Beiträge von Igor

  • US only! Vergleich Modelljahre, AP1 vs. AP2

    Model Year 2006

    The 39th Tokyo Motor Show, held from October 22 to November 6, 2005, at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan, had dozens of cars and motorcycles on display, but it is the new S2000, equipped with even more advanced features than ever before, that shared the Motor Sports Zone stage with a rare close-up look at Honda’s F1 and IndyCar Series racers.

    • MSRP increased to $34,050 and shipping to $550 for a total of $34,600.
    • Drive-By-Wire Throttle System. Use a computer sensor to input throttle as opposed to pulling on the throttle cable
    • Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) with traction control. A combination of computer controlled throttle and individual wheel braking to control sudden changes in vehicle behavior. VSA has a turn-off switch where the defrost button (moved) used to be.
    • 20 lbs heavier
    • Redesigned road wheels
    • Redesigned steering wheel
    • New color, Laguna Blue
    • Daytime running lights (DRL)
    • Brake Assist, which helps drivers apply full braking pressure in an accident avoidance situation via the ABS actuator. Braking pressure is maintained momentarily after the driver's initial braking action to help the driver stop promptly. It deactivates when the driver releases pressure on the brake pedal
    • Basic warranty is 3 year/36,000 but the power train was extended to 5 years/60,000 mile
    • Exterior temperature gauge
    • New seats; they no longer have seat back pocket and headrest speaker system is gone
    • 4 of the 8 speaker audio system are integrated roll bar speakers
    • Sebring silver and white only come with a black interior
    • CARB emissions rating is now LEV-2
    • Passenger-side airbag cutoff
    • IAC Valve has been eliminated, along with the cruise control hardware; it is all controlled by the ECU for the DBW system. A gas pedal cable runs into the engine compartment to an actuator. From there it's electronic.
    • New intake manifold, intake support bracket, and injector cover
    • Only one cam sensor
    • New style map sensor
    • IAT sensor has moved to the rubber intake tract
    • Differential now has a breather box mounted behind it
    • Fuel line at engine is now a quick-release type
    • Air pump, associated lines and control valve, have been eliminated
    • Weight/and or/position sensors mounted in the seats
    • Fan switch in the radiator has been replaced with a second CTS, in turn the fans are now computer controlled
    • HO2S in the header is now referred to as an Air fuel ratio sensor
    • If you leave the gas cap loose, you'll get a "CHECK GAS CAP" warning, displayed in the outside temp display
    • NOT SURE ON THIS: In Europe they are advertising a new three-part speedster cover. The cover fits over the folded hood and features a pair of raised domes that sweep back from the two headrests/rollover bars to provide a distinctive look reminiscent of many classic sports cars.
    • HP is now stated at 237 - due to the auto industry wide change in how HP is calculated**

    ** New Horsepower Ratings to Level the Field in Performance
    The Society of Automotive Engineers has standardized a horsepower measuring system, requiring several automakers to take a critical look at their more subjective output assertions. Toyota and Honda, in particular, have had to downgrade the horsepower ratings of some of their vehicles from the 2005 to 2006 model years as a result of this new system. Even though it features the same 3.0-liter V6 engine, the Toyota Camry has seen its output rating reduced in one model year from 210 to 190 horsepower. As the Detroit News notes, though, the new SAE horsepower standards have worked in favor of some companies — such as GM, which was able to boost the horsepower rating of the Northstar V8 in the Cadillac STS-V from 440 to 469 horsepower. All automakers are expected to eventually comply with these ratings, and American manufacturers, such as Ford and DaimlerChrysler, already have plans to incorporate the SAE standards into tests of vehicles scheduled to receive new powertrains. What this means to you: More accurate horsepower ratings mean more accurate comparisons between cars from all part of the world. The new rating is done with the accessories at load. Honda probably knew this in MY2004 and just under-rated the 2004 so it would not go down by much in 2006. That said, the S2000 loses less under the new rating compared to some other Hondas as it has a smaller AC compressor, has EPS, and a smaller alternator than most other Hondas to draw on the engine under load.

