eg9_fann

iv been looking to buy an s2000 and been reading the reviews.i like the car.but iv heard alot about them being 'tail happy' and 'randomly spinning out'.

plus id be gettin an ap1,lol..the 'worse' 1.

iv been looking at videos of people losing them on youtube and its all pretty scary.

im a pretty good driver...im 24 but have ALOT with FWD cars and pushing em to their limits,but not track experience.(but still im a very quick learner)

i understand rwd mid engined is totally different.i understand the 'physics' of it all but i wanted to ask people on the forum what they think?

the videos on youtube are all different, some people drive the car like its fwd...but this is what i know about driving the car.....

-you cant down shift too hard,alot of power, could spin out...ive seen people on youtube down shift then there back end over powers and spins out...then they write 'oh it was a random spin out'......!!?

- lift off....iv seen people go around bends in vtec then lift off causing 'random tail spin',lol.

-obviously wet/damp/cold weather makes for less grip.

-oversteer....people over correct a slight tail jump then forget to re-correct it to stop the 'pendulum effect'...? which is obviously inevitable if you throw your car the opposite way too hard to avoid a tail spin.

but then iv seen a few videos which wernt from inside the car and seen guys lose it on long bends..like just spin out in the middle of a busy road while trying to 'drag race' a mustang around a long bend.

i dont know if thats down to driver error...its basically going straight really fast in second gear and spinning out

the thing is you never know what kind of person is writing all these reviews in terms of driving experience...young lads who are fortunate enough to buy an s2000 but not fortunate enough to understand the s2000.?

but then again iv seen 'race drivers' videos on youtube have 'random spin outs' but after analyzing the video from the in car cameras you see alot of them down shifting on the bends...

i think people get lucky alot with the car, and then think its 'safe' to do abit more but what theyre doing wrong from the beginning has a limit and when that limits reached they get spins outs and say 'oh that was unexpected'...!?

i have a younger brother who will also be driving the car, im worried about him coz hes not experienced but then again hes manner of driving isnt as 'intense' as mine.

i like driving in high revs...but scared that what i do in my EG9 FWD i wont be able to do in a s2 as easily ..everyday driving i generally travel fast, accelerate on straights, and take bends quicker than 30mph.i realise even 40-50mph is alot in a rwd if it isnt on a track.

but basically im asking does this car have 'random spin outs'? i know the car doesnt respond well to mistakes made by the people driving em...

i dont wanna buy 1 then wreck it or kill myself..or my brother...there was a person who recently died in our area in 1 of these cars...from stationary he powered into a 90degree turn..span out, and hit a lamp-post(pole) side ways which hit his door and crushed in all the way to the centre console crushing him with him.(god bless his soul)

this is a serious decision for me..i live in england and we get alot of wet/cold/damp weather here too and it wil be a daily driver.

i just cant find a honda thats as nice as the s2000 from inside...as well as the big 'vtec'. and iv never driven 1 of these cars...

any comments?

-

eg9_fann

***i dont think i want to spend 5-6k building/turbo-'ing' my eg9 and then hate the interior and the rest of the car lol.does any 1 else have that syndrome of when you buy a car after a few months of it being the cleanest car you'v had you start seeing all these little niggles with the car..ie faded door rubbers, dirty interior even though its clean etc etc lol ??

Tokyosmash!

I honestly think if you're this worried about losing control of an S2 you just need to stay away from RWD cars.

As for how valid some of your points are, i'll just say that the S2000 is one of the easiest cars to drive fast that I have ever driven and when it gets away from you its real easy to reign back in.

eg9_fann

i think i need 2 go test drive 1.il be going this week or next.its not that im really scared...its just i know myself too well and will probs end up pushing the car to its limits on the streets which isnt a safe place to spin out...especially in the uk...our roads are 'how can you be in control if your not out of control?'
much smaller and traffic runs closely together....i like hondas...but to be honest there interiors r just *****,lol....with the exception of this car....

its just the stupid reviews that have got me 'worried'.

FogDarts

The car just doesn't randomly spin out. It doesn't drive itself. The main thing to remember is that you must do all of your braking and downshifting before entering a turn. Not terribly difficult; you should be doing this anyway. The trick with the AP1 is that there is no TC or other safety net to save your bacon if you get it wrong. If this concept seems too difficult or risky, get a Subaru or an Evo instead, where you can do whatever you like and the car will save your *** every time you screw up.

I have an STi and an AP1. There is definitely a different attitude required going from one car to the other. Even with front and rear sways on the Subie, I'd take the handling performance of the S2K hands down on dry, clean roads. But you have to respect the limits and know that the car will not save you if you f it up..

eg9_fann

i agree with you 100%.what my mate was telling me was that we live in england and its always wet here so i wouldn't get to enjoy the car on dry roads often.

i was talking so some other idiot a while ago who said his brother had an ap1..and that they were cruising along some A-roads and it had random tail spin.

i think the concept is too hard for me to handle...there will be 1 day where im tired and make a mistake...so il be opting for an evo..or sticking with my eg lol.(damn)

mister x

There was a time when almost all cars were RWD (along with skinny tires and soft suspensions) and society got through that era fine. Drive legally and with some good sense and you'll survive too.

bigmacnfries

i like my cars twitchy..

