How does the s2000 rev so high

A hydraulic power assisted system of course requires a pump driven off the engine which can sap power by as much as 5 PS as well as adversely affecting fuel economy. It is also more compact, weighs less and provides greater flexibility in programming steering feel at all speed ranges compared to traditional hydraulic systems.

The rubber coupling at the base of the steering column is particularly stiff so it damps unwanted inputs while retaining good road feel and informative feedback. A speed sensor in the system's electronic control unit registers road speed and, coupled with a torque sensing system, feeds a signal to the electric motor to provide varying levels of assistance. In the unlikely event of EPS failure, the car can still be driven and an EPS warning light illuminates in the instrument binnacle.

This is accomplished by changing the pitch of the teeth in the steering rack. VGR has more on-centre feel when driving straight ahead and enhances manoeuvrability when parking. The HONDA S has a braking performance to more than match the prodigious engine output and 16 in ventilated front discs and 15 in solid rear discs plus four-sensor, three channel ABS anti-lock braking and EBD electronic brake force distribution result in a powerful, linear pedal action for precise and balanced braking.

Starting with the SSM concept car, the HONDA S passed through three distinct design stages, each immediately recognisable as a sibling to SSM, yet differing slightly in proportion and the layout of headlamps, air intakes and vents.

While the HONDA S does not share the SSM concept car's split cockpit, which saw driver and passenger seats separated by a fixed spar linking the scuttle to the rear deck, Honda's designers have nevertheless retained each of the major design cues including the angular nose. The final production model includes a larger front air intake, a raised headlamp location, more pronounced rear bumper and a centre rear brake light located on the upper lip of the boot lid, where it also performs an aerodynamic function.

Honda aimed for compact external dimensions both to minimise weight and to enhance agility and the HONDA S is mm long, mm wide and mm tall with the top raised. Kerb weight is just kg. The body is all steel with the exception of an aluminium bonnet. From arrow-head nose and fared in headlamps to short, rounded tail, its styling manages to be distinctive without resort to retro styling cues.

The chiselled, angular lines are purposeful and there is a dynamic tension about the whole car. The short front overhang, the ultra-low bonnet line aided by canting the engine over by 15 degrees and wheels pushed out to the very edges of the body give the frontal aspect an aggressive feel. Deep scallops carved out of the length of the sills and the base of the doors reduce the visual depth of the doors and accentuate the taut body sides and pinched waistline effect produced by the flared wheel arches.

A delicate crease line that runs from the front wheel arch through the door handle to the taillights and which is perfectly replicated in the fuel filler cover panel with pin-point alignment produces subtle lighting and shading effects and added definition.

Tailight clusters mirror the shape of the front light covers, wrapping round the rear corners as. The large, individual lights are circular, with the reversing lights located inboard of the tailights. Along the lower edge of the rear bumper a black panel insert with cut outs for the twin chrome exhaust tailpipes provides a slimming effect to the rear aspect. Badging has been kept understated with the Honda H-mark appearing front and rear, on the wheel centre caps and, in a titanium finish, on the steering wheel boss.

A short 'bee-sting' aerial is positioned on the offside rear wing. Providing luminosity twice as great as halogen units, HID headlamps use a high voltage current and a bulb filled with xenon gas to produce an output much closer to that of daylight.

To ensure that these powerful HID units are aimed accurately at all times, an automatic adjustment mechanism is provided.

This consists of an ECU that continually monitors the car's attitude via suspension-mounted sensors, adjusting the headlamp aim to reduce the risk of dazzling oncoming motorists.

With its low slung seating position, high doors and high centre tunnel, the elegantly simple, yet purposeful interior is snug and cocooning. Its resemblance to a cockpit heightens the HONDA S's intimately sporty feel, but there is ample leg room, with the seats providing generous fore and aft as well as rake adjustment.

Although the occupants sit low, visibility is good with the driver able to see most of the bonnet and wing surfaces. With firm bolsters providing excellent support, the comfortable, sporty seats feature integral head restraints which in turn echo the shape of the individual roll hoops. Seats and door panel inserts are trimmed in either red leather silver or black body colour or black leather silver, black, red or blue body colour.

