These guys really put on a spectacular event! The next auto-x these guys do, i'm definitely going to be making it out... Just like the Vette Club, we NEED to get more S2000's showing up to these events!

Anyway, here is the video from my best run in Tavares with the Martin Sports Car Club:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fnb6my_gD-o

Enjoy!

And come out next month!!! We'll have a big S2ki meet, with food afterwards if it'll help draw out more guys to race Whattya think?

 

Funny thing is I used to go before I got my S, which was for AutoX events...

 

that was a nice run.

Did you downshift into first? or stay in 2nd the whole time?

 

Thanks!.... but heavens no Bill, it was in 2nd for the least amount of time as possible... you should know me by now with my downshifting It seems that when we are racing, and i mention downshifting to first on the course, everyone looks at me like i just tried to install a geo metro motor into a Vette or something... LoL!

I downshift into 1st on every turn that i feel it is needed... in this case, every single major turning obstacle required a downshift at one point or another (or the turn happened while i was already in 1st, like the Chicago Box and the 90-right after it), except for the slalom going into the last set of turns... I was in 2nd through it, and i downshifted into first after clearing it as i was heading into the 90-deg right.


Ready for some of my 1st gear philosophy? hahaha!


I feel that it is counterproductive to leave it in 2nd on a lot of these turns and course 'features', especially if you have the traction and throttle control to deal with the added torque multiple of being in 1st... To me, unless 2nd is NEEDED to be at speed, then it needs to be in 1st... if you leave it in 2nd, you have two big problems...

1.) You are not giving the wheels the torque that they need (via the "multiplier" of the 1st gear ratio)... you don't spin your tires as much, and it feels more "controlled", yes, but you're not spinning, because there is not enough torque to spin the tires and the car "feels" smoother, thus you think it is faster... and if they ARE spinning, that is probably because you are overdoing/overspeeding the turn to compensate for your lack of acceleration... the tires can only deal with so much at once (think "Circle of Traction")... if you are trying to go through too fast because you are trying to keep your revs up and not downshift, it can be more counter-productive than downshifting and keeping the car at a good rate of speed with good throttle control.

2.) You are operating the engine out of the powerband, and likely on the low cam... these engines have no torque, and they need revs to be happy.

So, not only are your drive wheels lacking the torque they need, the engine isn't even in its powerband anyway... so you wind up hitting the gas, and the car goes nowhere until you get to a higher speed.

If you were in 1st, yes, you may not be able to floor it as much without spinning, but the acceleration is faster, because you're on the limit of adhesion, and you can give it more gas if needed, and less gas if it is overdoing it... a nice delicate balance. In 2nd gear, you do not have this same control, because you don't have the torque.




IMHO...

 

I agree with John's post regarding the use of gears in the s2000, which have about as much torque as a garden tractor. I learned a lot from watching him run this weekend and the vid he posted. You also have to work a corner as he goes by to appreciate the precise driving at speed.

Also found this -->The next FLC autocross will be Sunday, May 25, at the Lake County Sheriff

 

[QUOTE=no-cones,May 19 2008, 08:13 PM] You also have to work a corner as he goes by to appreciate the precise driving at speed.

Also found this -->The next FLC autocross will be Sunday, May 25, at the Lake County Sheriff

 

Very interesting observation ComposiMo.

 

Absolutely, use what works for you! And I've definitely found in testing with some buddies a few years back, that in a g-circle the s2k is quicker if it is in VTEC...it's easier to control the ragged edge in VTEC than out.

As a counter point though...here are a couple of videos of two of the fastest (if not the fastest) s2k drivers in the US.

http://www.gofastvideo.com/gallery/item/pr...i-bs-s2000.html

http://www.gofastvideo.com/gallery/item/pr...t-bs-s2000.html

Looking at their style I can see why it seems unconventional to downshift so much.

 

Thanks for the comparison videos... however, i am faaaaaar too competitive of a person to watch those videos and say they are 100% perfect in what they are doing...

Sure, they are both nationally competitive drivers.. but they ARE only human, and they ARE beatable... while they are fast, yes, perhaps their lack of downshifting on a couple of turns there on those runs could have been their downfall if they were racing against a comparable driver who was running the course the same, but who was downshifting in spots that they weren't?

But really, you can't honestly sit here and say that if your car is out of its powerband, and out of vtec, that itd be better to maintain that status than to properly plan and execute a downshift in order to get the proper power out of the car... (that is not meaning downshift when you notice you don't have power... that means plan the downshift during deceleration or entry into the turn, so that you have power from the beginning)

however, maybe you can and are... if you want to, thats fine by me... i'll keep driving the way i am

It may seem unconventional, and thats fine, i'm ok with that... but i only downshift to 1st when i feel it is needed, and so far that course of action has not let me down.




Oh, and someone needs to get Ian a new camera mount.... hahahaha!

 

Oh, and before someone flames me because they think i am saying that i am a better driver than those guys, thats not really what i'm saying...

Heres some more "driving philosophy" from me... if you consider yourself a competitive individual, you have to BELIEVE and "KNOW" that if given the opportunity in comparable cars (and in some cases even uncomparable cars), that you could outrun that individual. If you can't convince yourself of that, then you will have lost the race before you ever got out there...