Is this a death trap in the rain or what????
Registered User
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 748
Likes: 0
From: Orange County
It was me, that posted about the turbulance from a truck pushing the car across the lane on the highway in the rain.
When that happened I was doing approx 60mph and my tires had very little tread on them. I was un aware of the short tread life on the tires and didn't realize they were that low.
The car needs to be handled with respect in the rain.
When that happened I was doing approx 60mph and my tires had very little tread on them. I was un aware of the short tread life on the tires and didn't realize they were that low.
The car needs to be handled with respect in the rain.
Administrator
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 20,274
Likes: 4
From: Toronto, Canada
Anyone who has tracked the S2000 in the rain with stock tires will tell you 1 thing:
This car and the tires ROCK in the rain!
Anyone who's taken a offramp at 90MPH in the rain or driven through a 3" deep puddle at 100 while balancing a Big Mac in one hand will tell you one thing:
This car and/or the tires SUCK in the rain!
You be the judge.
This car and the tires ROCK in the rain!
Anyone who's taken a offramp at 90MPH in the rain or driven through a 3" deep puddle at 100 while balancing a Big Mac in one hand will tell you one thing:
This car and/or the tires SUCK in the rain!
You be the judge.
Registered User
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 2,068
Likes: 0
Originally posted by cthree
If you reduce your speed 25% in the wet you'll have no problems.
This car and the tires ROCK in the rain!
If you reduce your speed 25% in the wet you'll have no problems.
This car and the tires ROCK in the rain!
Reducing the speed by 25% on a higway is not safe, unless you can convince every other car on the road to slow down with you. Even traffic in the slow lane does not slow down by 25% in the rain.
If a car has to slow down to 45-50 mph in a 65 zone because it's raining, how does it "ROCK in the rain!"?
Former Sponsor
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 7,049
Likes: 1
From: Timonium
The idea that this car is trouble in the rain is a bad rumour foisted on us by bad drivers. 20-plus cars drove the PA/MD border run in a torrential downpour last month -- over some of the most challening roads you can imagine -- with not a single problem (and we drove very aggressively). Why? We had 20 plus very good drivers, who know how to handle the car.
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 79
Likes: 0
From: Newcastle
The secret is to be gentle with the throttle. Do not press or leave the throttle abruptly.
Many people say not to VTEC in the rain. Sure, it is better to avoid it, but VTEC is not the primary problem. The problem is RPM's. If you let the gas off at high RPM's the engine deceleration is more abrupt and the rear can lose traction. Acceleration, even to 9000 RPM's is not a problem in the wet, as soon as it is progressive (not flooring the gas, but step on it just gently) and you do not let off the gas suddenly. However, I would not recommend it, since it requires experience and practice.
So, in the wet:
1) Be gentle and progressive with the throttle, both when you press on it and when you release.
2) Avoid high RPM's. The lower the better. I would stay below 5000.
3) Have reasonable tyre tread.
4) Read the road and adjust your speed. Not all the roads provide the same traction when wet. Even the same road provides different traction when wet in the summer, the winter or the spring and the autumn.
If you do that, I guarantee you will never have any problem.
You see the problem is not the car. It is the way you drive it. If I give you a small hatchback with 50 bhp, it will not be safer in the wet because it is a safer car, but because you would drive it like a grandmother. But when you have a sports car, you have to know how to drive it.
Now if you want to put your kids in your S2000 or you cannot be bothered being careful, then go and buy an all-wheel-drive car with traction control.
The problem with the S2000 is that it is in the hands of many people who have no experience of sports cars. And that is why there is so much discussion about its behaviour in the wet. There are other cars (eg TVR) which are 10 times more dangerous in the wet for the inexperienced driver, since they are RWD, they have more than 300 bhp, no traction cotrol, and no ABS. However nobody makes too much fuss about them. They just recognise them as purebred sports driving machines with no driver aids.
Many people say not to VTEC in the rain. Sure, it is better to avoid it, but VTEC is not the primary problem. The problem is RPM's. If you let the gas off at high RPM's the engine deceleration is more abrupt and the rear can lose traction. Acceleration, even to 9000 RPM's is not a problem in the wet, as soon as it is progressive (not flooring the gas, but step on it just gently) and you do not let off the gas suddenly. However, I would not recommend it, since it requires experience and practice.
So, in the wet:
1) Be gentle and progressive with the throttle, both when you press on it and when you release.
2) Avoid high RPM's. The lower the better. I would stay below 5000.
3) Have reasonable tyre tread.
4) Read the road and adjust your speed. Not all the roads provide the same traction when wet. Even the same road provides different traction when wet in the summer, the winter or the spring and the autumn.
If you do that, I guarantee you will never have any problem.
You see the problem is not the car. It is the way you drive it. If I give you a small hatchback with 50 bhp, it will not be safer in the wet because it is a safer car, but because you would drive it like a grandmother. But when you have a sports car, you have to know how to drive it.
