I have had my car for about 4 weeks and it has always felt very stable, but this morning I was driving around northern Virginia in a light rain and had my first major spin. I was doing a straight-line acceleration and in 3rd gear at about 65 mph while back end just came loose and I started spinning. I was unable to control the spin on the wet pavement and continued my straight line with almost two complete rotations. I didn't slide off the road or hit the median. I was on a four lane road - 2 lanes each direction with a center median (Route 7 east of Tysons Corner). Luckily there were no cars and my two spins were in the middle of the road (car did not hit anything and the tires seem fine), so I didn't bruise anything but my ego. Have others experienced this instability during straight-line driving? I have been very careful on twisty back streets, but I did not expect the car to become unstable in a straight line. Any advise or comments?

Aran

 

When you shift without letting the revs drop to the rpm of the new gear, the rear end will come loose (due to too much torque!). If you overcorrect this, a spin is the result. Cold or wet tires makes this easy to do.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by aran:
[B]

 

Been There, Done That. What happened to me was I DIDNT bring the revs up, I was trying NOT to break traction, and the braking effect of the engine caused me to lose traction too.

Thats why I can say ABS works in reverse at about 50MPH

If your worried about wet traction, when Its time to change the rubber I would reccomend the PP SO-2's although be warned that they are a compromise = worse in the dry than OEM.

I did end up with my tail off the road and about 2' from a 4x4 wooden post . . . I was as lucky as you. I now prefer to drive my truck in the rain.

 

Wanting to hear the Vtec roar, I downshifted into third @ about 60mph as I entered a tunnel on the highway. There had been a recent rain and the road was still wet. As i got on the gas the rear stepped out about 45 degrees before I caught it. It was scarry and could have been quite a pile-up as it was 5 pretty crowded lanes in my direction an i was in the middle.

 

AUTOCAR just ran an article comparing the S2K, the new Elise and the Vauxhall VX220. The S2K was rated WAY behind the Elise because of the exact poor handling you mention (plus poor steering and suspension feedback). Granted the Elise is an incredibly well balanced car (for less money) but it's interesting that even the mags are finding the S2K a problem on wet roads.
They said:
"Every roundabout on the A11 was an exercise in restraint because, for a car with just 153 lb ft of troque and a beefy pair of rear Bridgestone S-02s, it has a disconcerting lack of grip in the wet. A set of wipers for the side windows would have been useful. The Honda feels nervous in wet conditions. A combination of non-linear steering and a limited-slip diff that wants either to send the car straight on at high speed or pull large powerslides at low speed means you always need to take care." They did comment positively on the engine, but that's the only place the S2K shined again the other two contenders. So, when it's wet,... it's clear we all have to pay close attention!!!

 

Non-Linear? What car were they driving again?
I'm glad you made it through the spin safe but I gotta say I just don't see this side of the car to the degree that I've read about.

 

Just last night, shifting from 1st to 2nd @ 9K RPM, the rear end steped out ever so slightly. I'd say about 10deg off-center. Just let off the throttle and she came right back in line. I think this car constantly talks to you. This is something i've never experienced before and I LOVE IT! I look forward to tuning my skills in the coming years so that I can drive to the limits with this car.


BTW, I never drive in the rain.

 

That same thing happened to me where it stepped out in second in a straight line on dry pavement.

 

I mis-shifted at about 97mph while on the track at Thunderhill. I did a little dance as my rear end shifted back and forth twice, but I was able to catch it and continue with the run. It sure got my adrenalin going though. This was on a dry track.

Does anyone know of a good program to save clips out of an MPG file? I've actually got all this dancing around on video and was thinking of posting clips. I can't seem to find a suitable program.