i have a 00 s2000 and ive just ordered Koni yellow. I will be going to summit point a couple of times this year and i just dont know what GC spring rates to get. I drive the car daily so i dont want anything to stiff but i also want to be able to get somthing more out of it then just a normal "coilover" if anyone can give me some good ideas or what spring rate to get it would be awesome.

stock shocks and skunk2 springs

 

i believe they are 400-350 range, i can't give you an exact number tho'

call them up

 

i went with 400F/450R, lowest setting and it rides just like stock.

 

i just called them up today and he told me that 440 front 360 rear were going to be good for me. he told me that fronts need to be stiffer then the rears. i dont knwo man i kinda feel like i should have do that now.. what should i do

 

if you run the stock '00 sway bars, I think you need at least 25% more spring in front than rear. 440/360 is a good choice. What's your wheel/tire setup?

 

on a RWD car, you always want a larger front sway and stiffer spring rates up front too.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Curiouz_G &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">on a RWD car, you always want a larger front sway and stiffer spring rates up front too. </TD></TR></TABLE>

always? I wouldn't say always, unless you want to increase understeer

 

okay cool thanks alot for everyones comments. I have rpf1s with Potenza RE-01R
with 12/32s tire life for a $1000. the wheels had about 5k miles one them though. i love those wheels i know there kinda played out be every day i see them it just make me so happy inside

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by chimmike &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

always? I wouldn't say always, unless you want to increase understeer</TD></TR></TABLE>

i would say always just because you want the car to be neutral IMO. a RWD has a nature to oversteer when pushed to the limit so adding some understeer to it will keep it more neutral and controllable when in corners

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Curiouz_G &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

i would say always just because you want the car to be neutral IMO. a RWD has a nature to oversteer when pushed to the limit so adding some understeer to it will keep it more neutral and controllable when in corners </TD></TR></TABLE>

There are many factors that contribute to oversteer or understeer. Many RWD cars understeer (the E46 M3 stands out in my experience), and the S2000 is very prone to oversteer because of the suspension geometry and setup. The 00-01 AP1 was the loosest, having the softest front bar and spring, along with the stiffest rear bar and springs (25% stiffer in the rear than front). The rear toe control links are also prone to bump-steer (reduced in the AP2). Changing that ratio goes along way in reducing the amount of talent needed to drive an S2000 fast.

 

how is it reducing the amount of talent needed to drive an s2000 fast? you already stated all the flaws that the s2000 comes with in the factory so why not mod it so it lessens those flaws?

from what i gather, your basically saying correcting the flaws = loss in talent in driving. IMO talent can only go so far. without proper equipment and experience, you cant get too far on talent alone but thats just my opinion.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Curiouz_G &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">how is it reducing the amount of talent needed to drive an s2000 fast? you already stated all the flaws that the s2000 comes with in the factory so why not mod it so it lessens those flaws?

from what i gather, your basically saying correcting the flaws = loss in talent in driving. IMO talent can only go so far. without proper equipment and experience, you cant get too far on talent alone but thats just my opinion. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Making the car easier to drive fast reduces the amount of talent needed to go quickly. Having more forgiving handling allows less skilled drivers to approach the limits and turn quicker lap times. A skilled driver can handle the looser car and use it to his advantage and be brutally fast. But most drivers can't do that, and will be slower in a twitchy car.

Personally, I would not call the S2000's handling flawed, only challenging (very challenging). I like the stock setup, but it's just not easy to drive fast. Given my own skill level, I got faster when I changed the roll-stiffness bias to the front end. With my limited abilities, reducing the oversteer dropped my lap times.

 

I wouldn't say the tendency to oversteer the S2k is a flaw. Matter of fact, I think it helps the car rotate better. Understeering from factory should only be for FWD cars!

 

i understand where your coming from but i dont think you understand where im coming from. there isnt a set talent level when it comes to driving so sometimes things have to change to "level out" the driving field.

 

QUOTE=Curiouz_G]i understand where your coming from but i dont think you understand where im coming from. there isnt a set talent level when it comes to driving so sometimes things have to change to "level out" the driving field.[/QUOTE]

if you correct the flaws you get improvement, and if you have have a high skill level you can decrease lap times... if you can drive excellent and you have a car with awesome characteristics then you can do even better... there is no getting around this.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Cidone &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">okay cool thanks alot for everyones comments. I have rpf1s with Potenza RE-01R
with 12/32s tire life for a $1000. the wheels had about 5k miles one them though. i love those wheels i know there kinda played out be every day i see them it just make me so happy inside</TD></TR></TABLE>

RE01Rs shouldn't come molded at 12/32'' of tread depth. 12/32'' is like an SUV type tread depth. That's huge. Usually, high performance tires come at about 9/32'' new.

I would have gone with a more even spring rate front to rear. The KWs on my car have a 9k/9k setup and it's really nice. Oversteer can be cured with other things...including driving style. You have to be careful, but I think that with an oversteer ready setup, you can go faster (as long as it's not ridiculous oversteer).

The alignment settings on AP1s call for 6mm total toe or 3mm per side. That prevents over steer.

Winding the wheel in and out slower will prevent oversteer.

Taking turns a bit more shallow will prevent over steer.

In my experience, there are cars that you have to take a line at the track with to INDUCE over steer to get to a "sweet spot".

If you run a proper line, an 00-01 S2000 with stock bars, and equal rate front and rear springs will get you right in the "sweet spot".

It's just a different driving method. Everyone seems to think that the 00-01 car is an untameable beast.

I think that the 00-01 models with a competent driver have the ability to go faster than the more conservative models aimed at keeping fools out of ditches.

The setup I have would take some getting used to...and it looks "dangerous" on paper. But I absolutely love it and feel safe pushing the car. I'm still running a staggered setup 225/45/17 on a 7.5'' wheel up front and a 255/40/17 on a 9'' wheel out back. I think that the setup I have works very well with the tire sizes.

Overall setup is also another way to make your car have the attitude you want it to have. You can't just say that as a general statement, an 00-01 model with even spring rates and stock bars will oversteer beyond control. It depends on your alignment, tire choices, etc. etc.

I will say that as a general statement, you have to adapt to the way the car drives. Adjust your line, adjust your steering wheel input speed, throttle input points, braking points, etc.

Either way, I'll still just end up out running you anyway.