Now if you want to put your kids in your S2000 or you cannot be bothered being careful, then go and buy an all-wheel-drive car with traction control.
The problem with the S2000 is that it is in the hands of many people who have no experience of sports cars. And that is why there is so much discussion about its behaviour in the wet. There are other cars (eg TVR) which are 10 times more dangerous in the wet for the inexperienced driver, since they are RWD, they have more than 300 bhp, no traction cotrol, and no ABS. However nobody makes too much fuss about them. They just recognise them as purebred sports driving machines with no driver aids.
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 203
Likes: 1
From: Fayetteville
Originally posted by F2000
The secret is to be gentle with the throttle. Do not press or leave the throttle abruptly.
Many people say not to VTEC in the rain. Sure, it is better to avoid it, but VTEC is not the primary problem. The problem is RPM's. If you let the gas off at high RPM's the engine deceleration is more abrupt and the rear can lose traction. Acceleration, even to 9000 RPM's is not a problem in the wet, as soon as it is progressive (not flooring the gas, but step on it just gently) and you do not let off the gas suddenly. However, I would not recommend it, since it requires experience and practice.
So, in the wet:
1) Be gentle and progressive with the throttle, both when you press on it and when you release.
2) Avoid high RPM's. The lower the better. I would stay below 5000.
3) Have reasonable tyre tread.
4) Read the road and adjust your speed. Not all the roads provide the same traction when wet. Even the same road provides different traction when wet in the summer, the winter or the spring and the autumn.
If you do that, I guarantee you will never have any problem.
You see the problem is not the car. It is the way you drive it. If I give you a small hatchback with 50 bhp, it will not be safer in the wet because it is a safer car, but because you would drive it like a grandmother. But when you have a sports car, you have to know how to drive it.
Now if you want to put your kids in your S2000 or you cannot be bothered being careful, then go and buy an all-wheel-drive car with traction control.
The problem with the S2000 is that it is in the hands of many people who have no experience of sports cars. And that is why there is so much discussion about its behaviour in the wet. There are other cars (eg TVR) which are 10 times more dangerous in the wet for the inexperienced driver, since they are RWD, they have more than 300 bhp, no traction cotrol, and no ABS. However nobody makes too much fuss about them. They just recognise them as purebred sports driving machines with no driver aids.
The secret is to be gentle with the throttle. Do not press or leave the throttle abruptly.
Many people say not to VTEC in the rain. Sure, it is better to avoid it, but VTEC is not the primary problem. The problem is RPM's. If you let the gas off at high RPM's the engine deceleration is more abrupt and the rear can lose traction. Acceleration, even to 9000 RPM's is not a problem in the wet, as soon as it is progressive (not flooring the gas, but step on it just gently) and you do not let off the gas suddenly. However, I would not recommend it, since it requires experience and practice.
So, in the wet:
1) Be gentle and progressive with the throttle, both when you press on it and when you release.
2) Avoid high RPM's. The lower the better. I would stay below 5000.
3) Have reasonable tyre tread.
4) Read the road and adjust your speed. Not all the roads provide the same traction when wet. Even the same road provides different traction when wet in the summer, the winter or the spring and the autumn.
If you do that, I guarantee you will never have any problem.
You see the problem is not the car. It is the way you drive it. If I give you a small hatchback with 50 bhp, it will not be safer in the wet because it is a safer car, but because you would drive it like a grandmother. But when you have a sports car, you have to know how to drive it.
Now if you want to put your kids in your S2000 or you cannot be bothered being careful, then go and buy an all-wheel-drive car with traction control.
The problem with the S2000 is that it is in the hands of many people who have no experience of sports cars. And that is why there is so much discussion about its behaviour in the wet. There are other cars (eg TVR) which are 10 times more dangerous in the wet for the inexperienced driver, since they are RWD, they have more than 300 bhp, no traction cotrol, and no ABS. However nobody makes too much fuss about them. They just recognise them as purebred sports driving machines with no driver aids.
just kidding. I agree with you.
Banned
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 4,402
Likes: 1
From: DOG POO ON Ur LAWN
S2k death trap in the rain?? NO
I have driven my S2k on the track in the rain several times and ill tell you this. DONT BLAME THE CAR....it all comes down to driver trainning. The S2k is an awesome car in the rain as it is inthe dry. People need to understand like any other car that driving techniques have to change when you go from dry to wet, dry to snow, rain to snow etc.....
Im tired of reading these posts of people complaining about the poor performance in the rain. Learn how to safely handle and drive the car in the rain first and then see what you think.
Good Luck
I have driven my S2k on the track in the rain several times and ill tell you this. DONT BLAME THE CAR....it all comes down to driver trainning. The S2k is an awesome car in the rain as it is inthe dry. People need to understand like any other car that driving techniques have to change when you go from dry to wet, dry to snow, rain to snow etc.....
Im tired of reading these posts of people complaining about the poor performance in the rain. Learn how to safely handle and drive the car in the rain first and then see what you think.
Good Luck