Innovative Mounts S2000 Rear Differential Mount Kit

Every high-mileage S2000 eventually develops the same rear-end personality: a clunk on and off throttle, wheel hop the moment you launch on anything sticky, and shifts that feel vaguer than an AP chassis has any right to feel. That's the factory diff bushings dying. The differential walks around on collapsed rubber, and everything downstream of it, driveshaft, axles, shift feel, pays for it. This Innovative kit locks the diff back down, in your choice of steel or billet aluminum construction with three urethane stiffnesses.

What It Is and Why It Works

The kit replaces the factory rear differential mounts on any 2000-2009 S2000 with the stock F-series engine and manual transmission, four mounts per Innovative, as a direct bolt-in with no cutting or modification. The steel version reuses your OEM hardware; the billet aluminum version comes with hardware included and trades a few pounds for a machined finish under the car. Both use Innovative's No-Tear polyurethane bushings, and both do the same fundamental job: where thirty-year-old rubber let the diff rotate and translate under load, solid urethane holds it in one place, so the axles load evenly, launches hook instead of hopping, and the shifter stops feeling like it's connected to something on casters.

Be honest with yourself about the noise, because diff mounts are the one bushing upgrade an S2000 driver hears the most. The differential is bolted almost directly beneath your ear, and firm urethane transmits gear noise and driveline vibration into the cabin that the factory rubber used to swallow. Innovative says plainly that you may notice vibration, and on a diff mount that means audible gear whine on the highway, more of it with every durometer step. The 75A is the street pick, rated in Innovative's range structure for builds up to around 400 horsepower, and it's the right call for any S2000 that spends most of its life on public roads. The 85A suits dual-duty track cars in the 400 to 500 horsepower range, and the 95A is for race cars and 500-plus builds where diff location under load is worth any amount of cabin noise. If you daily the car and want the quietest possible fix, our Hasport diff mount kit for this chassis offers a softer street durometer than anything in this lineup, and we're happy to talk you into the right one either way.

Specs

Available Options

Fitment

Designed around the stock F-series engine and manual transmission, and since the diff mounts live at the rear subframe, boosted F-series cars are covered too; this kit is rated well past any bolt-on or forced-induction street build. If you're running a full engine swap, check the driveline specifics with us before ordering.

What to Know Before You Buy

The standing Innovative rule applies: no returns or exchanges once mounts are bolted down and show bolt impressions, so confirm fitment and test-fit before torquing. Innovative recommends professional installation, and on this job the diff needs supporting while the mounts are out, so plan for a jack under the housing even in a driveway install. Do it once and do it all: if your diff bushings are gone at this mileage, the engine mounts usually aren't far behind, and Innovative makes the matching engine mount kit for this chassis. Expect a tighter, more mechanical-feeling rear end and some new gear noise from day one. That's the trade, it's permanent, and for a car you actually drive hard, it's the right one.