My personal experiences only, OK?

On my '01 AP1, when the OEM S02's became a little bit worn (after only about 7K miles) they became a lilltle unstable on wet roads. I had to replace them at about 11K. The steel belts were showing through! And that is with conservative driving. I replaced those tires with Falken FK 451s (properly re-sized on the rear) and 12K later the car did just fine in the rain today.

Now, of course, I do know how to drive a RWD car that has some power. I feel that many S2k drivers have "grown up" on underpowered FWD cars, and they don't understand the difference. When a FWD car "breaks loose" on the wet, the result is predictable -- the car just torque steers to the right hand ditch. When a RWD car "breaks loose" on the wet, it is generally a result of taking a curve too fast for conditions, and causes the rear end to swing in the OPPOSITE DIRECTION of the turn. Once you learn to drive a high performance RWD car just a bit more conservatively on the wet, there should be no problem.

Driving a car is like playing a guitar. If you go from a Les Paul to a Stratocaster, the "feel" will be totally different until you "learn" the instrument -- and vice versa. It's the same with performance cars. You just have to learn your instrument.

Thanks,
Richard

 

[QUOTE]The car is no harder to drive in the rain than a Civic. You just have to make a few adjustments to allow for the cars design intent. If you do all will be well, and if you don't, be sure to post some pictures.

 

[QUOTE=Picasso,Jul 10 2006, 10:32 PM]This is a good topic for discussion CoAsTeR.

1. More than anything it is driving experience and good judgement that create safety on the roads.

 

Understeer (and most FWD cars have massive understeer) is a stable condition that scrubs off speed quickly, helping the driver recover. Oversteer is an unstable condition that requires skill (and sometimes luck) to recover from. A RWD car that has massive understeer is just as forgiving as a FWD car, and an oversteering FWD car is just as unstable as an oversteering RWD car. It's just that almost all FWD cars have massive understeer, but it's not really the FWD that gives them the understeer. It's designed into the suspension to make the cars stable and safe.

I have never gotten more than 5,000 miles out of a set of rear tires. At that point they still have tread, but not enough to be comforting in the rain. Fresh back tires are important to keeping the car safe, especially when the roads are wet.

 

Well, if there are any FWD cars with oversteer, I'd be eager to hear of the make and model so I could test drive one -- as I have never experienced such a thing. Same for any FWD car with neutral steering. Every FWD car I have driven has understeered so much that it tended to "plow" straight ahead, even if I turned. And, I've never driven any FWD car where torque steer had been fully eliminated. Floor them, and they all pull to the right with the crown in the road.

And, I don't think the S2k has TRUE oversteer. To experience that, just go drive a 60's VW Beelte or Porche. They turn MORE than you steer in, even at low speed with no throttle. The S2k, instead, may simulate oversteer under agressige driving conditions, when its rear end breaks out in the opposite direction of the turn -- but this is only a simulation of oversteer under extreme conditions. Under normal driving conditions, I find the S2k to have neutral steering.

And I don't know what to tell you about tires. My Falken FK 451s have 13K on them, and look like they all may have another 13K in them -- even the rears. And they are holding well in the rain, too. Any owners who are having to replace rears as often as every 7K miles need to go to an allignment shop and have some "toe in" adjusted out of the rear end. I'm running less than 4mm toe in on the rears, and am thinking about reducing that. When I had my rear toe in reduced at my dealers (a good one) I was advised to be careful as the car might be a bit "twitchy". To the contrary, I found the car more stable, enabling me to take the "twisties" at a higher speed than ever. But then, the driver is part of the equasion, isn't he/she?

Thanks,
Richard

 

Drop the fronts to about 28ish lbs and pump up the rears to about 45-50 lbs and there ya go.

 

i hate having to drive in the rain...but it becomes super scary when you have bald tires...if you have good tires, the car should is controllable in wet weather...

 

Taking a curve too fast in the wet is NOT the only scenario were the S2K will break adhesion. If the water is standing tall enough, and your speed is too high, you could be minding your own business and then, WHAMO, you are now in between 45 and 90 degree's. I'm talking driving a perfectly straight line down the highway, and I'm not talking about used rubber either. S2K+Summer tires+standing water+65-70 plus mph=



I wouldn't say learning to drive a rear wheel drive car is prudent to learning great car control, experience is a major factor. I drove rear driven car's for 14 years before I bought a civic. That was 12 years ago. The S2000 is the first rear driven car I have owned since 1994 (I purchased it new in 2003). I have 17 years combined experience with rear driven cars and 9 years experience with front driven cars. I guess if you count my carting days and the shit loads of laps I have ran at Malibu Grand Prix, I have a lil more than 17 years combined experience with rear driven cars

I have been driving like a bat outta Hell my entire life. I have cheated death a few times...ok, more than a few times. I have always had a passion for cars and racing in general. I have always had an interest in car control and driving with style. When ever I head or read about a car accident, whether it be on the street, or the race track, I was interested in obtaining as much information as possible so what happened to the person/people involved, I would try to not let it happen to me. Driving go carts doesnt hurt either

I dun't care what anyone says, the Honda Del Sol Civic VTEC is one faaasssst biotch. I hit 105 mph through Golden Gate Park a few times

 

^ I hope I didn't misspell anything, the spellchecker is a POS.

 

^ I hope I didn't misspell anything, the spellchecker is a POS.