The seat belts pass through a guide on the side bolster to place the webbing conveniently to hand. Based around a theme of 'pure sports feel' the interior design emphasises clean simple shapes with a driver-focused racecar style digital instrument pack and controls immediately to the left and right of the steering wheel. To start the engine you twist the column mounted ignition key and then push the red starter button prominently located, within its chrome surround, close to the driver's left hand LHD cars or right hand RHD cars.

Pedals of drilled aluminium and polished metal kickplates bearing the legend 'S Honda manufactured by Honda Motor Co' in black provide added distinction to the interior.

Specific attention has been paid to the tactile quality of the car's interior surfaces to ensure they are satisfying to the touch, including the leather-trimmed steering wheel, aluminium gearshift knob and subtly-dimpled door pulls. Given that the interior could be exposed to strong sunlight for long periods while the top is down, the trim materials have been checked for susceptibility to degradation from ultra-violet light; they have also been selected for their resistance to the occasional rain shower that may be encountered before an opportunity can be found to raise the hood.

The HONDA S has newly developed, compact SRS airbags and seatbelt pretensioners as standard equipment, and the small, stowed size of the driver airbag allows for a sports-orientated steering wheel design with unobtrusive boss. In a reflection of the high-revving, high-tech nature of the engine, and taking inspiration from the world of Formula 1, the HONDA S uses digital instrumentation in a single, semi-circular display which is black with the ignition off, but illuminates once the key is turned, providing perfect visibility through the three-spoke steering wheel.

The graphical tachometer is a semi-circular display arcing over the digital speedometer. It reads from 0 to 10, rpm as a curving bar, with the 0 to 9, rpm segment in orange and the final 9,, rpm flashing red as the fuel cut-off intervenes to prevent over-revving. The odometer, with tripmeter, is also a digital display, sited below the speedometer. On either side, the facia curves towards the driver placing a number of controls close to hand.

On the left hand side right hand on RHD cars the remote audio controls include a large, circular mode button which accesses various functions by repeated pushes, a button which allows the radio to seek or the optional CD player to access the next track, and a 'mute' button which silences the in-car entertainment system.

A vertical rocker switch with a soft action increases or decreases volume. To the right to the left on RHD cars are the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning controls, including individual soft-feel rotary knobs controlling air distribution and temperature selection.

Fan speed is controlled by a vertical rocker with a visual check comprising seven green LEDs. There are four fascia vents: one either side of the steering wheel, one on the passenger side of the facia and another on the centre console above the audio unit. The powered mirror and window switches are located on the door armrests.

The column stalks follow established Honda practice but are notably short and carefully sculpted, with a crisp action. The short, stubby gear lever is cupped in a leather gaiter and topped by an aluminium gear knob with a satinised finish and inscribed gear pattern, adding to the HONDA S's air of engineering precision and mechanical solidity. On the centre console, ahead of the gear lever is the audio system with a push open security cover.

There is a vertical, lockable storage area with cubbies between the seats which takes the place of a conventional glovebox. Lifting its top lid reveals a deep bin to the rear and a shallower one to the front, while below these is another compartment accessed from the front by a bottom-hinged cover. The cover itself has an elastic strap for the retention of items such as tickets or papers, while within the cubby is the boot release button and a 12 V power outlet. A stretchy mesh pocket - suitable for storing a map or mobile phone - is located on the passenger side of the centre tunnel.

A pair of hooks is provided on the rear bulkhead behind each seat. In shaping the windscreen and proportions of the cabin, the HONDA S was subjected to extensive wind tunnel testing to ensure an exhilarating top-down experience, allowing occupants to enjoy sun and fresh air without any of the discomfort from buffeting often experienced in convertible cars. An optional transparent plastic shield approximately 12 cm tall sits between the roll hoops acting as a wind deflector, and cutting turbulence.

There's even an additional heater setting designed to encourage open top motoring when the weather turns that little bit cooler: in 'open mode', the system pumps heated air to the centre console vents above the audio unit, so warming occupants from hip to toe. While an essential element of the design philosophy for the HONDA S has been to minimise weight wherever possible, the company elected to fit an electric hood, since it considered convenience and ease of use to be overriding factors.

