Some points I want to respond to. I do not want to break the triple digit barrier either, although I will say (Hmmm, need to word this carefully) I would be surprised if I had done that on an open section of highway with an Audi that was rabbiting on, way ahead. I'm not into collecting reckless driviing tickets, visiting with a judge and having the car impounded. Can't afford that on a variety of levels. Carrying this thought further, even the unlimited sections of the Autobahn have a suggested speed above which insurance coverage is sketchy and of course, the dangers of a truck or small car cutting you off by swinging into the left lane are an inherent danger. Yes, even on the Autobahn where such things are regulated quite specifically.

I'm going to have to go with the dual personality here that Car Analogy mentioned. That sounds like a good compromise.

So, is it fair to say that I can downshift from, say 4th to 3rd and hit the power band that way without damaging the car in terms of the high revs and the gears at that point? If so, that would add a whole dimension of fun!

I have an NC3 with a tune and coilovers. it is an extremely stable platform with the added benefit of being quick (but not as quick as the S2K). I really do enjoy the stability of that car whereas the idea of the rear end coming out on the S2K is a worry to me...from what I've seen on various YouTube videos.

 

you can run it to the limiter and it wont hurt the car. Just account for the rpm difference in each gear to stay out of mechanical overrev range, but doubt you will be shifting down at 8000 or so rpm on purpose

 

You should ride my 1200cc Kawasaki with 122 HP in Trafic, in town. Slowly. You are sitting on a sort of bullet and only use 5% of it´s capapility. If. Throttle barely opend. This feels really silly.
You could start singing "Highway to the danger zone" from the Top gun movie under the helmet for ironic and sarcastic entertainment.

Saying this, i use the S2000 (and the Kawasaki) very well here, as we have lonesome twisty country roads with zero speed control. Heaven on earth.

 

There is nothing like a bike on a lonely, twisty road. Be careful out there!

 

Drive it like it’s stolen. And don’t money shift

 

I still drive it back and forth to work, three times a week. The S2000 is very drivable in stop-and-go traffic. It's not like an early Porsche 911S.

Once every three months, I'll take it out on an early Sunday morning to clear out the cobwebs.

 

Writing "usefulness" and "Honda S2000" in the same sentence should be a grammatical impossibility. Even former Miata owners should know that.

There is very limited power when not in VTEC. Fortunately the 2006+ cars are easily remote tuneable via FlashPro and with a high flow cat-converter the VTEC point can be dropped to 3600 rpm which will wake up the car. Back roads driving in 3d and 4th gears, You can drive all day in the 35-102mph range and how it should have been.

-- Chuck

 

A tune helps a small amount but its not like magic. It will improve low end power some but you still want to drive it like the high rpm car it is to get the most enjoyment out of it. For those that have ridden them I tell people to drive it like it were a 2 stroke dirt bike Gear down, keep the revs up and let it do what it was built to do! Dont be afraid to drive the hell out of it.

 

The S2000 has been a lot of fun since my dirt bike days. Staying "on the pipe" and knowing the powerband is king.

 

I'm not sure why you think it's easier on the engine to hit vtec in 5th gear than third gear. The lower the gear the less load the engine sees due to mechanical advantage of the gearing. Just take it to 8k in first from every time the light turns green if you find the high rpms fun!