Honda S2000 Exhaust Guide: Invidia Q300 vs Skunk2 MegaPower vs HKS Hi-Power vs Revel
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The S2000 is the best-documented car in our sound library — 34 clips, spanning 2000 to 2009, across four different cat-back systems. That's unusual for a car that went out of production in 2009, and it's useful, because almost everything written about S2000 exhausts online is fifteen years old and based on setups nobody can buy any more.
Here's what separates the four systems we have real recordings of.
Why the S2000 is a special case for drone
Most drone advice assumes you cruise at 1,800–2,200 RPM. The S2000 doesn't. Short gearing and a 9,000 RPM engine mean a highway cruise sits considerably higher than in almost anything else you'd cross-shop.
Run the standard formula — firing frequency = (RPM × cylinders) ÷ 120 — and a four-cylinder at 3,200 RPM produces about 107 Hz. That's squarely in the band where cabins amplify rather than absorb. Combine that with a small, thinly-insulated roadster body and a soft top, and you have a car that will tell you immediately whether an exhaust was designed with cruising in mind.
So do this first: drive your normal highway route, note the tach, and run the number. That's the frequency the system you buy has to deal with. It'll likely be higher than the numbers quoted in generic drone articles, and it changes which system is right for you.
Invidia Q300
The most-recorded system in our S2000 library — 14 clips, 2000 through 2009, so it covers both AP1 and AP2 cars.
It's a dual-tip design with a flat-bottom muffler and, per Drifted's S2000 exhaust guide, roughly 2.7" piping with 4" tips. That's the largest pipe diameter of the four here by a clear margin, and it's the reason the Q300 reads as the most "modern JDM" of the group — bright, hard-edged at the top end, with a lot of presence.
The flat-bottom muffler design matters practically on an S2000, which sits low. It's a shape chosen for ground clearance, not just for looks.
Reports on drone are mixed rather than uniform, and that's honest — the Q300 is a big-bore system without an elaborate cancellation strategy, so how it behaves in your car depends heavily on your cruise RPM and whether you're running the factory catalytic converter. Owners on S2KI discuss both sides of it.
Hear it: 2005 S2000 — Invidia Q300 dual-tip cat-back. We have clips from 2000 through 2009 on this system, so pick the year closest to yours.
Skunk2 MegaPower
Nine clips, 2000 through 2008. The system is a dual-canister design on 60 mm piping — about 2.36", noticeably smaller than the Q300.
Skunk2 built the MegaPower line specifically for naturally-aspirated engines that want more flow than the factory system provides, and on an F20C that's a reasonable premise — this is an engine that lives at 8,000 RPM and genuinely benefits from being unrestricted at the top.
The character is deeper and fuller than the Invidia, which follows from the smaller pipe and the twin-canister layout. Where the Q300 is bright, the MegaPower has more body to it.
It is not a quiet system, and owners consistently flag highway volume as the thing to consider. If your S2000 is a weekend car, that's a non-issue. If it's your commute, listen carefully to the low-throttle sections of the clips before you commit.
Hear it: 2005 S2000 — Skunk2 MegaPower dual-canister 60 mm.
Fitment note: this system is listed for 2000–2007 cars. AP2 owners on 2008–2009 cars should verify rather than assume.
HKS Hi-Power
Four clips — 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007 — which is fewer than the others, but this is the system worth paying attention to if drone is your main worry.
The Hi-Power runs the smallest piping of the group at around 2.3", and HKS designed it around a specific brief: a system that's subdued in normal driving and comes alive when you use the engine. Drifted's guide describes the Hi-Power as offering "the best mix of max WOT volume and minimal drone at cruising" among the S2000 options they assessed, and that matches what you hear in the clips.
That smaller pipe diameter is a deliberate choice rather than a compromise. On a high-revving naturally-aspirated 2.0, gas velocity matters and enormous pipe isn't automatically better. You're not giving up much, if anything, in the range you actually use.
This is the pick for someone who drives their S2000 a lot.
Hear it: 2005 S2000 — HKS Hi-Power.
Revel Medallion Touring-S
Seven clips, 2002 through 2007. A dual-muffler design, and the name tells you the intent — this is the touring-biased option of the four.
If the Invidia is the loud one and the HKS is the restrained one, the Revel is the one aimed at people who want the car to sound clearly aftermarket without shouting about it. It's the most civilised of the group and the one least likely to annoy you on a long drive.
Hear it: 2005 S2000 — Revel Medallion Touring-S dual muffler.
Fitment note: this system is listed for 2000–2005 cars. If you're on an AP2 from 2006 onwards, check the application before ordering.
Buying an exhaust for a twenty-year-old car
Three things that matter here and don't matter on a new car.
Your catalytic converter is doing more work than you think. A cat-back's behaviour depends entirely on what's ahead of it. An original, healthy cat is a substantial silencer. A high-flow cat, a failing cat, or a test pipe changes the sound of every system on this list, and not by a small amount. If a clip sounds different from what you end up with, this is usually why.
The hardware will fight you. Twenty-plus years of road salt or coastal air means the flange bolts and hanger rubbers are a real part of this job. Budget for new gaskets and hardware, soak everything the night before, and accept that a snapped bolt is a normal outcome rather than a disaster. This is a much easier job on a lift than on jack stands.
Availability varies. These are older systems and stock moves. Check the product page for current availability and for the exact year range before ordering, rather than relying on what a forum said in 2012.
Which one
HKS Hi-Power if you drive the car regularly and want the least drone. It's the smallest pipe, the most restrained at cruise, and the most obviously engineered around real use.
Revel Medallion Touring-S if you want a civilised note and a twin-muffler look, on a 2000–2005 car.
Skunk2 MegaPower if you want depth and volume and the car isn't your commute.
Invidia Q300 if you want the big-bore, bright, top-end-heavy JDM note and the widest year coverage of the four.
The honest answer is that all four are decent systems and the difference between them is character, not quality. Go listen. Play all four clips on the same year of car, on headphones, and one of them will sound like the car in your head.
Browse every S2000 sound clip in the gallery.
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