This. The only time I spun out was at Mid-Ohio, in heavy rain, when I way trying to be aggressive during an HPDE, learning the limits of the car. In routine driving, with good tires, I never, ever lost control of my supposedly tail-happy AP1 in nearly eight years of ownership.

 

 

Exactly.

 

Bmw 3 series actually have a 50/50 weight distribution just like the s2000

 

While true, I think there's more to it than that. Think of how a figure skater speeds up their spin by centralizing their mass. The S2000 (while I still feel is pretty stable) tends to spin rather rapidly when it does spin because of the short wheelbase and centralized mass.

 

Thanks to this thread for reminding me I need to sign up for an HPDE if I can find one that doesn't have the broomstick rule.

 

While true, I think there's more to it than that. Think of how a figure skater speeds up their spin by centralizing their mass. The S2000 (while I still feel is pretty stable) tends to spin rather rapidly when it does spin because of the short wheelbase and centralized mass.
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Exactly. The BMW has the front mass resting more forward; 50/50 distribution is achieved by putting more mass further back at the end of the car. While the distribution is neutral, the polar moment of inertia is much larger and therefore the car resists spinning/rotating more readily.

With an S2000 (as with cars like the MR2), the polar moment of inertia is much smaller due to centralized mass. They rotate easily which is what makes them fast through sharper turns and very fun to drive. This also leads to the "snap" misnomer which is used as a band-aid by the unaware driver or poor driver. When the cars do start rotate more than intended, it happens fast and if you are not on top of it with corrections, you will lose the car to the spin.

If I spin the car (and I have many times), I study the video or replay it in my mind to determine how I or an outside factor caused it. While the physics of the car design make it easier to spin in comparison to other RWD cars, it isn't something inherent to the design of the suspension which the "snap oversteer" name implies.

 

..and here I was thinking the question was the actual title of the thread...

 

And that said, shouldn't the answer be "Yes".

It's not asking whether these spins and crashes are caused by poor engineering or inexperienced drivers...

It's just asking if it's easier to spin and crash S2000s than other cars...and I think we all agree that the answer is yes...regardless of the root cause...

 

Its easily addressable on an ap1 buy simply lowering the car, as many do anyway, to 1.5-2" effectively shorting the stroke/toe curve on rebound, wile incorporating the additional adjustable toe correcting rods. This puts you on a normal more leaner suspension trajectory on full stroke with virtually no toe influence throughout.