I think I am not gonna do challenging moves with my car after i get my racing school lessons.

 

Today I went into a corner once. Not fast. I did not downshift before I hit the turn but decided to do it during the turn. I kind of botched it and so was caught with my clutch in for a moment and the my turn took an unexpected route for a half a second or so. Anyways I'm no expert but throttle and brakes (where to throttle) is what corners are all about.

Experienced drivers do not necessarily mean good drivers. Just wanted to point that out.

I'm just glad you're okay man. Lets not attack each other here.

 

S*it happens and then you die. Or someone else dies. Sounds like you are on track for one or the other.

 

Unless you are super smooth you should not be shifting in any turn near the grip limit, any upset will break the rear free. I find that keeping some power to the wheels is best and definately don't disenguage the gbox with the clutch. Please learn on a closed course!

 

Yea, well i am still an experienced driver, but that by no means is saying that i am any good at it. I never knew that hitting the clutch before a turn is a no no. Thanks alot for the advice. It'll be used many times.

 

No advice or admonitions here. