The AP2s are much more forgiving when it comes to mis-shift over-rev (this came from Billman so I believe it).

I had a 70+ year old instructor (ex-British racer) for one of my first track days with an organization that likes the instructors to do a couple of laps driving your car and showing the line. The old guy down shifted to 2nd instead of 4th. That was the first over-rev. I had a couple more leading up to my AP1 engine failure 2 1/2 years later.

The harder you push the more likely you are to miss a down shift. Running time trials forced me to push hard a lot.

The pisser is that I was going to do a valve retainer replacement the week after the engine blew due to a retainer failure/dropped valve.

 

Never understood why car companies from the factory don't have a nanny system in there that knows engine rpm and knows vehicle speed and blocks gears that would overrev the engine. It seems like a would be fairly simple to design from the factory. I had a student recently with a 2010 911 GT3 that on track would stuff it in the wrong gear at least once a lap and over rev it. The guy I bought my S2000 from (several motors ago) said at least once a race he'd stick it in the wrong gear. I since putting the motor in have done it twice but caught it before letting the clutch out. I gernaded my M3 about 10 years ago for finding 2nd instead of 4th.
Talk to spec miata guys, they do it ALL the time. But the miata's don't blow up. They can take tons of RPM.
Yes it's an issue, but drive an american car. Like a Corvette for instance, it's not an issue in those. The big metallic gear box makes it a lot easier. I was half tempted on my S2000 to do a Tremec transmission with the K motor just to solve the gear box issues.

 

Over-rev a motor go home and order new $100 worth intake valves. It would be worth the worrying of dropping a valve. I just wish thier was a was to see the max rpm the motor has been reved.

On my mustang back in my drag days you could press a sequence of buttons on the dash and it would display all kinds of ob2 stuff. I haven't heard of the s2000 having this feature.

 

Sounds like I need to "stop sucking" and "learn how to drive"....

 

I recently mis-shifted during an HPDE and hurt my valvetrain to the point where the car will not maintain it's idle. I was hoping to upshift from the top of third into fourth gear, and found second instead.
I've done (what I consider) a fair amount of laps, and previous to this instance, every time I've managed to get the car in the wrong gear, I've been able to feel the RPM's climb in that horrible way they can, and stopped my release and re-applied clutch, no harm done. This time, I had just caught and passed a friend of mine who is usually faster than I, and I was closing in on another friend. First session of the day and I was "on one". I began the session as Dr. Jekyll, and by lap three, I was Mr. Hyde. My little devil horns were poking through the lining of my helmet, my grin was ear to ear, and... Zing! I never released throttle. I was 100% committed. I had to pick my foot back up off the dead pedal to re-apply the clutch.

In retrospect, I allowed the wrong attitude behind the wheel, I had no business speedshifting, had I been in a relaxed logical and contemplative frame of mind I would have a couple grand more in my bank account today.
It's important as a driver to be conscious of your demeanor, and to control it, because missing shifts isn't all Mr. Hyde can do to ruin your day, He makes unsafe passes, has frequent offs, and a third thing too that really adds closure to this cool story.

See you all in the paddock,
Dylan

 

My AP1 stood up to a lot of over-revs on downshifts, including several mis-shifts, over a nearly two year period, and just kept running and running, until a massive mis-shift over-rev entering Turn 1 from the 1/2 mile front straightaway at Willow Springs big track, and that one blew the motor. $h!t happens on a racetrack.

 

You were one of the "veterans" I was talking about - Mike Tsay (or Tsai?), robrob, and also Mrsideways... that makes 4. I've done it more on upshifting than down shifting. I've upshifted from 2nd to 5th (no harm - except my syncros) and from 3rd to 2nd (those one's I've felt and mostly caught and re-applied the clutch).

 

I've done it a few times as well. I just replaced my motor (for other reasons), but had a bent valve, probably due to a missed shift.

My best advice is just to slow it down a little. You don't really gain any time by banging through gears as fast as you can. Be smooth.