The adoption of a thin-walled, low-heat-radiation, metal honeycomb catalytic converter with a low cell density in place of the more traditional ceramic type, not only increases the exhaust gas processing surface, but also promotes a quick rise in temperature.

In line with Honda's policy of environmental responsibility, the HONDA S2000 is designed to be very quiet at idle and the exhaust system includes individual silencers for the dual rear pipes.

Based on the HONDA S2000's Combined fuel consumption of 28.5 mpg, the 50 litre fuel tank provides a practical 313 mile range.


Six-speed manual gearbox allows rapid shifting

A compact six-speed close-ratio manual transmission enables the driver to fully exploit the HONDA S2000's engine to the full, while a low-inertia flywheel and lightweight gears ensure that its willingness to rev is not compromised. The gearbox, with integral oil pump, is designed specifically for the HONDA S2000 and shares no common components with the six-speed NSX manual transmission.

With the engine already moved as far back in the chassis as possible, space for the transmission was at a premium, so Honda engineers designed the transmission to be as narrow as possible. All six speeds and reverse are on two parallel shafts.

Both transmission shafts are coupled at the output end, a design feature borrowed from Honda's front-wheel-drive transmissions. This reduces the load on the gear synchronisers by as much as 40 per cent, which, in turn, allowed the gears to be smaller.


Transmission cutaway

In addition to reducing the size and mass of the engine flywheel and transmission gears, Honda engineers reduced the size of the clutch by eliminating the separate friction disc and replacing it with a simpler design where both friction surfaces face each other. One friction surface is attached to the flywheel face and the other to the pressure plate. A pull-type clutch mechanism separates and engages the clutch faces.

Honda has aimed for a gear shift quality that allows smooth, rapid changes with little effort on the part of the driver. Using a direct-acting rod type mechanism, the shift action is just 23 mm in the horizontal plane and 40 mm in the vertical, facilitating wrist-flick shifts. Double-cone synchronisers are used on first, third and fourth ratios and triple-cone synchronisers on second.

An unusually large diameter propshaft is specified to maintain driveline rigidity from crankshaft to rear wheels.

Power is transmitted from the differential to the rear wheels via a set of rigid, one-piece halfshafts. The outer end of each driveshaft connects to the wheel hub via a large flange, which distributes drive loads better than more commonly used splines.

Even the constant-velocity joints at the outer ends of the driveshafts have been designed so they have minimal rotational mass, and contribute to faster driveline response to throttle inputs.

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