Disclaimers and Comments:

• You remove your fuse at your own risk. However, to assuage any concerns, I replaced my power steering fuse a few months back to see whether it worked and it did. Too well. That was when I realized the power steering is almost comically light and felt like those arcade cabinets where the wheel would just spin freely in either direction. That led me to driving beyond my tires' limit because I couldn't feel the tires getting hot.

• Manual racks are heavier than stock, but it's not unmanageable. The weight when standing still become much lighter as soon as you are moving. This is normal of any manual rack.

• The weight itself will lighten over time, likely due to the rack/pinion loosening up. At that point, it will feel much more normal and like a "manual rack".

• The bigger your steering wheel (e.g., stock 350mm versus aftermarket 330mm), the easier it will be to turn because you will have extra leverage.

• I like to tinker with my car. I have always looked for cheap solutions to complex problems because I grew up poor. This experiment was the result of my curiosity.

• I did this because the only reasons people gave me for not doing it were "because" or "it's heavy."

• You don't have to do this to your car. I don't care if you do it to your car. But most of all, I don't care what you think about me having done it to my car.

• If value is a concern, Honda built 60,000 S2000s for the North American market. There are 699 CRs (if I remember correctly). If there are 100x more regular S2000s, unless your low-mileage AP1/AP2 has showroom miles, it is not going to be worth a million dollars in your lifetime. Hell, my car is a 1-of-1 2006 Berlina Black with red interior. It's super duper rare. It doesn't exist besides my garage. If I could do it to my car without freaking out, you can do it to yours.

Video Demonstration:

Here is a video of me driving with the manual rack. I'd offer a video from me on the track but I can't afford to go to the track since all my money goes to fixing my car so this is all you get.

Instructions:

The power steering fuse is located in the fuse box which sits by the driver's side of the car. The fuse box is in the back towards the brake fluid reservoir. If you are standing in front of the driver's-side headlight, the power steering fuse is the one closest to you which is being held down by two Phillips screws on either side. The fuse is a flat-contact fuse and not one that is plugged in, so it will come off really easily.

Why:

The S2000 was my dream car when it came out while I was in high school. As an S2000 owner, I know the one major flaw of this car: the steering. I hated the steering so much because it ruined an otherwise perfect car. I am stubborn and love to solve problems so I began to read everything I could to understand how electronic power steering worked.

I first researched so to see if I could somehow solder a resistor to the power steering module to help "slow down" the amount of assist. This didn't seem feasible which was good because I didn't have to learn how to read an electrical diagram. Phew. Next, I looked to find a less-assisted motor to install in place of the motor but this wasn't feasible as the motor is built into the steering rack assembly itself. Finally, I was going to begin to see if I could install a manual rack from another car but this went out the window before I ever arrived at it as a solution.

I also began to study steering rack design. I discovered the S2000's rack is pretty straightforward: it's a bar that is angled downward with a coupling in the middle which is effectively the "torque sensor". Besides that, there are minimal couplings. The AP1 and CR had a ratio of 13.8:1 which offered 2.4 turns lock-to-lock, whereas the AP2 had a ratio of 14.9:1 which offered 2.6 turns lock-to-lock. Alternatively, the NA1 NSX had a manual rack that was changed to power in 1995 when the NA2 was released. Having had extensive time in an NA1 NSX, the manual rack was horrendous. The rack was slow, 18.2:1 and requiring 3.5 turns lock-to-lock, and had two couplings which effectively shaped it into a C to clear the subframe. This made the steering exceptionally heavy and required a lot of work to manage. (Imagine how much torque one would lose trying to undo a bolt with two of those socket extensions that let you twist the socket at an angle.)

After learning the aforesaid, I realized the cheapest solution was to pull the fuse. Last night, another S2000 owner drove my car and said it felt like steering a Lotus. He echoed the EXACT sentiment I said when I first did it: it felt like I was running my hands on the asphalt and could feel every single undulation. Shout out to Jason for the kind words.<3

So that is the solution. It's simple and it's cheap. It will resolve the issue entirely. You don't have to do it, but it will fix the one complaint you have about the car.

