The Honda S2000 is a model that requires very little introduction, since its launch in 1999, Honda’s iconic 2 door convertible has secured itself a cult following of enthusiasts. Their combination of great weight distribution, rear wheel drive and a high revving i-VTEC engine in the front made for a sports car that can still hold its own on track to this day.
When it comes to servicing and maintaining the S2000, we’re very happy to say we can offer a wide array of quality parts and fluids for servicing them, along with our great catalogue of upgrades!
Air Filter
Starting with the air filter, Honda did an excellent job of designing the factory airbox on the S2000, to the point that even the factory air filter flows well. We’d generally suggest either Honda’s own air filter or, ideally for a little more air flow, either the Spoon Sports or K&N’s direct replacement elements, with those offering a slight bump in performance.
If you’re looking for more induction noise, and a little more power than standard, then checkout the K&N Performance Air Intake Kit. This replaces the factory airbox with a high quality cotton gauze filter, protected from the majority of the engine’s heat by a specially designed heatshield, and run into the throttle body through a smooth bore HDPE pipe. As HDPE, unlike the aluminium pipe you might find in a cheaper intake, has a much lower thermal capacity, the air intake temperature remains to be quite low, meaning that in combination with the smoother airflow into the throttle body and better flowing air filter, the car should see a horsepower bump of around 9.5hp, along with a louder intake noise, which can allow you to enjoy VTEC even more.
Honda recommend servicing their air filter every 30,000 miles, though K&Ns filters can be cleaned using their specialist cleaning kit, which is available via our website here.
Oil
Oil is, without a doubt, the most important part of any performance engine. The best engine oil for the S2000 is 5W40, exactly what Honda themselves recommend. As for brand, this is largely personal or brand preference. We offer a range of 5w40 fully synthetic oil to keep your F20C, or F22C, in great condition, and a choice of oil filters to further protect your engine.
Fuchs Titan Race Pro S is our primary option, Pro S, formerly known as Titan Race, is another premium ester synthetic oil designed for road, fast road and track use, with it commonly being seen in motorsport pits. Its formula also contains additives designed to work with high lift camshafts and other heavily loaded valvetrain components - a must with a 9000rpm capable engine! It’s also designed for use in turbocharged applications, so it’ll happily cover a range of modified examples well too.
We also offer Millers CFS NT+, their signature NANODRIVE triple ester oil, which offers their ‘ultra low friction technology’ with high film strength, leading to excellent wear protection throughout the entire temperature range.
Oil Filter
If you’re changing your oil, you’re also changing your oil filter. Excellent filtration ensures that your all important oil gets circulated effectively and doesn't have any harsh contaminents in it. Both Honda’s original oil filter, specific to the S2000 or, and Spoon Sports’ high performance oil filter are available from our stock.
Our usual go-to is the original Honda filter, which is specific to the F20C and F22C engines. We recommend this for any example wanting to stick to the Honda 7,500 mile service interval, and they will do everything you can possibly expect from a roadgoing oil filter.
With that said, if you’re planning to regularly hit VTEC and enjoy the car for longer periods at higher RPMs, we do would recommend higher performance Spoon Sports’ oil filter, which generally offers better oil flow and higher oil pressure to ultimately give better engine protection under more intense use, with the cost of those benefits being a slightly shorter service life.
Spoon Sports’ oil filter offers a combination of the smaller profile, as seen on the likes of the infamous ‘HAMP Shorty’ filters that were discontinued back in 2019, and slightly better flowing mesh to offer great oil pressure and flow. These also offer an inbuilt magnet, which much like a drain plug, helps to catch metallic particles within the oil and minimise a risk of engine damage. For the money, these are quite difficult to outperform, but please note that these have a recommended 5,000-6,000km service life, which is ideal for track and motorsport use where oil changes are more regular than road use, but you may need to change your oil more frequently if you’re primarily using the car on the road.
For peace of mind, we would also recommend using Spoon Sports’ Engine Drain Bolt, which utilises a large magnet to catch magnetic swarf in your engine oil, which will sometimes build up due to wear on your engine components over time. This not only helps to prevent metal from circulating further, potentially damaging your engine elsewhere, but also serves as an early warning that you may have a serious engine issue - considering the cost of a good condition replacement engine, these are an excellent little upgrade whilst you’re there.
Spark Plugs
The best spark plug for the S2000 is NGK’s IFR7G-11KS. These are the go-to plug for both the F-series and K-series engines. The iridium plugs are the tried and tested favourite of owners, and generally should have a service life of around 40,000 miles, though if you drive the car more enthusiastically it’s probably best to check them every ~10,000 miles, or in the event of any unusual idling or misfires.