The mechanism weighs in at just 6 kg. The hood is retracted by releasing the two over-centre catches on the windscreen header rail and then pushing the rocker switch located on the centre console. Once unfurled, a soft hood cover can be snapped in place to protect the top. Raising the hood is simply the reverse procedure and the complete operation in either direction takes just six seconds.

The hood has a plastic rear screen. An optional hard top will be available in the near future. The fully-lined trunk is notably deep, and can, for example, hold two large soft bags. A space-saver spare tyre is stored horizontally on the right and inset into the forward boot panel, while the boot floor is recessed and is sufficient to accommodate the full-size punctured tyre and wheel. The floor of the recess, when lifted, reveals a small storage area containing the stowed jack and tools.

The ignition key has a built-in transponder, which, when removed, immobilises the engine fuel injection and ignition so the engine cannot be started. The company has an exemplary tradition in sportscars from the original S to the current NSX and a global reputation for excellence in motorsport, both in the Formula 1 World Championship - where it has taken six constructors' championships between and - and the American CART series where Honda-powered drivers have won the coveted title for the past three seasons.

As a spiritual successor to the S sports cars launched by Honda in the s and culminating in the S, it was only natural that this brand new roadster should be named the HONDA S, with the '' referring to the cubic capacity of its extraordinary engine. It's a link that extends beyond just badging, however, and a remarkably similar ethos spans the 34 years separating the two cars. Just as company founder Soichiro Honda was moved to comment that he "didn't want to build a car like everyone else's" when questioned about his radical early sportscars, so HONDA S chief engineer Shigeru Uehara and his team chose to seek new approaches to high performance sportscar design - not for the sake of being different, but to use elegant engineering solutions to produce a performance engine of the highest efficiency and boasting excellent emissions performance.

Honda had been in business 15 years and was already extremely well established as a motorcycle manufacturer when it introduced its first cars at the Tokyo Motor Show. The S and S - 'S' standing for 'sports'- were miniature sports cars with a front engine, rear-wheel drive configuration, but manufactured with a new precision. Power for the S came from an intoxicating, aluminium hemi-head cc four cylinder engine, developing 33 PS at the remarkably high speed of 9, rpm.

It also featured a roller bearing crank and twin overhead camshafts, while a Keihin carburettor for each of its four cylinders was a legacy of Honda's racing motorcycles. To ensure a particularly low bonnet line the little engine was canted over at an angle of 45 degrees.

The remarkable specification included a five speed gearbox which transmitted power to the wheels via separate chains whose oil baths formed trailing arms for the independent springing. On early models the rev counter read up to 14, rpm.

Although the S never went into full production and the cc S was made only until , they were replaced in that year with the evolutionary cc S offered in both fastback coupe and open 2-seater bodystyles. This automotive classic had independent front suspension with wishbones and torsion bars, precise rack and pinion steering and a box-section ladder frame, cross-braced chassis. The unique chain drive would later be replaced by a conventional live rear axle and the five speed gearbox by a four.

Despite a capacity of only cc, the engine generated an amazing for the time 71 PS at 8, rpm, revving safely to 10, rpm. After this foray into the sports car market, Honda for the next 10 years concentrated on establishing itself as a major global car manufacturer and developing expertise in low emissions engine technology.

The launch of the Prelude range in signalled a return to Hondas with increasingly sportier pretensions, later to be joined by the CRX which demonstrated to a wide audience the amazing flexibility and performance potential of Honda's VTEC system.

But it was the NSX which really showcased Honda's abilities. This widely-acclaimed, all-aluminium supercar brings together rewarding, yet ultimately forgiving handling and blistering performance in a stunning mid-engined package that boasts the traditional Honda attributes of reliability and good build quality. Finally, Honda's recent Type-R derivatives - the Integra and the Accord - with their high-revving, no compromise engine technology aimed at knowledgeable enthusiasts, have been a precursor to the HONDA S Just as the HONDA S is a spiritual successor to the S, so too does it encapsulate the forward, innovative thinking that has always operated within Honda and which has been the force behind the company's phenomenal motor racing success story.

