Long Term Test: 2007 Honda S2000 post# 6

Sixth update
Current Miles: 79,431

Not a lot has happened with the S2000 within the last few months. I had to replace the rear tires with a fresh set back in December in anticipation of El Niño, as my rear tires were nearly bald. I guess that is the price you pay for driving a rear-wheel drive sports car! Aside from a tire replacement, the S2000 has been running strong. A minor gas pedal squeak has reappeared, but it is nothing a little grease cannot fix. I have also recently discovered that my Pioneer head unit does, in fact, have native Pandora support. Coupled with T-Mobile's unlimited music streaming service, this has saved me on many a long drive.

Image courtesy of CT Engineering

As I slowly approach 90,000 miles, I find myself wanting to modify my S2000. A little more horsepower, better brakes, and maybe some minor visual upgrades are all things that I have considered doing in the last few months. I would probably start small and replace the factory air box with a cold air intake. I want something that is going to add power but is not going to make the car too much louder. My best bet would probably be the CT Engineering cold air intake. It retains the same basic shape as the factory air box, and is apparently not much louder than stock. The next step would be to replace the factory exhaust with something that is still a dual out exhaust, but not too loud. My original idea was to get the cat-back exhaust system from CT Engineering, however, it seems they have discontinued it. I would probably have to do some research into finding a similar system.

Obviously not my S2000. Image courtesy of S2Ki user aznvietboy75.

Dramatically changing the handling characteristics of the car is something that I am hesitant to do. As it is, the S2000 handles incredibly well as is and the factory suspension is plenty stiff. The car is also already low enough to the ground that I have trouble going up and coming down steep driveways. For the time being, the only things I may do are get slightly larger wheels (18x7" in the front, 18x9" in the rear) with slightly wider tires in the rear (255 width rather than the factory 245 width), and go back to stickier tires all around. Changing some of the brake components may also be in the cards, but it would really just be replacing general wear and tear items (pads and rotors) with higher quality and more performance oriented products.

Visual and aero upgrades are a very low priority on my list. As it may be a very long time before my car sees any track or autocross duty, I really have no reason to want more down force. For now, the only visual thing I want to add to my car is probably the factory lip spoiler. I have always found that it adds a nice visual flair to the car without making it look like some wannabe boy racer's car. I have also been throwing around the idea of replacing the hood with a carbon fiber hood rather than having it repainted (the previous owner left a lot of paint chips on the hood). This idea does seem really impractical though and would sort of ruin that "not boy racer" look I have been trying to maintain.

When the time comes, and I do start modifying my S2000, you can expect more frequent updates, and possibly video tutorials on how to install certain components. For the time being, I will continue to enjoy my vehicle as is.