These come pre-gapped for use with a naturally aspirated S2000, but if you do have a forced induction setup, please get in touch and we’ll be happy to discuss different heat range options.
Fuel Filter
Fuel Filters are another commonly overlooked filter, partly as on the S2000 they’re mounted in the tank as part of the fuel pump hanger assembly, however the fuel filter really should be something you consider replacing reasonably regularly. Whilst fuel quality standards are generally reasonably good in the UK, over time a mixture of fine dirt and corrosion can sometimes find their way to be caught by the filter, gradually either blocking it or wearing away at it.
Once these filters begin to degrade, the unwanted material in your fuel can sometimes contribute to premature wear of your fuel system, including the pump and injectors, leading to issues such as low fuel pressure, poor injector spray pattern and even total failure. These generally show initially as idling issues but they can escalate into valvetrain, piston and cylinder wall damage, reduced power (due to knock from predetonation), and can quite easily cause your S2000 to not start.
Honda hasn't published a service interval for the fuel filter from our research, but they do suggest checking the fuel lines and connections every 15,000 miles. We’re happy to supply a replacement fuel filter for your peace of mind.
Cabin Filter
The cabin filter is a commonly overlooked service item when it comes to convertibles - but don’t make that mistake! Whilst some might think the air in your car doesn’t need filtering on a convertible, all of the airflow for your heating system, including your air con, passes through your cabin air filter.
Regularly changing it should not only improve the efficiency of your heaters and air con, but it can also reduce moisture buildup in the interior, leading to lower condensation on your glass and even reducing the risk of smells and even mould. Mould can not only damage your interior fabrics, gradually eating away at them, but more importantly it can also lead to various health issues, including eye and skin irritation and a number of different breathing issues. If you want to breathe clearly in your S2000 no matter if the roof is up or down, change your cabin air filter.
Honda recommends a 30,000 mile or 2 year service interval on these, whichever comes first.
Gear Oil
We recommend Honda’s MTF-3 for the S2000 gearbox. This is specially formulated to maintain your synchros and bearings within the Honda gearbox, and help to protect them from shock loads and general wear over time.
Whilst Honda don’t seem to recommend a service life for this, we’d suggest changing your gear oil every 30,000-50,000 miles depending on use, though if you notice a particularly notchy shift, it may help to change the fluid sooner.
To better monitor the health of your transmission whilst changing the oil, we’d recommend fitting a Spoon Sports Magnetic Drain Bolt. This will not only give you an indication of metal buildup in the gearbox itself, but it’ll also catch most stray metal filings and keep them away from the gearbox internals, further protecting your bearings, synchromeshes, seals and the gears themselves from premature wear.
Diff Oil
Honda recommends using their Gear Oil 3, the replacement to HGO-3 (their original Hypoid Gear Oil) when replacing your S2000 diff oil. This is a mineral oil formulated with high quality oils with additives designed to stand up to “extreme pressure”, which should also mean it will hold up well to track use. With that said, we can also supply a larger rear differential casing to improve fluid capacity and cooling, helping to keep your differential oil temperatures lower in high load use cases - primarily track use builds.
Failure to replace your differential oil can result in bearing wear and failure, along with damage to the actual gears and differential components owing to metal swarf buildup in the oil. Over time, as the oil becomes more contaminated, it will also generally run hotter. Any of these factors, or a combination of them, can result in the differential failing, which can result in the rear wheels locking up whilst driving. Owing to the car being rear wheel drive, that presents a significant accident risk so Honda recommends replacing this every 30,000 miles.
Fortunately, the drain bolt is magnetic from the factory in the differential.
Coolant
Honda’s own Type II Premixed coolant is our suggested coolant for all Hondas, including the S2000. Their silicate free coolant has antifreeze additives to keep it liquid as low as -36°c, and as it’s premixed you don’t need to worry about measuring the ratios to achieve that level of freeze resistance. It also contains anti corrosive additives to protect your coolant channels, thermostat and radiator and help maintain a high cooling system efficiency. This can be used with all of the cooling upgrades we offer for the S2000, and all of the OEM parts.
Brake Fluid
Last but not least, Brake Fluid is an essential to maintaining safety in your S2000, Honda advise that it’s changed every 3 years, regardless of mileage, as it will naturally accumulate moisture that will lower its boiling point over time - however, if you do experience brake fade during those 3 years, we would recommend replacing your brake fluid. We offer Honda's own DOT4 brake fluid if keeping things OEM if your preference, although if you plan on heading to the track you may want to consider a more performance focussed alternative, such as Dixcel's 328 Racing fluid.
If you have any questions please feel free to get in touch.
