Does an S2000 really spin/crash that easy?
 

Hey guys and girls, last month I bought my first S2000 so I've been selling some parts from my previous Type-R and collecting a few S2000 parts. Had a few guys come over to pick up parts and met a few S2000 owners when buying parts and I keep hearing the same story. Everyone knows a guy who spun his S2000 on a straight road after accelerating (some crashed and some were very lucky). I think most of them were prefacelifts.

So, are they really this dangerous? Any chance the facelift cars are any better since a few things have changed?
I have a MY2005 so no VSA. I'm not sure I can really enjoy the car and hit vtec whenever I feel like it after hearing all those stories. I've driven it quite fast on straights a few times now but didn't have the feeling the car was twitchy or I was losing control.

And if they really are this dangerous, is there anything I can do to improve the handling maybe? It's our summer car so I'm not planning on driving it like a maniac in wet conditions nor tracking it. I just don't want to end up like all those other guys telling stories of how I spun/crashed my beautiful S2000 :thumbdn:

I've never lost control of the car/broke traction unintentionally, having said that, I'm not a risk taker/idiot :tipwink:

Would like to know how many of the crashed ones were slammed = wrong geometry :suspect:

s2000 are a driver's car. A good number of big group s2000 driving meets I have been on we have had 1 to 2 car
wrecks or totals. Most common problems are bald rear tires, snap oversteer..( lifting right foot of throttle in middle of a turn) Not too sure about the european s2000 models but the us pre-facelifts AP1s were more prone to oversteer vs the ap2s

Try this post
https://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/758...#entry17924734

The problem isn't the car, the problem is inexperience or douchery, or a combination of both.

No fears but the car is meant to drive, not ride around in it oblivious to road and weather conditions. :)

The introduction of a performance rear wheel drive sports car into a front wheel drive universe did cause many spins by those of us who'd been driving different handling FWD systems for decades. The car earned this reputation. It takes experience to learn where and when the car wants to change ends. I estimate the vast majority of wrecked S2000s are the result of spin outs. Ice and fuel on roads and bridges are blamed. They don't "spin on straight roads" unless you suddenly input some drastic steering into them. The UK guys (the home of round-abouts) seem to experience difficulty there.

The car deliberately had lots of oversteer built in (probably) because it's more fun to drive with immediate turn in when the steering wheel moves. The car "rotates" very easily. Too easily for those of us without experience in driving this type car.

Honda dialed out the sharp oversteer in increments every two years (when suspension and other changes were made). Final improvement was Stability Assist and DBW starting in 2006. Other than VSA the MY2005 cars are very similar. These cars are more forgiving than the earlier cars. Messing with the staggered tire arrangement can negate Honda's efforts so stick with OEM wheels and tire sizes. Mis-matched tires fore and aft will also alter the handling.

And finally learn to drive the car. A performance driving course in the car will be of great benefit. Sliding around an empty parting lot is better than on the road.

-- Chuck

+1

learn the car!

I've spun the car a few times at the track, but never on public roads. The main reason, as mentioned above, is that people go fast at turn-in then take their foot off the pedal once they are a little freaked out. A car with the S2000s physics will start to spin if the combination of turning, braking and the rear unloaded is induced.

Don't be afraid to drive the car, just don't be stupid about it. Don't go overboard in the rain or with crappy tires.

Going to a few autocross events where you can learn exactly what will cause the car to spin will go a long way.

Based on reports my Ap1 should be much more tail happy than your Ap2. I've never had any slight form of snap oversteer on my car in 6 year's of ownership, including track time.

Tips:
Keep the staggered wheel setup, replace tires well before they get to the worn marks and don't run worn tires in the rain. Get regular alignments. Do all of your braking before you get into a corner, then you can accelerate your way out of it - slower in faster out. You can trail brake safely in corners if you do it properly, the ones who end up on their roof are the ones who slam on the brakes after they realize that they have driven way too fast into the corner.

Lots of replies, thanks! I'm not planning on driving the car in wet conditions anyway and we always make sure the tires are good, although the Enkeis we bought came with Falkens and I'm not really a big fan of them. Not planning on going for a square setup. Wheels now are 17x8 and 17x9 +45 offset so I think they are pretty good sizes for S2000. Like I said, it's all very new to me and luckily I can find loads of info here and apparantely also help from other members, which is much appreciated :thumbup:

We also have an AP1 btw, AP2 was never available in Europe.