hey there, Just wanted to get some insight on this issue.

The Story:
Tax season is coming around, I had $100 a check put away this year = $5200.00 plus my child tax credit and regular fed tax income, I should get around $12,000....So, even though I love my Civic as a daily beater. Its time to get something fun. Im on the fence between a 03+ 350Z, 03+s2000 or maybe even a Hyundai Genesis. All of them have around the same HP and fun factor. But I'd like to stay with the Honda family.

My issue with the s200 is that i'm about 6'1- 6'2".....Is the s2000 going to be too short for a guy of my size? Hoping that anyone around my size has some feedback. Thanks in advance !

 

I am 6'2" and it is a great dd.

 

i'm 6'0" and its a little tight.

 

You should be fine.

You have 3 options:

1. If you have a friend that owns one, or can find a cool s2000 owner to let you sit and drive his, then you can see if you fit and/or like the car in terms of comfort.

2. Go test drive one.

3. Buy one right off the bat, worry about comfort later, and drive it until you get tired of it. Then sell it.

Out of the 3 choices you mentioned...the 350z is crap, the s2000 is an amazing car, and the Hyundai genesis, frankly, cant be had for 12k since they are fairly new.

Good luck with your decision.

 

I'm 6'4" 190lbs, best thing to get are lower seat rails and you should be fine, I daily drove on stock rails for 2yrs so its do able, but i take road trips so for comfort I got lower seat rails

 

ok, Im more leaning towards the s2k But im just curious why you say the 350z 's are crap.

And where can you get the lower seat rails ?

 

350z are decent cars, but they're heavy and you feel like youre driving a Brick. Plus, to me, they feel slow. The S2K is light, nimble and just as fast.

If youre looking for a Brick, I'd rather drive a F150 Lightning. You get way more power and a truck bed which is always handy.

 

Not sure where people are saying that a tall driver can get a proper seating position in a S2K even with lower seat rails. I am 6'4" with a 33,5 inseam so if anything slightly more body than legs also weigh 185 so slim which should help to fit.

First off, I LOVE the S2000 and unlike many have driven and owned very highly regarded and high priced sports GT cars including 928s, various 911s (air and water cooled), various M3s, Lotus, Nissan Zs, amongst many others owned and have driven BMWs, Ferraris, Maseratis, 959, Lambos&c&c including on track at speed. Licensed racer, certified instructor and former pro mc. All this not to boast but to state that I have driven a lot of cars and lived with them on a daily basis, know what a proper seating position is and am also tall and of average proportions.

In a proper driving position, which I have found few to have on track and very very few to have on street, the rake (seat fore/aft position) would be set such that with one's butt firmly in the juncture of the seat bottom/backrest juncture, the feet would be flat against the carpet with the heel of the foot firmly postioned in the juncture of the flat and where it angles up to the firewall, the knees forming at least a 20 degree angle or so (decidely bent is the key and nowhere near straight kneed). Also with the entire back including shoulders FRIMLY AND COMPLETELY pressing against the seat back, one's arms would at an angle when the inside of either wrist is placed at the top of the steering wheel (I prefer at least a 20 degree angle here). Both of these can be accomplished on the S2000 with or without a lowered seatrail, the issue is the next parameter:

Once the above seating position has been undertaken, then one should manipulate all the controls and mimic various driving tasks - this is where the S2000 falls woefully short for taller drivers. When undertaking any movement of the feet on the foot pedals, especially double declutching downshifts - heel and toeing - the steering wheel hits the knees AND FORCEFULLY. The interference is not minor such that a slightly less than optimal seating position will alleviate it but rather of such degree that it impacts the ability to drive the car properly in a spirited manner. Remember that my vehicle has a lowered seat rail and not the howngrown bang and fix.

There are ways around the issue:
- most just assume a bad seating position, an American tradition even amongst trained drivers unfortunately - this will bite back especially if you have to react to the snap oversteer inherent to the vehicle without toe fix. In this case they place the seat rake back nearly all the way until the legs are nnearly staright and the arms are straight out literally having their backs off the seat back in tight turns. Some even think this is sporty looking like an old fashioned formula racer.

- Another fix that I have tried and may go back to is a lower aftermarket seat. My car came with a Corbeau (absolute POS and dangerous) and it did really eliminate this issue. I may yet mount a real and safe aftermarket seat such as Cobra, Sparco or Recaro

- One can shift this car without the clutch for virtually all but standing starts and no street gearbox I have ever driven is this good - it is motorcyclelike. However, I really don't like to be forced to drive this way and can't help but wonder if it is hurting the gearbox.

- The etiology of the issue though is the misplacement of the steering wheel in regards to reach and/or angle. Mounting an aftermarket wheel with an additional accessory spacer ring would almost certainly eliminate the issue and shouldn't deletariously alter the dash mounted to wheel button reach so nice and reminiscent of the Lotus Espirit. The downside is giving up the airbag. Another alternative that I haven't worked out would be raising the dash mount for the steering column about 0,5". Had Honda provided an adjustable steering wheel this wouldn't be a problem but then again, Honda also had produced a 2700 pound raw sportscar in an era when BMW is making a 3600 pound 2 seat roadster!

