speeds, find a way to get the bolts and put them in yourself - where there is a will, there's a way (on this board we have been able to get parts that are not available in the US), or wait and find out if the old bolt was superceded in the US on current production cars. If that still doesn't satisfy you, get rid of the car and buy something more suitable to your driving style or something that you perceive is more reliable at those conditions.

cdelena

[QUOTE]Originally posted by txst
[B]
No attitude here, just laying the facts on the table.

txst

[QUOTE]Originally posted by cdelena
[B]

Huh? Some of the few facts we have are:

- Engines fail here with cylinder wall scoring (at what appears to be a ~1% rate).
- Some failures are covered by AHM, some are not.