01 S2000 or 02 S2000?
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 1,607
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From: Santa Clara
This is an educated guess as the nature of the "rattling" or "growling" sound we all hear in our S2000's.
Our cars have Torsen differentials, which are uncommon in passenger vehicles. Most of us have probably never driven another vehicle which had a Torsen. To make the Torsen diff a mangeable size, it uses a few spur gears (which are the toothy round gears most people think of when you use the word 'gear'). All transmissions make use of helical gears to minimize noise, or "chatter," which is a common affliction of spur gear systems.
There are two "modes" in which your differential (and the rest of your powertrain) can be operating: either the engine is pushing the wheels, or the wheels are pushing the engine. The latter is often called "compression braking" or "engine braking" and occurs anytime the vehicle is in gear without the engine receiving more than idle fuel flow. Simply put, the wheels are pushing the engine, and some of the energy is lost to the engine's act of compression -- therefore your Stook slows down.
Right at the "border" between acceleration and engine braking is a spot where the gears in your transmission and differential are "slack" -- the engine is not pushing the wheels, and the wheels are not pushing the engine. The two are simply turning at roughly the same speed. When the spur gears in the differential are slack, they can move about somewhat freely, and the growling you hear from the rear of the vehicle is nothing more than these gears chattering against each other.
The noise by itself, while "odd-sounding" to those used to front-wheel drive transaxle-equipped cars, is not at all an indication of a problem. If you don't like the noise, just make sure you're either accelerating or engine braking all the time.
(Once again, this is my educated guess -- I am not a certified automotive engineer, and I could be wrong!)
- Warren
Our cars have Torsen differentials, which are uncommon in passenger vehicles. Most of us have probably never driven another vehicle which had a Torsen. To make the Torsen diff a mangeable size, it uses a few spur gears (which are the toothy round gears most people think of when you use the word 'gear'). All transmissions make use of helical gears to minimize noise, or "chatter," which is a common affliction of spur gear systems.
There are two "modes" in which your differential (and the rest of your powertrain) can be operating: either the engine is pushing the wheels, or the wheels are pushing the engine. The latter is often called "compression braking" or "engine braking" and occurs anytime the vehicle is in gear without the engine receiving more than idle fuel flow. Simply put, the wheels are pushing the engine, and some of the energy is lost to the engine's act of compression -- therefore your Stook slows down.
Right at the "border" between acceleration and engine braking is a spot where the gears in your transmission and differential are "slack" -- the engine is not pushing the wheels, and the wheels are not pushing the engine. The two are simply turning at roughly the same speed. When the spur gears in the differential are slack, they can move about somewhat freely, and the growling you hear from the rear of the vehicle is nothing more than these gears chattering against each other.
The noise by itself, while "odd-sounding" to those used to front-wheel drive transaxle-equipped cars, is not at all an indication of a problem. If you don't like the noise, just make sure you're either accelerating or engine braking all the time.
(Once again, this is my educated guess -- I am not a certified automotive engineer, and I could be wrong!)
- Warren
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 3,004
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From: Bowie
Don't let the DC winter fool you... I picked up my stook in Nov '99. Drove home with the top down and the heater full blast. 
I started checking the weather everyday. Except for a few snow flurry days and a snow followed by two weeks of sub-freezing temps, I got in a lot of driving time. January and Febuary were the least driven months.
Warning!!!! Don't drive it in the snow unless you get snow tires!!!
I started checking the weather everyday. Except for a few snow flurry days and a snow followed by two weeks of sub-freezing temps, I got in a lot of driving time. January and Febuary were the least driven months. Warning!!!! Don't drive it in the snow unless you get snow tires!!!
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 3,004
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From: Bowie
[QUOTE]Originally posted by chroot
[B]This is an educated guess as the nature of the "rattling" or "growling" sound we all hear in our S2000's.
Our cars have Torsen differentials, which are uncommon in passenger vehicles.
[B]This is an educated guess as the nature of the "rattling" or "growling" sound we all hear in our S2000's.
Our cars have Torsen differentials, which are uncommon in passenger vehicles.
Registered User
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,805
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From: Columbus, OH
Originally posted by S2000FaNaTiC
I went to my dealership today and they new nothing about the 2002 S2000. They did however have three 2001 S2000's in though. They had a white one with red int., a black on black, and a silver with red int.
I went to my dealership today and they new nothing about the 2002 S2000. They did however have three 2001 S2000's in though. They had a white one with red int., a black on black, and a silver with red int.
I actually had one dealer tell me that they weren't making an S2000 for the 2002 model year. Then, when I asked about the color chart and he went to check, he came back, showed me the new colors for 2002, and proceeded to declare that they would be reducing production numbers yet again for 2002. Odd how he could not even know they were making a MY2002 one minute and the next minute he knows exactly how many they are making...
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 3,303
Likes: 23
From: Calgary
As an added point about dealers and salespeople:
In my overall buying experience with the S2K, I have found that dealers become very ignorant, and stuborn regarding this vehicle. Yes, it is a great car, which is why I have painstakingly wasted two weeks of my time trying to find one. But lets face it folks...I can walk into my Mercedes Dealer, and test drive a 500SL today with no questions. My Porsche Dealer has allowed me to do the same with a 911. The Honda dealers here in Calgary beg to differ. I'm tired of dealers trying to "qualify" me as a serious buyer, and cherging me upwards of $2000 even for a darn test drive. I'm tired of all the misinformation provided to me by the dealers, and if it wasn't for this forum, I may never have purchased the car.
Sorry for the long windedness; I just had to vent about the ridicule behind my whole buying experience.
Cheers
Asif
In my overall buying experience with the S2K, I have found that dealers become very ignorant, and stuborn regarding this vehicle. Yes, it is a great car, which is why I have painstakingly wasted two weeks of my time trying to find one. But lets face it folks...I can walk into my Mercedes Dealer, and test drive a 500SL today with no questions. My Porsche Dealer has allowed me to do the same with a 911. The Honda dealers here in Calgary beg to differ. I'm tired of dealers trying to "qualify" me as a serious buyer, and cherging me upwards of $2000 even for a darn test drive. I'm tired of all the misinformation provided to me by the dealers, and if it wasn't for this forum, I may never have purchased the car.
Sorry for the long windedness; I just had to vent about the ridicule behind my whole buying experience.
Cheers
Asif