That racing improves the breed has always been a deeply held belief at Honda. Soichiro Honda, a keen racing driver himself in Japan during the s and s, saw racing as a means of not just promoting sales but also as a way of stimulating creativity: moving engineers between racing projects and production cars, he reasoned, could only be to the benefit of the customer, quite apart from its morale-boosting effect on employees. That philosophy permeates throughout the company to this day and it is interesting in this regard to reflect on the background of successive Honda presidents.

Kiyoshi Kawashima, who succeeded Soichiro Honda in , was the designer of the company's first four stroke engine and laid down the racing engines for the s and s TT races; Tadashi Kume, who took over the presidency in , was responsible for the engines with which Honda entered single-seater motor racing; and Nobuhiko Kawamoto, who headed the company between and , designed and worked on the racing engines under Kume, was head mechanic for Jack Brabham's victorious Formula 2 team and played a key role in the Formula 1 programme of the s and s.

Today, Honda is justifiably regarded as one of the greats of Formula 1: Honda-powered cars have captured six consecutive world constructors' titles, five world drivers' championships, and 71 Grand Prix victories in all. The company entered the fray in August with its own chassis and engine at a time of intense competition between teams such as Ferrari, Lotus, BRM and Cooper.

The Honda RA featured a jewel-like degree V12 uniquely mounted in a transverse position ahead of the rear wheels. Another sixth place came in the Dutch Grand Prix, but it was to be the last race of the year, in Mexico, that would finally bring Honda hard-earned success.

Ginther's win signalled the first victory by a Japanese car since the dawn of grand prix racing, as well as being the final race of the 1. Honda's contender for , the RA, did not appear until late in the season.

The elegantly engineered 3 litre V12 engine, installed longitudinally, developed PS at 10, rpm, 50 PS more than its closest rivals, yet was at a weight disadvantage. There would be only one points finish, a fourth place in Mexico City. With John Surtees on board as driver, technician and strategist during , results began to improve, first with the RA, and then with the lighter RA which brought Honda its second victory, this time at Monza, with a last-lap sprint to the line in one of the most dramatic grands prix of modern times.

However, the need to devote engineering resources to the task of reducing engine emissions in production cars, led to Honda's withdrawal from Formula 1. Honda's quiet return to Formula 1 in the s gave little indication of the eventual impact the Japanese manufacturer would have in the world's most technologically advanced race series. The Formula 1 programme got off the ground with a turbocharged 1. How is that possible when the average car revs to just 6, or 7, rpm?

Jason Fenske from Engineering Explained is here with some answers. First you want to figure out why an automaker might want one of its engines to rev so high. The answer is typically for power purposes. As torque remains fairly consistent across a given powerband, horsepower will rise as the revs do. So when an engine can rev higher then it will also make more power.

Jason takes a moment in the video to delve into average piston speeds. Here you find that at a certain point, an engine speeding up doesn't have a positive effect on the power output.

The engineers discovered that they didn't need the engine spinning as quickly, and the older 2. After that, the engineering discussion moves to talk of reciprocating vs rotational mass and the induction of air. For example, Mazda was able to produce a high-revving engine for its RX-8 because the rotational mass of a rotary engine could spin more effectively than the reciprocating parts of a piston engine.

On the air front, Honda utilized VTEC to make sure its cars were breathing properly as the revs rose. The famed VTEC crossover highlights the point when the cam profile changes, thus allowing for a greater intake valve duration and more air flowing into the engine.

Finally, Jason also brings up lower revving engines. The predecessor of the S boasted an even higher, 9, RPM fuel cut-off point. Not bad for the 60s! Wankel engines are known to be rev-happy, but some versions of the RX8 are taking things to another level. With - arguably - the best sounding engine ever made, the Lexus LFA was the highest-revving V10 car sold between and The ridiculous rev limit was made possible, using forged aluminium pistons, forged titanium connecting rods, and solid titanium valves.

The lovechild of two Suzuki Hayabusa engines paired with the kg weight of the Ariel Atom resulted in something really terrifying.

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