RED_90TEG

i think u talk to much

pd0019

i too had ALL fwd cars before getting an s2k. all i can say is learn to drive the car first and dont push it immidiately, it is MUCH different from fwd hondas. probably took me a week or so to feel confident to take turns the way i did with my civic and previous fwd cars. but once you get used to it...it handles beautifully and you'll really like it.

the car is tail happy only in rain or if you hit a wet spot while accelerating and turning. i have experienced the rear randomly kick out while going straight once and that was in heavy rain, but it is very easy to regain control of the car. one thing about this car ('00) is that i have to drive A LOT slower in the rain than i did in my civic and other cars. i didnt mind driving in the rain in my civic, but now i try to avoid driving in rain with my s2k.

riceball777

S2K easiest car to drive fast?? have you ever driven a evo? Now thats a easy car to drive fast.
s2000's are amazing handeling cars but they are by far not the easiest cars to drive fast. S2000's take a great driver to get good lap times. Where as evo/subies any newb can drive them fast and get great times

winglessevo

I spun out completely by accident at least once or twice a month in the three years I owned an AP1. But... I suck at driving light RWD cars. Now I has Evo to smash corners into submission no matter how bad a line I pick. I still want an AP1 dedicated track car, classic in slow out fast guys can be wickedly fast.

alex eg hatch

iTrader: (46)

I think they are more fun to drive,but you just got to be careful in rain

HdeucedeuceA

Coming from a Prelude backround, which understeer like every other FWD car, my AP1 deffinently oversteers. I took it easy like any RWD noob should and slowly eased my cornering speeds up untill the rear end slightly got loose in the corners. Now that I know the limits, it's night and day better than the Prelude. I'm taking corners 3mph faster than the Prelude and the rear tires are shot. I'm going to have to relearn the car after I get my rear tires here soon.

The one thing you need to be worried about is the snap over steer. Dangerous stuff if handled wrong.

vsm_EJ6

the snap oversteer is prob. from throttle lift. Basically if you have the car at its limits, the position you have the throttle is where it stays. When you lift your foot you're upsetting the balance of the car.. during a throttle lift the rear will spin out on you.

Those of you in a FWD car.. ever notice how if you're going through a turn and you throttle lift you'll feel the car get less traction and pull to the outside of the turn? Its the same thing in the s2000.. just not as forgiving, and the rear comes around.

If anything happens in the car its driver error. The speed you're at is the speed you're at if you're driving the car aggressive. That simple. Obviously daily driving the car you can break mid-turn, throttle lift, etc..

soldiaboy

problem you have is all these kids who previously owned fwd cars think they know it all digging the car with the vsa off

S2KILLA

you obviously have read the wrong information my friend... the car isnt some wild beast that spins out of control for no reason... its a RWD car with 240hp... get real... its not FWD so the handling will take a little bit to get used to... just dont drive like an ******* and i think youll be ok... but you wont know until you actually do so...

vsm_EJ6

Exactly. One of two things happen..

1.)I'm in a racecar attitude -- jump into a turn way too hott, panic, throttle lift and spin.
2.)Don't realize the cars capabilities -- think theyre too fast, panic, throttle lift and spin

Those who understand how the car drives will understand that its not "snap oversteer". If they spin out they'll tell you why they spun out, not that it happened out of the blue!

If the backend starts coming out from going too fast it will be more easy to control and correct than to lift off. Don't throw the car in the other direction because when you gain traction you'll be headed into that direction.. then you'll end up going the otherway as well. If you feel the backend coming out, point the car to where you want it to go and leave it there..

S2KILLA

^^^ and whatever you do, do not slam on your brakes when the rear breaks free... you will lose all control at this point...

SirStig

It isn't really that bad if you learn how to drive it first. I got through snow storms around FWD and AWD trucks. The correct tires are a huge help too.

Totally serious about this, buy the car, then take it to a drift event. Just buy a cheap set of rubber and burn them off while learning what your car feels like to let the rear end break loose. Try it with a clutch kick, power over and weight shifting (feint) the car. Your hands and feet will learn what to do when the rear oversteers.

I have done this and tons more confident on the road and at the track. This way you can learn the correct throttle input and steering angle you need to pull out of a spin safely. Plus you have fun while learning :D

EJAYATE

The snap steer in my ap1 is violent. Just don't lift throttle when you start to slide. I bashed my head into the window a few times before it took effect.

winglessevo

9 times out of 10 whilst attemting drifting I turned the wipers on with my flailing noob steering.

FA5ED8

I used to own a 350z and have driven many s2000's (ap1's and ap2's) and compared to my z car an s2k handles like a fwd car, I never felt like it was twitchy or that it wanted to oversteer, however my z would kick the backend out going around a corner with absolutley no throttle input so I am a little biased. However if given the opportunity again I would take an s2k in a heartbeat

vtec95

****, my S got away from me on the test drive and i scared the hell out of the dealer! I was trying to make a light and it slid a bit and i corrected it...You have to get use to it. The S is my first rwd car. Take it easy and use caution and you should be fine!

Mrwilliams

[QUOTE=vsm_EJ6;42219743]

Those who understand how the car drives will understand that its not "snap oversteer". If they spin out they'll tell you why they spun out, not that it happened out of the blue!
QUOTE]


^^this, i own an 00' ap1, i can speak from experience. i only ever encounterd "span oversteer" when i first got the S, and did not understand the way to handle a RWD car, but some seat time, and a little common sense, you'll be okay