Just some things I find odd about the S2000's handling ...

1. There seems to be an awful lot of body roll. Maybe this has to do with the high x-bone frame (higher center of gravity?)

2. Perception of massive understeer when entering a corner slowly. I used to think this was just because the nose was so long and because the engine weight was located behind the front axle. But after owning the car for six months, I still haven't recalibrated my brain to the unexpectedly slow inital turn-in.

Just for reference, the car I drove for six years previous to my S2000 was a 91 CRX Si. I had plus-one-sized the wheels and changed to Eibach Sportlines with Tokico HP's.

Anyone else have similar impressions of the S2000? Are there any light mods to alleviate the above two traits without upsetting the balance of the car?

 

As for item #1, I agree and I think the stock shocks are generally too soft. More low-speed resistance would help in transitions (not steady-state though).

Funny about item#2, my stook feels neutral-to-sharp at low speed turn-in. You might consider having your alignment checked (or adjusted for more front toe-out) or increasing tire pressure in the front. The manual's 32 PSI is something of a joke (too low for spirited driving).

 

Agreed with Penforhire, though I think the stock struts are just fine- I upgraded from a pretty modified (stiff) Prelude and have been very pleased with the handling, stock. I've noticed on the street that turn-in is great decelerating, poor under light acceleration, and great under hard acceleration/cornering. It would appear to simply be a RWD vehicle and a function of where you put the weight in the turn.

On the track, all understeer tendencies go away for me. It's a wild ride.

 

#2 is kind of hard to explain ... That's why I said it's a PERCEPTION of understeer. Fast transitions are great, so it's not really slow turn-in. What happens is that I set the car up for what I think I need to rotate through a corner. But as I go through the turn, I notice that the nose has drifted towards the outside and I need to tuck it back in. It's not really understeer because I'm not losing traction on the front wheels. I just feel like EVERY turn I take is a decreasing-radius turn ...

 

You didn't mention the tires you had on the CRX but maybe the S02 slip angles are greater than what you're used to? Hard to imagine for me since the S02's grip is way ahead of the Dunlop SP8000's I used on my last car. My guess is there's some R compound tires in your future.

 

Like Penforhire says, check your tire pressure. I'd recommend trying 36 psi front and 34 psi rear, cold, as a starting point. How new are your tires? Could be squirmy if very new.

Ted

 

The car should handle awesome period! Sounds like you may want to check for the dreaded spring spacer:

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.php?...=spring+spacers

 

I think the anwser may actually be driving style. I found lots of understeer when I first got into my stook after 10+ years of front drive. What happened was someone told me the secret - in FWD you turn in AND plant the throttle, with RWD you turn in, count to 3 ("I'm going to die") THEN plant the throttle.

 

Body roll?

This is an S2000, board, right?

 

I definitely agree about there being a little too much body roll. There is too much. I've also found that it seems like the back end is about a half a second behind the front. It almost feels like there's a lot of weight in the trunk. If I do a quick left/right flick, I notice that by the time I've flicked the wheel to the right, the rear end is just settling to the right from my initial left flick. You would think it would be transitioning to the left by that time. It feels a little loose and sloppy in the rear occasionally. I posted about this once before, but no one else really seemed to share my opinion. Someone had suggested that I was experiencing bump-steer, but I'm not sure if I would be able to tell if I was. I plan on buying an X-brace (I'm on the group buy for a DiGrappa brace), the three Comptech braces, and sway bars. I am hearing that it's not a great idea to lower the car, so I think I'll keep the ride height stock. Anyway, just my two cents...


Best regards,
Matt