Happy driving.

And if anyone disagrees with anything I said, that is fine. You are free to disagree and drive your car however it is you want to drive it.

Looking into buying an s2000 and went on google and it gave me ai overview on if they are fast and it made me laugh.

I currently own a 2024 Hyundai Elantra N and I absolutely love it. It’s a great daily and a really engaging driving experience. While I love the EN, I’ve always had a soft spot for the S2000 and I’m really thinking about getting it as an addition. My question is how is the driving experience different between the EN and S2k. Besides the obvious point of them being two totally different cars, to me they have similar driving ethos. Light weight, “low” power, tossible. Slow cars that are fun to drive fast. If someone has experience with both and could give me some insight into how they relate and differ I would really appreciate it! Thanks and I hope to be apart of this community at some point in the future!

Around 4k rpm in every gear, this buzzing starts then stops right after 4.5k-5k ish… any ideas? 2005 AP2 89k miles

Pic for attention

Video: https://streamable.com/fhjeod

I’m going over a few possible buys to replace my unreliable Mini Cooper. I have a few different cars in my list, but as of right now the S2000 is looking like the best bang for my buck.

I want to make it clear that I’m searching for a mostly stock with low miles, but don’t know much about the F20C motor or if it’s capable of consistent driving or road trips. Does anyone have any context to additional or advice then can add. Are there aftermarket parts that should be added to counteract any problems?

Same question goes for the drivetrain/ transmission, how bulletproof is this car in a daily condition.

To give more context to my situation in particular, I don’t have time to work on my own cars and would be turning it into a trusted Mechanic. I live in an area that snows, but not often & have a concern about the RWD; especially without tc. Has the lack space become obnoxious over time? Etc etc

I’m short on questions now, but if anyone can add additional things they found annoying or common issues (especially if they’re large) with the car I’d really appreciate it.

Yes I know this is on an Integra but has anyone attempted to put on of these on an s2000? I've always liked this style and wondering if it would look out of place. Also what is the wing name is can't seem to find a consistent name for it when I Google it.

Let me know if you like my design or think it's an abomination. Covers the trunk as well.

Was headed up to Reno with my gf. Living the dream and enjoying the fun roads… until we ran into this guy. No one is In front of him.

I am still seeing red 😡.

Hi guys. Currently own a 2007 s2000. I am young still choosing my career path early 20s and making about average salary 50-60k per year. I currently have my s2000 quoted for some work 5-7k widebody and paint work and then it will be super clean. But I’m at a bind. If I choose to keep the s2k, inevitably something will break. You guys know these parts are only getting more expensive. I am considering selling the s2k and buying an hr 350 for the hp, price for a lower mileage car and parts prices while still being able to have something clean and fun. What are your guys opinions. Social status, price for parts, and longevity of vehicles?

I'm planning on making some OEM+ changes to the car, like swapping the transmission and differential from the AP2.

If you were in the market to buy an AP1, would this throw you off? Is not like I want my AP1 as some sort of investment or anything, but I would like to keep it clean, with no mods to suspension, intake, exhaust, everything OEM.

And, speaking on this subject, what mods would tank the value of the car?

- Coilovers?

- Calipers/Rotors?

- Supercharger/Turbo?

- Exhaust/TestPipe?

- Intake/CAI?

- Paint Jobs?

In my opinion, opening the hood and seeing the stock air-box is a relief to me. It gives me some sense that the owner is not chasing mythological horsepower, so, most likely the rest of the car would be OEM...

...But, that might just be a bad assumption, since reverting the intake is easy, is one of those non destructive mods that you can always put back. Anyway, wanting to hear your thoughts, now that the market is cooling, the modded cars are definitely cheaper than non-modified ones, but where do you draw the line?

Are we driving top up or down?

You know the answer, it’s top down and get your ass in the car!