2000-2009 Honda S2000 Brake Job Guide: Symptoms, Costs and the Right Parts

By Core Brake Parts Tech Team — Circleville, OH warehouse

A Honda S2000 brake job means pads, and usually rotors, on a four-wheel disc system: vented 300 mm front rotors and solid 282 mm rear rotors. The fronts do most of the work and wear first, but the thin rear rotors have little material to spare, so check both axles every time. The job is well within reach of a careful home mechanic, and the most common mistake is reusing rotors that are already below their minimum thickness.

How the S2000 Brake System Is Laid Out

Every S2000 from 2000 to 2009 uses disc brakes at all four corners with ABS. The front axle carries larger ventilated rotors, with cooling vanes between two friction faces, gripped by single-piston sliding calipers. The rear uses smaller solid rotors with their own sliding calipers, and the parking brake works through the rear calipers rather than a separate drum. Brembo's parts catalogue lists the original front calipers as Sumitomo and the rears as Akebono on the early AP1 cars.

Those minimum thickness figures matter more than anything else on this list. The rears start at only 12 mm and are scrap at 10 mm, so there is very little metal to give. A rear rotor that has been resurfaced once is often close to the limit already. Measure with a micrometer in several spots around the face, not just at the edge where a lip forms.

Symptoms That Your S2000 Is Due for Brakes

• High-pitched squeal while braking. Replacement pads for this car come with acoustic wear indicators, a small metal tab that contacts the rotor and squeals when the friction material is nearly gone. Treat this as a warning to schedule the job soon, not a noise to live with.
• Grinding or scraping. The pad is down to the backing plate and cutting into the rotor. At that point the rotors are almost always being replaced too.
• Pulsation in the pedal or shake in the steering wheel. Usually uneven rotor thickness or pad material deposited unevenly on the rotor face. On a car that sees spirited driving or track days, heat is the usual culprit.
• Low fluid in the brake reservoir. Honda's owner's manual notes that a low level can mean worn brake pads, because the caliper pistons move outward as the pads thin and fluid fills the space behind them. It can also mean a leak, so inspect before topping up.
• A pull to one side. Often a sticking caliper slide pin or a seized piston, which also wears one pad much faster than its partner.
• A hard pedal that needs more effort than usual. That points at the power assist, not the pads. See the booster recall section below.

Front vs Rear: What Is Different on This Car

On the front, the job is a conventional sliding-caliper pad and rotor swap: remove the caliper, hang it so the hose is not stretched, remove the bracket, replace the rotor, clean and lubricate the slide pins, fit the new pads with their shims and hardware, and reassemble. Brembo lists the front pad as 135 mm wide with an anti-squeal shim, which gives you a quick way to confirm you are holding the right part before you start.

The rear takes more care because the parking brake is built into the caliper. On Honda rear calipers of this style the piston usually has to be turned back into its bore rather than pushed straight in; forcing it with a C-clamp can damage the internal parking brake mechanism. If the piston will not retract with light pressure, stop and use a caliper piston wind-back tool. After the job, check that the parking brake holds the car and adjust the cable only if the factory procedure calls for it.

The rear rotors are thin and solid, and they are cheap enough relative to the labor that replacing them with the pads is almost always the better call than machining them.

What to Replace at the Same Time

• Rotors. Replace them if they are at or near the minimum thickness in the table above, if they are scored, or if you have pedal pulsation. New pads on worn rotors bed in poorly and can bring the noise straight back. Browse brake rotors and brake pads by fitment.
• Hardware. Abutment clips, anti-rattle springs and slide pin boots harden and corrode over time on a car this age. A brake hardware kit costs little and prevents most squeaks and uneven pad wear.
• Brake fluid. Honda specifies its Heavy Duty Brake Fluid DOT 3 for the S2000, and permits only DOT 3 or DOT 4 if that is not available. DOT 5 silicone fluid is not compatible and can cause extensive damage. Replace fluid on the time interval in your maintenance schedule, and sooner if the car is tracked, because old fluid boils at a lower temperature.
• Brake hoses. Original rubber hoses on a car this age are worth inspecting for cracks and bulges. Many owners switch to braided stainless brake lines for a firmer pedal.

Pad choice depends on use. A ceramic brake pad suits a street-driven S2000: low dust, quiet, and friendly to rotors. Owners who run autocross or track days generally move to a performance compound built for higher temperatures, and should expect more dust and noise as the trade-off.

The 2006-2007 Brake Booster Recall

NHTSA campaign 13V246000 covers certain 2006 and 2007 S2000s built in 2006. The brake booster may be unable to maintain vacuum when the pedal is pressed, which reduces brake assist. The driver then needs more pedal force to stop, and stopping distance can increase. The remedy is a dealer inspection of the booster, with replacement at no cost if needed.

If you own a 2006 or 2007 S2000 and the pedal feels unusually hard, run the VIN through NHTSA's recall lookup before buying parts. Pads and rotors will not fix a booster that is losing vacuum. For cars outside the recall that need one, we carry brake boosters as well.

How Hard Is the Job, and What Drives the Cost

A front or rear pad-and-rotor job on an S2000 is a moderate DIY task with basic hand tools, a torque wrench, a jack and stands, and for the rear, a piston wind-back tool. Torque the caliper bracket bolts, caliper bolts and lug nuts to the values in the factory service manual; do not guess.

Price is driven by a few choices rather than a single number:

• Pads only vs pads and rotors. Pads alone are the least expensive job, but only valid if the rotors are above minimum thickness and smooth.
• One axle vs both. Doing front and rear together roughly doubles parts but saves a second round of setup if both are close.
• Street vs performance parts. Performance pads, slotted rotors and braided lines cost more than standard replacement parts.
• Shop labor. The rear integrated parking brake calipers take more time than the fronts, and a fluid flush adds time as well.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are the front and rear brakes the same size on the S2000?

No. The fronts are 300 mm ventilated rotors and the rears are 282 mm solid rotors, so the pads and rotors are different parts front to rear.

What is the minimum rotor thickness for a Honda S2000?

Catalogue data for the AP1 lists 23 mm minimum on the front (25 mm new) and 10 mm minimum on the rear (12 mm new). Replace any rotor at or below that figure.

What brake fluid does the S2000 use?

Honda Heavy Duty Brake Fluid DOT 3. DOT 3 or DOT 4 is acceptable if the Honda fluid is not available. Never use DOT 5.

Why won't my S2000 rear caliper piston push back in?

The rear caliper houses the parking brake mechanism, so the piston usually needs to be rotated back into the bore with a wind-back tool. Forcing it can damage the caliper.

Is my S2000 part of a brake recall?

Some 2006 and 2007 models are covered by NHTSA campaign 13V246000 for a brake booster that may not hold vacuum. Check your VIN on the NHTSA recall site or with a Honda dealer.

Should I replace pads and rotors together?

On the rear especially, yes in most cases, because the rotors start thin and have little material to machine. On the front, replace them if they are below minimum, scored, or causing pulsation.

Sources

1. Brembo Parts catalogue, Honda S2000 (AP1) - rotor diameters, new and minimum thickness, vented vs solid, pad dimensions, wear indicators, original caliper makers
2. Honda S2000 2007 Owner's Manual, brake and clutch fluid - Honda Heavy Duty Brake Fluid DOT 3, DOT 5 incompatibility, low fluid and worn pads
3. NHTSA recall 13V246000 record - 2006-2007 S2000 brake booster vacuum defect, consequence and remedy