Steven622

I've found the rear end of the factory S2000 to be a handful without getting a replacement toe bar and some softer sways in the back. It reminds me of driving a mid engine car in how much it wants to wiggle.

radiantm3

I really love it. Makes the car feel so much more alive through the corners. Though mine is an AP2. I heard the AP1's were a bit trickier.

JamesD89

That video of you whipping around Sonoma is awesome

CosmosMpower

That post was mine. There are lots of good reasons to go from an E92 M3 to an S2000. The M3 weighs almost 1000 lbs more (Don't go by brochure specs. You'll be surprised when you put one on the scales). It has tons of electronics that like to fail because of the heat at the track. I've gone through so many control modules and sensors and my motor failed as well. Look up E92 M3 bearings. There have been quite a lot of failed motors on stock cars and modded, and with low to high miles. It's also a car that isn't very challenging to drive fast. It's very easy to drive. The S2000 makes you a better driver. And a properly setup S2000 is very competitive with an M3. It's also a lot more fun to drive whether you compare them stock vs stock or modded vs modded.

I had my M3 for 5 years and put 70k miles on it and almost 40 track days. And my track times (sonoma, laguna, thunderhill) in that car were faster than like 99% of other NA E9x M3 drivers. To the average driver, the M3 will definitely feel like a much better car. It's fast and makes you look and feel like a good driver. And in most ways it is a far better car. I mean MSRP is 57k for a base model. But when you get down to which car is truly a better driver's car in the mountains or at the track, I think the S2000 truly wins. The car just feels so much more alive and raw. Push it to the limits and the car just feels better and better. The M3 makes a much better daily driver/road car. Just one of those cars that does everything pretty damn well. But I don't have a commute and I wanted a car that I could drive on the street, but really be fantastic at the track and the S2000 just does it for me.

I'm getting a Cayman GT4 sometime this spring/summer so it will be interesting to see how that car compares to the S2K as they are more similar in focus.
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I currently own a E90 M3 and also often track my friend's very setup E92 M3. Also a former S2000 owner and have track experience in both platforms. An AP2 S2000 with 255 square tires is super easy to drive on track, it has no power and you can't overcome the rear wheels if you're too aggressive coming out of corners like the E9X M3. If you have a poorly setup AP1 it can be a handful but that's different.

There's no way a E9X M3 weighs 1,000 pounds more. An AP2 S2000 with mild track prep is mid 2700 pounds if not closer to 2,800 and a E92 M3 with a carbon roof and a 6MT is not 3,750+ pounds.

To give you some reference on TX tracks, a few pretty well setup and well driven S2000's run 2:43-2:45 at Circuit of the Americas. A similar setup E92 M3 runs 2:30 (both on street tires). That's a huge difference. Even your Laguna times show a pretty big gap still.

Bet you when your GT4 arrives you'll forget all about the S2000. It will have the power of the M3 and the weight/agility of the S2000.
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My Laguna time isn't a good example. I had just switched to the 255 square setup and was relearning the car. I know someone running 1:42 at Laguna seca in an s2000 with street tires and no aero. COTA is a big track with lots of straights so I can see the times growing further apart, but with a 15 second difference I think the s2k drivers just aren't very fast in the first place. If you are bored going through a corner in the s2k, you just aren't entering the corner fast enough and carrying enough speed. Slow in, fast out is very boring in the s2k. You need to be fast in and fast out which is very intimidating, but rewards with much faster lap times. I'm totally able to throttle steer the s2000 with 255's in the rear. Sure, not like the M3, but you also have to be more careful in the s2k. The M3's rear end is very easy to handle.

I know it sounds like I'm saying the s2k is just as quick as an m3, but I'm not trying to. Im just saying it has the potential to be setup and driven fast enough to be not far off. Most E9x guys at the track are fairly slow compared to what the car is capable of. The limits are just so much higher. You won't see much faster times until the prices keep going down and the fast e36/46 guys move to the e92 for a track car. Regardless, the s2000 is an amazing car that can holds its own against much higher hp cars when setup right with a good driver.
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The S2000 drivers are good drivers, they are way slower in the straights and a bit slower in the corners (T2-T9 Esses, T16-T18 carousel). COTA really only has 2 big straights, between T20 and T1 and T11 and T12 with a small straight at T10 and T11. I wouldn't call it a "power" track. For example a 250 hp Radical SR3 that only tops out at 135 mph on the longest straight runs sub 2:20, a similar time as a Corvette ZR1 on slicks which tops out at 165+ mph on the longest straight.

S2000's are fun but overall the limits are lower and the car just isn't as fast. It's much easier to deal with as a track car with lower consumables and better reliability, I'll certainly agree with you on that. It just depends what your priorities are.

importluva

Exodus is extreme. There have been a few converts but not an exodus. I would guess many have moved to the F80/82, merc, or Porsche.

Bullwings

True, not like the local "exodus" the STI experienced back in 2010.

That year, I knew of 6 local SoCal GR-STI track regulars dump their STIs for an S2k - myself included.

radiantm3

I don't see the point of switching from an M3 to an S2K if you don't spend a lot of time at the track. Someone who switches to a "slower" car generally wants to push him/herself as a driver. The M3 is a better daily driver and its a damn good car at the track too. But you'll learn so much more in the S2000.

Personally, I'd much rather be known for my driving skill over the cars that I own. I don't care about the brand or status of cars. I only care about what engages me more as a driver. So switching from the M3 to this car just made perfect sense. I've spent enough time at the track to realize that most guys are slow in the corners and use HP to make up for lost time on the straightaways. The S2K can only be fast in the corners so it forces you to work hard there to get good lap times.

I have another friend who also got pretty fast in his E90/92 M3 and then got rid of it for an S2000 as well. And quite a few other E9x M3 owners have picked up E36/46 M3's as track cars for the same reasons, but I still think the S2000 is a better car because it's lighter and far more reliable.

omarisramo

If you wanted a different car, 15 mustang GT (at the minimum)

If you really want to keep your S, I'd boost it.

davidc1

Track "look", but most people that put that kind of money into cosmetic mods don't track them. Too expensive to fix. No offense intended OP.

If you are looking for luxury, coolness and fast acceleration (not the S2k), then the ISF is great.

The M3 is a good handling car for street and track, but be prepared for $$$$ repairs and maintenance.