regarding the car not starting - when this happens you need to take the keys entirely out of the car, wait a few seconds and then put them back in, if that doesn't work, you need to pull the ECU fuse (in the FAQs).

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by SoloVR6
[B]





I will say this, the car is very twichy at the limit, it demands smooth inputs (throttle, brakes, steering) and if you are not paying strict attention she will bite you.

 

Dang, I hate to read things like

> if you are not paying strict attention she will bite you.

> if you drive with respect for the laws of physics, you will likely be just fine.

Our abilities are only so good and we all make mistakes. No matter how respectful or attentive you are, if you are a performance driver, incipient spin situations are inevitable.

Next time you are in a room with some friends ask everyone to raise their hand if they think they are a good driver. Then ask everyone to raise their hand if they have been involved in a car accident. I bet almost everyone will have raised their hand twice.

Accidents can happen no matter how careful and skilled you are.

I suggest if you want to drive aggressively you should get some driver training. I think the expense is worthwhile - you will enjoy being faster all of the time and the first incident avoided will pay for the training.

 

I have to admit that it's 99% my fault , it's not the car,tire or etc.
I think if I wouldn't have given any more gas on the curve(already
2nd gear 7900rpm)I would have been ok because this road is not
new to me I take it at least twice a week . The temprature was
also about 46 degrees colder then usual.

 

Didn't anyone else here notice Fastlane has a supercharger? Could the sudden surge of power in mid-corner have caused the spin?

 

Can't VTEC cutting in mid-corner have exactly the same effect??

I have always worried about this.... it seems it would be quite possible to get into a situation where you are either going to go into VTEC mid-corner or you are going to have to ease off the throttle mid-corner.... either thing could induce instability at the time you least need it!!

 

I'd say going into VTEC mid corner is more likely than the supercharger. I think the supercharger exaagerates the power curve but I don't think it introduces any extreme peaks or valleys in the curve. In any case it's very important to make sure you're in the right gear in a corner so that you don't drift into or out of VTEC during the corner.

 

After hearing so many crash stories of late, it seems evident that the only consistent factor is these stories is that the car caught the driver out. Sure, you have road and tyre temps., VTEC transition, driver induced error, traction variances but only one factor is constant... "The car SUDDENLY snapped around".

As was mentioned in a few posts about the S2000's sudden lack of feedback beyond 9/10ths, it is really easy to get caught out as there is no gradual transition to the "point of no return". I haven't driven one myself personally so I cannot comment from experience, only from observation of your testimonies. I have always had interest in this car but the suspension settings seem to be a tad on the twitchy side for us mere mortals. Apparently Honda are addressing this issue for the 2002 model it will be interesting to see if this characteristic is changed at all. This is currently number 1 on my Next Car list but it seems a little scary now...

 

Remember, we're all arguing subtleties here. The people who think the car is perfect have recast the arguments of the people who don't (as thinking it is dangerous) to make us sound ridiculous.

December Sport Compact Car (in the US) talks about how some road (not race) tires are great up to 10/10s but lack feedback at the limit. This might be the explanation for our collective (different) experiences.

The beauty of the S2000 is that the rear tires will be gone in 6000 miles. When they go, try AVS Sports (or another HP tire) in 245/45-16 and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

But you shouldn't let the fact that many of us test the limits of the car (and sometimes lose) prevent you from buying one.

 

Reading these threads, I sometimes wonder if I own the same car. Twitchy? Unpredictable? No warning before spinning? Dangerous?!?! Why haven't I seen these traits in 6 track days and over 1,000 miles of aggressive mountain driving?

1) The driver was doing 65 on a 25mph curve. Whether everyone wants to say that the speed rating is meaningless or not, we are talking about high speeds on a tight curve. One, single piece of gravel could be enough to break the car loose.

2) The driver said that is was 46 degrees cooler than normal. This makes me question whether the tires had a chance to warm up.

Every thread like this quotes autocrossers as saying that the car is unpredictable at the limit. Fine, I respect Jason and his opinions...but what does that have to do with driving on public streets? Do you expect to be able to treat city streets like an autocross track? (How about animals, oil, other cars, and debris on the road?) If you aren't treating the public streets like an autocross track, then why bring up how the car reacts in 10/10 autocross situations?

I can understand people who plainly hate the S02s. They don't want 'ultra-performance' tires, they wanted generic all-weather tires. I just don't understand how all of these situations (racing on wet streets, running into the back of pickups, hitting curbs when doing bootlegger turns, attempting 90 degree turns at 55mph, etc) can be blamed on the car.