REVS 9K

Guys:

I am located in Rochester, NY. Thinking of getting an S and selling my 01 lude. I cannot afford a beater as I am also paying for wife's car. Anyone here uses the S as a daily driver ... all year round? I need some perspective from people in this area asap. My lude handles great on snow and ices with snow tires. Does the S do the same? Would the ragtop be
hurt with snow and ice? Specifically looking for commuting 60 miles /day to
work and would be garage kept at home.

Thanks!

Bass

there are quite a few threads where people drive their S year long

you just need a set of Blizzaks and you'll need to remeber it's a rear wheel drive car.. I drove my 01 last year and it was fine

Testut

I drive my S year 'round and have since 2001. You'll need a set of dedicated snow tires, as the S-02s are pretty pathetic when the temperatures drop. I can't say that the S is the best winter car I've driven, but it's not bad considering the lack of ground clearance and the relatively light weight. I would advise that you buy the hard top, though, unless you keep the car under a roof. If you want a real voice of experience, the person with the most winter driving time is XViper from Calgary, Alberta. He drives his S year 'round under conditions far more severe than what we get in Upstate NY.

Triple-H

Well that's what we are here for...


Testut said it very well. He is a year round S driver along with Daveg27 and jguerdat in our area. Dave (Xviper) is however the man when it comes to running an S in the winter, and I say that because of all the mods he has made to his car.

Extra S2000 wheels can often be found for good deals on the forum and this would be a good way to go for the extra winter tires.

Good luck with your decision, and let us know how else we might be able to help.

NoTorq

I drove mine through 2 winters and it was just fine. With the snow tires of course. I'll have a winter car from now on though so when you do decide to get an S and you need some snow tires I'll sell you my 6000 mile Pilot Alpin snow tires really cheap. They've got lots of life left in them and they are excellent winter tires. The S with these tires was better in the snow than any FWD car I've ever had.

xviper

Since my name has been brought up here, let me give you this link to look at a bunch of S2000s playing in the snow:
http://forums.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.p...threadid=156779
Also, if you search my username and "winter" or "snow", I've posted lots about the whole experience, the do's and don'ts.
Also, please feel free to ask any specific questions either here or to PM me. I'd be more than happy to be brutally honest with you.
I must admit that I sometimes have more fun with this car in the snow than I do in summer. But be not misled, this car can bite ya if you don't take the time to learn its special nuances when driving in "pig snot".

HondaS2000Tuner

I came here just about an year ago from Maryland. Fortunately I brought a beater up here to see if the weather and situation would hold up. Well...the winter is bad here...really really bad. So bad that my winter tires blew one time on the road. Also I've found out that auto theft and vendalism rate is the highest here in Rochester. My car was egged, keyed, and was left with smashed windows and mirror already and I've only been here less than year. If your gonna drive a S than my suggestion is to keep it garaged and drive it for those weekend days to have fun.

Tuner

jguerdat

A counterpoint:

I've lived in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Iowa and NY. Each has its own brand of weather and crime and is at least partly locale-specific. Living in Va. Beach gave me a distaste for tourists, hurricanes and winters with 40 degree rains. Iowa had tornadoes and far too much corn. Pennsylvania hasn't figured out how to plow roads to this day. Rochester is far from perfect - the winters, while relatively mild compared to the Tug Hill plateau, wears thin, especially with limited sunshine.

Crime runs rampant anywhere. Living away from mass crowds of college students and other crazies has left my S and Mercedes unscathed. We don't have a garage and even with some undesireable folks living down the street from us, inviting their undesireable friends to visit, I have yet to be attacked. A few years ago, someone went on a spree through the neighborhood taking things from cars and trucks - the S wasn't touched. A quick humorous synopsis can be had by listening to Jimmy Buffett's "Fruitcakes" - there's something for everyone.

Any place you live has issues. It's what you want out of any area that makes it good or bad. My Virginia (as opposed to virgin) wife has even come over to wanting to stay in Rochester after retirement.

In any event, no matter where you go, there you are. Make the best of it.