visser

Ok, I've had enough close calls spinning out over the last year in my SC'd 04 to be extra cautious with the rear end, but yesterday I made the mistake of forgetting how cold it was on my way to work and, with cold tires, managed to spin out enough to nail a sign.

Before I consider selling a car I love that seems to be more unforgiving in the rear than other cars (especially with extra power), is there anything I can to improve rear end traction? I've invested a lot of money in this car, I don't want to take a loss, and I'd like to make it a little safer.

Is a new wheel/tire combo enough? If so, can I get away with keeping a 17 inch diameter, going wider in the back, getting stickier and dry weather tires (I never drive in the rain), but keeping the front wheeel size the same? I recall old posts saying this could cause handling changes and issues. If so, is it tolerable for the street, or am I opening up a can of worms? If an issue, can I go wider in the front without rubbing? At this stage I'm trying to avoid suspension changes.

If this isn't enough, will a suspension change also help? I believe Honda made the 04 rear softer to help with the rear traction issue. Can more be done?

If I need a suspension change as well, should I consider 18 inch diameter wheels as well? I'm not too keen on increasing unsprung weight, although I guess a wider wheel would do the same thing. If there's a high end wheel that's lighter than stock and with a better MOL factor (I believe it's called MOL - how easy the wheel rolls based on where the mass is located) would negate the affect of the size increase, I'd consider it.

I tried the search engine but received multiple database errors, I scanned recent posts with no luck, and I looked at the FAQ's. So my apologies if this has been addressed a zillion times aleady!

glagola1

A stiffer front sway bar like the comptech or saner or gendron will make you car push like a minivan and you'll be super hard pressed to make the back step out.... I freaking hate that and I am considering putting my stock bar back on for the off-season but it would definately cure your oversteer woes.

Makes me sad you want to detune your car because you can't handle it. I guess if it helps keep my insurance down then it's good.

john hood

The S2000 does take greater driving skill than many people have to avoid losing the rear end. A stiffer front sway bar and or wider rear tires will help.

Joe in STL

I feel your pain. Now that it's cold my backend kicks around when I shift from 1st to 2nd under WOT (going in a staight line). The flip side to this is that I feel like my car is fast enough and would be scary with even more power, so I'm not tempted to spend money on a supercharger.

visser

Thanks for the compassion. I'm reeling over the damage from just a sign. Aside from denting the rear fender near the fuel outlet, the metal edge of the top part of the sign slammed down on my top, bending one of the cage bars and putting a small hole in the material.

For a year I thought I'd learned to control this car, but it's breaking point comes on very quick and is tough to control once you hit that point, and I need a car that will keep my occasional bursts in check. I'll do whatever it takes to improve the rear end to a point, but I don't want to still end up with a car where I have to worry so much about spin-outs. And saying that my driving skill is a cut above the rest because I can consistently reign in such a car is not my intent. I'm sure there's other cars with the same or better performance that are less touchy. And I know it wouldn't have happened in my buddie's S4. The problem is that I love everything else about my car and don't want to give that up. I've also done most of the work myself and have an attachment to that.

toosteeley

Sounds like you're outdriving YOUR capabilities... not the cars'.

.02

revhi

Are you still using the stock So2's? Just take it easy in the cold. You had to be throttling pretty hard to spin that much.

meth

you can get some 17" volk wheels that are 9 inches wide, several people on the board including myself have these wheels and they are also a couple lbs. lighter than stock.
you may also want to consider investing in a driving school. that helps A LOT.

peace.

visser

Thanks for the input. One day I plan to do a school and look forward to the results, but in this case it was probably more poor judgement than poor skill. Within the year I've had time to deal with most types of skids and have a pretty good feel for them. I bought the car last January and noticed right away not to push it in the cold. I just made a bone headed mistake on our first really cold day of this winter and grabbed the same amount of throttle I would've used and been able to handle on a warmer day. Stupid.

In my post I'm looking for ways to help make the car a little more manageble at it's limits, if it's possible. If it's not possible, then I'm not comfortable keeping a car that requires so much extra skill and concentration to enjoy safely (I've already got that requirement with my sport bike); we all make mistakes some time, no matter good we think we are. For the street, I'd be happier knowing something will help save my ass from something worse than nailing a sign. If it means all wheel drive or traction control, I'm not ashamed to get a car with these. If this were a track car for me, maybe I'd think differently. And if it turns out the S is the wrong car for me, I'll seriously miss it.

Yep, I've got the stock tires; 10k on them. What do most guys run for a performance tire that's stickier than stock? I don't need a rain oriented tread and I'm not worried about tire mileage.

Meth - What front wheel width are the guys running Volk wheels using?

hpark

don't push it when tires are cold