S2000 vs mx5 mk3 2.0 sport

This has been covered in much detail before and on s2ki.com

But my PERSONAL viewpoint is:

2004 Onwards for:
17" alloys
Rear glass screen
'AP2' facelifting and revisions
Revised interior (Moor room near elbows due to thinner door cards is a huge plus)

Some people will prefer earlier models for the sharper handling but nothing stops you doing suspension work on a newer model if you so wish.

Major gotchas are:

Seized adjustment bolts. Will be a problem if you want to adjust the geo if it is out - and you will want to.

Roof wear, especially around shoulder height (common wear point due to manufacturing issue in soft top frame)
 
Sin_Chase said:
This has been covered in much detail before and on s2ki.com

But my PERSONAL viewpoint is:

2004 Onwards for:
17" alloys
Rear glass screen
'AP2' facelifting and revisions
Revised interior (Moor room near elbows due to thinner door cards is a huge plus)

Some people will prefer earlier models for the sharper handling but nothing stops you doing suspension work on a newer model if you so wish.

Major gotchas are:

Seized adjustment bolts. Will be a problem if you want to adjust the geo if it is out - and you will want to.

Roof wear, especially around shoulder height (common wear point due to manufacturing issue in soft top frame)
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And as someone who drove as many cars as possible before chosing, including all the major revisions... I like the MY00, hence why I went for it. Felt a lot better, and I thought the engine felt a bit more punchy. Could just have been in my head, but I guess mine did put out 243 BHP on the dyno.
 
Both cars are light, small, RWD front engine roadsters, but that's about as far as the comparison goes. I get the impression that with what, 80-90BHP more, the S2000 is the more hardcore of the two; faster, but needs to be properly driven to get the most out of it. Whereas the MX5 is very nimble and easy to enjoy, but its slower and easier to drive at the limit.

Had the MX5 you tried been lowered? It's well known that the Mk3 stock setup is too high. Lowering it 30mm makes a huge difference to the handling and responsiveness.

Dredd said:
I agree s2000 engine sound was great, mx5 engine is very poor.

I think a mx5 with 200bhp will be faster then s2000 240bhp
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I actually like the engine note of my MX5. Once you get up past 3000RPM it has a mechanical, old fashioned almost 'quaint' tone to it. Whether it was engineered that way to make it reminiscent of older British roadsters I don't know, but I think it sounds lovely :)
 
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I think it did look lower then pictures I've seen online

I was shocked how good gearbox was in both cars too. Mx5 seem to run out of puff high end maybe around 6',000 rpm

But more lower down, maybe why I think it was easier to put power down around the corners.

Another thing I forgot about mx5 the pedals.... Was strange at the start but on my god they are great once you spend a few hours using them, Heel and toe was so so easy :)
 
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and no the s2000 isn't that tunable without big spend. exhaust decat etc might net a few ponies but for kpro etc its big money and your peak hp won't massively increase. though the torque curve might improve lower down the rev range.
 
Dredd said:
I think it did look lower then pictures I've seen online

I was shocked how good gearbox was in both cars too. Mx5 seem to run out of puff high end maybe around 6',000 rpm

But more lower down, maybe why I think it was easier to put power down around the corners.

Another thing I forgot about mx5 the pedals.... Was strange at the start but on my god they are great once you spend a few hours using them, Heel and toe was so so easy :)
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I have noticed that the accelerator pedal has a slight chamfer on the lower left corner to make heel toe easier. However, I have no idea how to do it properly so it's wasted on me :p

Gearbox - 5 or 6 speed? I have the 6 speed and I would go as far as saying that I find it a bit disappointing sometimes. Day to day around town it can be a bit of a pig, especially matched with it's snappy and positive clutch. When it's cold and you are shifting below 3K revs, it feels quite firm and notchy. Second gear in particular is notoriously stiff from cold, the first few shifts of the day are always a struggle.

That said, when the gearbox is warm and you're out on a drive, it's beautifully smooth and precise :)
 
Simon said:
Sounds like mx5 is the car for you then if you don't 'get' the S2000
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I just don't see why it's rated as miles better car against a mx5 mk3 2.0 sport...

Honda really should be miles apart, just on test drive day, was not only just ..


How does your one hit 260bhp and 9200rpm?
 
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Sin_Chase said:
NA tuning the S2000 is HUGE money for relatively little gain.

If you want more power you go FI. Not cheap but much better cost:gain ratios.
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Like all Honda really, best to keep it standard ?

Think the black s2000 I linked to seem to be best one I've seen so far. Less anyone seen a better one?
 
06 and 08 will be pretty much the same bar perhaps some suspension tweaks, fitted alloys.

06 introduced VSA as an option and I believe 08 onwards had it as standard.
 
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