    Model Year 2007

    Early reports from Honda UNOFFICIAL sources claim:
    Grand Prix White get's All Black or Red & Black Interior
    Suzuka Blue Metallic and Sebring Silver Metallic goes bye-bye.
    Everything else stays the same.

  • US only! Vergleich Modelljahre, AP1 vs. AP2

    CHASSIS
    • Chassis code AP1 = MY00-MY03 chassis changed to AP2 with the re-designed bumpers and new headlights / tail lights.
    • A new cross brace at the very front of the frame (positioned horizontally, in front of the radiator),
    • Reinforcements at key crossmember joints
    • Additional fixing points to existing braces
    • Reinforcements to the rear wheel arch bulkhead
    • Front suspension upper arm brackets were strengthened, further benefiting handling.
    • overall weight increase of 25 pounds, from 2810 to 2835 pounds

    WHEELS & TIRES
    • New 17" wheels, wider in front and rear (by 0.5" and 1.0" respectively), wrapped in wider tires.
    • In the front, 205/55R16s were replaced by 215/45R17 tires.
    • In the rear, 245/40R17s bumped the incumbent 225/50R16s.
    • Honda says both changes are key contributors to extended cornering limits.
    • The tires are now Bridgestone Potenza RE050s, replacing the former model's Bridgestone Potenza S-02s.
    • The new tires feature a completely different tread pattern, intended to improve the balance in performance between dry and wet conditions.

    BRAKES
    • To improve fade resistance and stopping power at and near the limit, the brake pad material has been changed from a non-metallic compound to a new metallic compound. The new pad material (Jurid632) provides greater frictional stability in high-temperature operating ranges.
    • Master cylinder ratio has been changed from 6.5 to 6.0, resulting in an increased feel of rigidity and "build-up" quality (Honda's term for more stopping power in the latter stage of brake application under constant application). Honda claims less pedal travel is required than previously.
    • The ABS system has been improved through the use of split-regulation yaw-control logic for improved stability on split-¼¼ surfaces when the ABS is triggered. Furthermore, though more powerful than before, the system (consisting of the CPU and modulator) has been downsized for both precious space and weight savings.

    EXTERIOR
    • new nose job, with wider air intake and new headlights above it
    • fake brake opening reshaped and moved inward
    • new HID headlights using projector beams
    • new LED taillights
    • lower appearing rear bumper
    • reshaped exhaust pipes, now oval
    • spiral double horn unit replaces the current flat double horn.
    • new color - Rio Yellow Pearl
    • Spa Yellow dropped

    INTERIOR
    • new combination red and black colored seats
    • more sculpted door panel inserts; shoulder room increased by 0.5"
    • wave ignition key to make copying it more difficult
    • reshaped steering wheel
    • new tweeter and mid range speaker housings
    • metallic-look trim
    • new center console with two beverage holders
    • dash changes including a new gauge cluster, reshaped roll where the start button and radio controls are located
    • restyled aluminum finish.

    FIRST COMPARISON
    Sport Compact Car magazine did a road test of the 2004 S2000. They report the 2.2 liter made 210 hp at 8000 rpm at the rear wheels, compared to 203 hp at 8500 rpm that the old 2 liter delivered, and 146 lb-ft of torque at 6400 rpm, compared to 136 lb-ft at 6300 rpm. They go on to say, “Sure, peak power remains the name of the game here, but there's obviously more power than Honda is telling us, and the improved midrange is nice to have around town”. They also did some handling tests and reported the 04 understeered on the skid pad; it registered .89 compared to .92 for the 2 liter car. In the slalom the 04 improved by 1.2 mph to 71.0 mph. They also did some acceleration runs but fried the clutch. 50 to 70 acceleration was faster by .18 seconds, and 0 to 100 is faster by just .2 seconds.

    Model Year 2005

    Per 9/1/04 Honda press release “There are no changes to the 2005 Honda S2000.”

    • On 2/15/05 the MSRP went from $32,950 to $33,150. Shipping is another $515.