So do I love the car; HELL YES. Do I wish it had more approachable ergonomics for those over 6'+, HELL YES too. All in all, I would still buy the car and work on fixing this one glaring ergonomic deficit, it IS that good inherently.

 

350/370Zs are NOT crap from my experience although I haven't owned one.

 

......should've uploaded a video of you speaking this lol that's a little too much info for the op lol I only read the first and last paragraphs LOL short and sweet

 

Yeah, you're probably right but wanted to give a substantive answer and why I was stating things instead of just spouting stuff without knowledge or rationale.

 

 

im sorry to break this to you, but 370's are junk, period

 

Alright Boots, Im not set on anything and Im a Honda guy just wanted some facts to back up the 350/370 are crap. Like they're unreliable, prone to breaking..XXXXX, etc.

 

like the brakes fail catastrophically...im sorry, but that is like a big issue in my eyes...screw a car that, from the get go had brake issues

 

im 6'1 and fit decent with the stock seats. i was comfortable but as stated b4 it was the ideal driving position when being agressive/ when i auto-xed.

now im running the buddy club rails and sparco rev seat with momo monte carlo wheel and the seating position is much better. one thing i do not like is that my hands/knuckles hit my knees when turning the wheel. im thinking about getting a smaller wheel 330-320mm and or running a quick release to extend the wheel towards me more.

get this car u ont regret it. and u can figure out a way to make urself fit if need be

 

One can also add a spacer to the juncture for the wheel and hub using longer bolts - drop me a line if you want me to source these. Have them for momo bolt patterns. A LOT less expensive than a QD if you don't need that functionality.

 

Damn dude! Do a lot of instructing and have never heard nor seen that but agree it would catagorize as sucks. Which brakes are failing, the Brembos or standard? Also how are they failing in detail? That IS scary and would like to know more. Have guys looking at these cars for track platforms and would like to warn them.

 

i believe its both brake systems that are effected...google nissan 370z brake failure and you'll find a bevy of people who have had complete brake failure on these cars....i first read about it in car and driver, then we had a 370z come into our shop with 4,000 miles on it and the rotors were toast, the pads were falling apart, and a lot of the fluid in the master cylinder had burnt off...no bueno

 

a quick brougt me to this DER Motorsports:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...ijZzKl_igfygVg

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...QBXFUMx-5YaXRA

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...n1dpe7e1yPkqCg

 

I'm 5' 8" and sometimes feel too cramped in the car. Sure its kinda cool/fun for the first month, but after that, it gets kinda annoying. Getting out of the car seems to be more annoying to me though. But its all part of owning an S.

 

5'8 is complaining, wtf.

 

Not to pooh pooh the failures because even stock stuff shouldn't fail like this. One of the big things we focus on is brakes after suspension. If the vehicle comes with single floating calipres and is fast and especially if heavy too, we really push for the owner to get a BBK (4 piston horizontally opposed&c&c) QUALITY kit from Brembo or StopTech as they seem to make the best affordable BBks that really work well. If the owner is fortuante enough that vehicle came OEM with 4 piston+ calipres, then we focus on minimum of ss lines and pads for how they are using the vehicle and if tracking floating rotors. I know T2 rules are tight but can't imagine anybody using OEM pads and not changing fluid - regularly if tracking especially. Sounds like his pads were either crap or he bedded improperly. Can state for sure that wherever they have a pad that fits a calipre, the Performance Frictions are the best we have used and that's coming from a former Pagid diehard guy. Guess I am not ready to throw the baby out with the bathwater on this one - now if hardlines were splitting or the m/c failing, even though they can easily be replaced with better stuff, that is another thing - but he states they weren't.

By the way, you are aware that the S2000 if used hard will literally burn out the rear brakes? There is a kit that includes upgraded 2 piece vented rotors in stock and large sizes to fix this, use oem rear calipre and thus preserve park brake. But OEM rear is nonvented and actually borders on dangerous for hard track usage especially in deep south summer track days with talented driver.

Yeah though that sucks but so easily remedied,that particularly if known wouldn't prevent my buying one and setting it up right. My biggest issue with the vehicle is that the high beltline makes me feel claustrophobic and that nixes it in my mind. Yes I know our cars suck for blindspots with the top up....

 

lol i know, and its not like i'm a fatass or anything (150lbs).

But to be honest it feels cramped up in the S especially during winter wearing two heavy coats. And I have long monkey arms so when I shift, I gotta bend my arms like a T-rex.

As for getting in and out, it might not be as much of an issue on a with stock height, but lowered 2"s is like doing a situp every time you get out. Which isn't too terrible, but I just can't jump out.

 

^ are you a monkey? did you get out of the secret compartment?