i have noticed throughout the forums, members always say, i wont let a non s2000 driver drive my car, or i wont let a non s2000 driver learn on my car, etc.etc. thats understandable. this question may be simple or complicated.

how do you drive the s2000? is it any different from any other 6 speed HC motor?

i have picked up a few minor tips like keeping the motor around 3K rpms while driving to create less load on the motor.
also the car handles amazingly and that many FWD/AWD techniques do not apply (DUH)

as for anything else about actually driving, i want to know exactly how you drive this car.
i have put about 1000 miles on my girlfriends s2000, mostly gentle, some spirited.
she has put 20,000 on it since she got it last year, mostly spirited, some gentle miles.
haha.


just give me a basic run down about what i should be doing or any more tips.

im looking to pick my own s2000 up around spring, maybe winter if i get a deal. and i want it to be babied except when i track it.
thanks. sorry if the question turned into a life story.

 

Can't answer for everyone but for me, the biggest issue would be having the car surprise a new driver that isn't used to it. The longer you hang around the forums, the more stories that you'll see about drivers losing control and the end result is usually bad. Sometimes really bad. And that's on dry pavement. If its raining, things can get out of hand like right now. Although +/- 230hp stock doesn't sound like a lot, its pretty easy to find trouble. You are wise to take it easy. Learn the car. Better yet, try your hand at auto-crossing. Not much bad can happen when you lose control in a wide-open parking lot.

 

agreed, i was more referring to tactics which differ from an s2000 to say a miata.... or some other small RWD sporty car.

im a detailer by trade so i have driven everything from a miata to a lotus espirit to an aston martin DB9

i have had a decent bit of experience driving RWD AWD and FWD cars of all makes and models, but i was thinking the comments referred to special needs of the s2000 to perform at optimum quality.

 

OK, gotcha. Well, sounds like you already found one of the keys - keeping the rpms up. 3k is ok, between 4k & 5k is better, that way vtec is always close by. On curves, you can turn in much later, as the brakes are good, just keep the revs up. You can't power thru curves like you can with cars w/more low-end grunt. Once the tail starts to come around, bad things will follow as its very difficult to steer the back with the throttle.

 

i was talking 3k for normal driving, obviously four or five would be very helpful if i were to need six at some point

whenever i get my s i already have plans to upgrade the brakes in the front and rear as well as intake/exhaust/header. as i feel the brakes could be a little bit better in some situations, and i think more linear gains could be had with a better air flow.

 

The s2k handles very much like a mid engine car...which makes sense because the weight distribution is 49%/51%. The engine is a good bit behind the front "axle" center line.

The car can exhibit snap oversteer in the wrong hands, ie, it starts to step out, you correct, and suddenly you're spinning in the opposite direction. It also suffers from drop throttle oversteer...if you don't know how to keep in the power and countersteer you can easily end up ass backwards. The AP1 also suffers from rear bumpsteer (actually it is called roll steer if it at the rear, but few would know that term).

As far as mods...the brakes are outstanding with the right pads. If you don't want aggressive pads, one of the easiest brake upgrades is to use the MY06 Accord Coupe V6 MT front brakes. They are bolt-on Honda and increase pad area about 40%.

Save your money on the header. Only if you spend over $1000 on a decent header will you get anything, and even then it's not much.

 

Can anyone expound on this? I regularly cruise at around 2.5k rpm on city roads to save gas. Should I be in fourth instead of fifth at city speeds? Am I bogging the engine?

 

not bogging, but with a high compression motor like the s2 it is better for the motor if you need to push the pedal a little harder, lower rpms in such a high revving motor create a "load" on the motor making it work harder.


think of it like this.... 10K rpm s2000 sitting at 3000 is like a 6k revving honda sitting at 2000. its roughly one third the total rpms. with your s2000 sitting at 2500, the rpms are at 1/4 versus 1/3 which makes the motor work proportionally harder up hills and cruising.

 

The #1 mistake s2000 drivers make is letting off the throttle or Shifting during a corner. Doing this will guarantee you a spot backwards into a tree

Watch the in-car video of this spin out. You'll notice he shifts during a hard corner.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld_u0dUp2DA [/media]&feature=player_embedded

The S2000 is a very neutral handling car. When you are going through a corner you must be on the throttle a little bit. This applys force through the rear wheels and maintains balance. If you let off the throttle for a shift you will release that pressure on the rear tires shifting the weight forward, then comes the shift. Since you've already moved the weight bias forward a bit, if your shift even has the slightest bit of catch or jerk which forces the rear tires to speed up/down suddenly you'll loose traction on the rear and around you go.


So rule of thumb for s2k n00bs: NO hard braking during a corner. NO shifting during a corner (ie chirping the tires shifts), and Stay on the throttle during a corner.

 

He wasnt only shifting bu the wanted to shift from 3rd into 4th but went into 2nd