Since I'm just getting my feet wet with my 1st real sports car. The varibles can be over whelming. Its nice to know what is expected and what is frowned upon. Sprited for you guys might be terrifying for me if I have not been at those speeds to develope the skills and experience to know what the car will do. I guess my best bet would be to drive with one or two other guys/gals to develop the right pace.

 

i bought my car with the s/c on it so i REALLY had to learn how the car drives. learn to trust it but also know it's limits.

i learned the most by just driving my car around back road twisties for hours at a time. eventhough night can be a little scary on back roads i enjoyed it b/c all i had to worry about was animals, i could see car lights coming way in advance and it would give me time to slow down.

just drive it, the curvy the road the better. i have not even driven the car to it's limits yet, i have a feeling i will really realize things i didn't know before about my car when i go to Fall Colors. just enjoy, be safe always, and know that you can really trust your S more than you think (at this point) good luck

 

I've found that you can sort of test the limits of the car on highway offramps that you're very familiar with, under dry conditions of course.

Try taking the turn at speed X, and then accelerate slightly through the turn (1-3mph more by the end). Then next time try it a little faster. At a certain point you'll hear the tires make a little bit of noise. That's right about the limit you want to be at - you can technically go a little faster but there's no reason to risk the danger of losing control of the car. You will feel the most difference in the steering when the tires are at the limit.

Getting used to the limits of the car this way helped me judge how fast I could take the turns during the drive - I have all-season tires on mine but I knew its limits so I knew about how fast I could take each turn.

I've generally found that you can take most highway offramps with the S at about 20mph over the posted suggested speed with the S-02s. But work up to it, and never do it on a ramp that you're on for the first time

You may also wanna try finding a big parking lot or something and seeing how your car handles when the tires do end up squealing... though really, nothing beats a day at the track with an instructor. (Come to FC05!)

 

Just make sure not to try it at 35 MPH. We've had some Mid-Atlantic owners try that with some pretty tragic results.

- Jeremy (jnn4v)

 

If you want to learn and test the limits of your car, take your car AutoX'ing. Don't be afraid of running poor times or embarassing yourself by running over cones ... Especially at the CDC AutoX's that TubeDriver posts up here all the time ... its not a competition at all, its VERY laid back and there are a lot of people there who can really drive their cars and offer up some good pointers.

I'm definitely not the best driver there, in fact I'm usually the slowest S2000 driver there ... but people are always nice and friendly, and I've definitely learned A LOT about my car from doing AutoX. You think that cuz you're only going 30-40mph that you won't push the limits of your car, but believe me you will!

In my opinion, its one of the safest ways to test the limits of your car. At the track, you're still going well over 60mph, sometimes over 100 and its possible to do damage to your car while you're on the track ... In a parking lot its safer, not to mention you're the only car on the course usually with CDC.

In any case, I wouldn't try testing the limits of my car on the street. Too many things can go wrong ... Keep testing the limits to some sort of controlled situation like the track or AutoXing.

 

definitely a whole lot safer

 

I am really hoping to attend FC so I can safely see what this car can do. I noticed the tires never squealed once on our 8/21 drive. Not even on 211. As an experienced (not old but grey) driver, that tells me when this car breaks loose in a corner, it will be coming around. My own experience is that in this situation, the only saving maneuver is to downshift and floor it. This normally powers a car through the turn. I am not too sure that will work with this car.

It definitely is not something I want to try on a public road. As an old biker, I have experienced gravel where you least expect it.

Drive fun, but safely.

 

Please come to an autocross or track event.... Sept. 3rd in Frederick would be a good one

 

Deb,
Thank you for the kind words.

I think that George and I agree eye to eye on this point: There is a time and a place for everything. The time to see how fast one can go is at a track day. The time to enjoy your S2000, and work on your driving skills at safe speeds. that are conducive to learning and paying attention to what you are doing, and what makes these drives fun is not just the camaraderie but the learning experience for less experienced drivers for those that pay attention are a partly what these drives are about.

Both of us always subscribe to using the "two second rule" on the street (three seconds in slick conditions). Remember, at 60 MPH one is traveling at 88 feet per second.*

At moderate speeds, it gives the less experienced driver time to follow the leader** and pay attention. It is is a time for discovery: To learn about the proper "line" (yes, even on a two lane road). About how to use the brakes and/or throttle to adjust the weight distribution of your S2000 to serve you well by "setting" ones suspension to fit the circumstances and not make the car "unbalanced". Practice heel/toe braking and shifting, etc. **

Both George and I have a substantial amount of experience on both two and four wheels both on and off the track. There is no place better than the track to learn the limits of the S2000 (and perhaps your own) to make you a safer driver on the street.

* Please feel free to PM me if you have a question about traveling 17.6 Ft in 1/5th of a second before the average person has time to react.

** Please feel free to PM me if you have any questions about any of these terms or techniques.

Drive safe and be responsible.