I find it amusing that many have assumed that this is a "softer" car - if anything, the route that Honda seems to have taken is the boxster S route, that is, trying to develop a car which handles ROADS well, as well as, the TRACK.

The current s2000 is prone to rear bump steer, no ifs about it. It can be driven very quickly, but very much on the edge. The boxster S on the other hand, can be driven quickly w/o having to go to the ragged edge, and in fact, the advantage gained by going that extra 1/10th in the boxster is far less than that in the s2000.

One key point i note in the material is that the new set up has been designed to reduce bumpsteer - This is GOOD - as well, the wider tires, which are hopefully custom OEM rubber, will help roadholding. Without having seen the car, I think that the Honda strategy is to develop an MY04 which WILL be quicker than the previous cars, on the track (prob marginally so) and on the road (prob significantly so), albeit, at the "compromise" that drivers may not feel that they are going as quick as the car will not need to be worked as hard, or driven on the edge.

my 2c -
ps: I personally think the jdm market will be interesting - seemingly, that honda may have left room for a "type r" - i would imagine that this type r if ever emerging, will be very extreme, and expensive, in order to differentiate from the "stock" my04.

 

Just the tire/wheel changes would have required suspension changes, and likely the alignment specs are also changing. The stiffer, less compliant sidewall would have caused more bump sensitivity in mid-corner, as the vertical acceleration of the wheel would change, and the slightly greater weight (guessed) would require better damping, likely more stiff damping on the upstroke.

The stiffened tranny and diff are not "softened", and a more compliant suspension is in no way incompatible with outstanding handling. I read one analysis of the Z vs S2K that said the Z was better most of the time, the S2000 at the limits. So if they have made the car more compliant, and quicker, and retained its handling prowess, is that not a net win all around?

I think all this boo-hooing about a pussymobile is just crap - I think Honda knows what it is doing. I hope so, mine will be here in about 4 weeks or so.

 

I was one of those who had heard this and assumed it to be true. If you think about it all the magazine articles one complaint was about the rough ride, personally I know this is a sports car and love to feel the road but we may be the minority, I don't know! If they soften up the car to try to reach a broader set of people maybe that would have been a understandable strategic move by Honda. Personally everything I here now has put away my concerns. I look forward to buying the car!

 

It is easy to speculate when you are given limited information. I knew what was on the RX-8, 350Z, G35Cpe long before the expected release date. Honda likes to wait till right before a release to share some tidbit of info. While you think it's crap I set in my 01 Prelude and believe it is crap that Honda dropped it for a 6sp Accord. My wife drives a V6 Accord Cpe but it is no Prelude. It is a very softened up compared to the Lude. We all love this car, but change can be a scary thing when you are talking about something you can't believe can be made better. Hell, if they put an integrated hard boot that lifts up and covers the top when down I would have thought the last year model would have been perfect.

I think they did a nice job and I will also be purchasing one this year even though I only have 11k miles on my Prelude!

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by STL
Are you reading that from a real brochure or from here:
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.php?...threadid=150221 ?

 

You don't need a rock hard set up to go fast round bends.
Hard suspension is not always better. The setup on my Impreza Turbo(2.5 RS to US) was softer, but it smoothed out bumps better and really gripped the road well, on par with the S at least.
Rockhard set ups are not compliant and only suited to a smooth track, not the place we drive the most.

Harder is not better

 

Thanks for the correction guys.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Station
The new brochure says the shocks, springs, and stabilizer bars are all revised for better road-holding in corners and improved ride comfort at any speed.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by ITR #203

 

Click on each scan to display the high-resolution copy

[QUOTE]Originally posted by STL
Are you reading that from a real brochure or from here:
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.php?...threadid=150221 ?