I tried to post this is my local forum, but I'm not getting much help. Am I being unreasonable? Here is the story...

I'm not even 3 months into ownership yet and I've shelled out roughly $4600 in repairs and upgrades.


1: Its noisey, rattles and squeaks.

a. decelerating at 2500-3500 rpm, it rattles so bad I can feel it. I read somewhere about a clutch problem, but I just put a new clutch in the car (along with a new transmission, this problem existed with the old transmission too. However, this was not the reason I switched the transmission)? If I take the car out of gear/push the clutch peddle in the rattle goes away. A common "drone" was mentioned, but if thats the case HKS should be out of business. The exhaust system has been checked twice, and it has no rattles.

b. Top squeaks like crazy - Is there a specific type of oil I should use on the hinges?

c. Exhaust is too loud - this is my fault as I installed the HKS Hi-power cat back with a test pipe. Would putting the stock catalytic converter back on and ditching the test pipe make a worth while difference? I have considered going back to stock, or adding another resonator to the HKS system.

2: Its supercharged and its still slow. I would like to get it on the dyno and find out what I'm putting down, but I thought this thing would scream? I know this is relative so I can't ask for any advise here.

The car is amazingly beautiful and a joy to drive when the top is down. But this being my daily driver, I would like it to be a bit quieter and the rattles/squeaks taken care of. Does anyone have experience with the issues listed under number 1, and can offer advise how to fix this stuff?

Not looking for witty remarks, but help with these annoyances (if possible).

 

1a and 1b sound right, it's not a luxury car, not much you can do to change it, maybe go hardtop?

1c, yea, that's your fault...

2, what kind of cars have you owned/driven? I think most people would think a supercharged s was "quick", not slow....

From your complaints, yea, it sounds like the cars not for you...

Sorry...

 

How many miles do you have on the car?

Yes - the s2k is loud. My s2k is not loud when ideling, but is pretty loud when I accelerate past 4000 rpm. VTEC sounds sweet. Between 4k and 6k it is loud, which is the rpms daily drivers normally average to shift at, for gas purposes.

Depends on your personal/family situation too. You can only fit so much in the car. I'm single @ 26, and I'm in N.C. where the weather is grand and the beach isn't far away. That's why I chose it.

Only had mine 1 month so far. More good things than bad.

Ry

 

A stock S2K is loud, but it's mostly intake noise. The stock exhaust with a cat is relatively quiet. All aftermarket exhausts will have some sort of drone, even with a resonator. None of them have the tuned helmholtz resonator (the little T joint) the stock one has to kill the drone in the low-mid RPM range.

It's a convertible, there are going to be rattles and squeeks from the soft top. There is going to be wind noise. The car was designed to let you feel some wind. Not a luxury car like a Merc or Porsche, also didn't pay the extra $$$ for that.

The clutch buzz problem is a common issue with earlier model cars. It is due to the springs in the clutch rattling or popping loose. If it is the same noise the a new clutch disc should of fixed it. There is gear whine when decelerating, maybe it's that.

A supercharged car is not slow. Assuming that the supercharger is running correctly, it should be putting out around 300+ hp at the crank. That kind of hp/weight ratio is around C5 Corvette fast. Unless you have been driving Vipers, 911's etc., it shouldn't be slow. The thing is that the centrifugal superchargers have all their boost at high RPM. This makes the rev-happy personality even more dominant. You're not going to get the huge kick in the back unless you're keeping the revs from 6k-9k RPM.

The car may not be for you. To get the expected performance you have to drive it like a racing car, no instant down low torque, gotta like downshifting. It's not luxurious, it's kinda noisy and harsh. No gizmos, minimal drivers aids, no real daily driving features. You have to have proper driving technique to get the ultimate performance of the car, or it's going to put you in the ditch when the driver does something stupid.

But man, it sure puts a smile on my face when I'm serious about enjoying actually "driving". On the track top down, ringing off the perfect heel-toe downshifts, hearing the roar to redline and feeling the weight transfer (like downhill skiing) in a perfect corner.

If those serious driving moments don't outweigh the comfort, practicality and utiltity requirements, then yeah it's not the right car.

 

 

I religiously researched the S2000, BMW Z4, and Porsche Boxster before deciding on the S. If you are looking for a slightly more luxury experience, less noise, and more low end power maybe you should consider a Z4 3.0i or 3.0si or Boxster / Boxster S.

Might want to grease the hinges, put stock exhaust back on, and spend some time in vtec before making a final decision tho

-Wade

 

Lube your top...shinetsu (sp?) grease on all rubber parts and lithium grease spray (or is it silicone?) on all moving parts. There's a TSB somewhere on this board on how to quiet a squeaky top.

Stock exhaust is quiet, but a little sporty. That's why I never went aftermarket.

Slow car? Do you drive at 3k rpm or 7k rpm?

 

You are from the DC area right? If so, I can help you do a chassis and soft-top lub. That should settle your rattle issues. Regarding the droning sound, try the exhaust with silencers in. Additionally, if your car is supercharged, you should be running a single exhaust. Buy an ASM if you would like an exhaust with literally NO drone.

-Will

 

I agree with all of your statements except for this one. ASM exhausts have absolutely NO drone. They are amazing.

 

there is a "upgraded"clutch disk that i had installed that made the rattles go away.....look up the "newer"part number for the clutch disk and make sure that was the one installed.....

there must be a tuning prob or some sort of prob with the car being slow- it def should not be. and yes, it is going to be loud it is superchared.

if the hks is loud- do not do with invidia!!!

give it some time