It's been over two decades since Honda introduced the venerable K-series engine family across global platforms, and today it's more popular than ever - and not just for the Honda crowd. Highly regarded for its compact packaging, solid factory power and reliability, and its eagerness to multiply power output when given a taste of boost, the 2.0L and 2.4L have made their way into all sorts of chassis.

Dig around on YouTube and you'll find K-swaps in Italian sportscars, various Porsche, pick-ups, even domestic cars known for their V8 hearts. Bolt-in swap kits and a never-ending list of supporting parts to make the process simple have only increased the cross-platform affair's popularity and the aftermarket continues to churn out new goods.

Skunk2 Racing, a group that's been involved in Honda (and other select makes) performance parts since the mid-90s, was one of the first to step into K-series performance development and continually introduces new parts to the market. Look through any of our past Honda-related feature cars and there's a damn good chance the build has at least a few Skunk2 parts.

Recently, Skunk2 unveiled the world's first K-series valve cover produced in ultra-lightweight magnesium alloy. And yes, some manufacturers have used magnesium for their valve covers, including some BMW and modern sport bikes, for example, but this is the first for the K-series family from the aftermarket. You've also seen billet aluminum and factory-style replacement covers for the K-family, but Skunk2's designers aimed at offering something more universal.

You probably wouldn't look to your valve cover when trying to drop weight from your build, but being that magnesium is over 30% lighter than aluminum and Skunk2's cover, produced using a low pressure die casting formed in a precision steel mold, shaves four pounds when compared to Honda's original 6.7-pound valve cover. The billet aluminum options available are a bit heavier than stock at seven pounds, while Skunk2's magnesium version weighs just 2.7 pounds.

With the OEM-style and billet valve covers you get pre-drilled and tapped ports for a catch can system without the need to weld, which is a plus. However, that OEM-style is, well, OEM, which is bulky and quite a bit taller than it needs to be. The billet aluminum covers offer a lower profile but some lack an oil cap, and all disregard a dipstick being that they're intended for full race status. Owners of street cars or cars that pull double duty are going to want to check their fluid levels and that was taken into consideration when the S2 cover was designed.

Offering the lowest profile of any K-series valve cover available, the Skunk2 version runs extremely close to the timing chain assembly upper portion, then levels out across the rest of the cover. The rounded front edge is interrupted by a pair of pronounced pillars that house -10AN ports and plugs are included if you're not running a catch can. Skunk offers actual fittings with mesh filter inserts separately, as well. And if you noticed the intricately crafted rectangles on the front and back, those are a nod to Honda's previous valve covers, being that a similar design has accompanied several of their road and race vehicles over the years in one way or another (it's a nice touch).

The box that the Skunk2 cover arrives in feels almost empty. Dig in and pull out the stuffing and bags of hardware, and the cover itself feels entirely too light. Rigid and very dry to the touch, it doesn't quite register that this is a functional cover - it's just too light.

Flip it over and along the side you'll find an OEM-style -8AN port if you want to run a vent line to your intake. This is the included bolt-in baffle which holds this stainless mesh filter in place.

Attached from the inside, the mesh filter sits behind the included barb fitting. Also included with the kit are the dipstick, oil cap, and low-profile hardware so all you need is a factory gasket kit and it's ready for install.

(Note: Skunk2 valve covers are available in raw finish currently. I shipped this cover out for powder coating for a wrinkle black finish before install and yes, adding paint or a coating will add a few ounces of weight - this project car is extremely light already)

Here you can see the difference in height between the Skunk2 cover and a factory Honda K20 cover.

A look at the transmission side of each cover side by side.

And the timing side of the covers facing one another.

Like the OEM cover, six bolts are used to hold it in place, though they need to be shuffled a bit for the install. Rather than using three bolts in the front, two in the rear, and one near the center of the timing chain, the Skunk2 cover spreads them out evenly, giving a symmetrical look and freeing up that extra space on the timing side for a lower profile.

Remove the factory mounting bolts with their threaded ends and swap them with the Skunk2 supplied hardware to line up with the valve cover's layout.

Skunk's hardware features a threaded top to receive the included hardware. These need to be torqued to 16 lb-ft.

This low-profile mounting hardware incorporates a rubber o-ring on the bottom and flush Allen head bolts to keep the look seamless.

These get torqued to 40 in-lb. You can opt to use factory hardware if you'd like to keep the original Honda mounting hardware though you'll still need to shuffle their positioning to match the new cover, and you'll need to purchase OEM part number 666-05-0400.

Matching hardware is also included for securing the coil packs.

My previous valve cover used a pair of welded bungs to attach these -10AN lines and I added a set of fittings to continue using the same catch can set up with the new S2 cover.

My OEM valve cover, which tops a K24/K20 combo set for maximum oil pan clearance, required slight trimming of my shock tower bar's lower gusset to avoid contact. The Skunk2 valve cover, however, is over an inch shorter and would not have required any modification to the bar. This is important for owners of cars like the 4th gen. Civic and CRX who often struggle with hood clearance, especially with 2.4L applications.

Just about every Honda K-swap owner would appreciate the additional hood clearance that this low profile valve cover offers, and who doesn't want to shed a few extra pounds? Skunk2 designed something that both street and track cars can benefit from, and they included all the bits and pieces to make it a simple affair with no need to buy anything other than a factory gasket kit.

More importantly, the price tag is more than half of what a billet version costs.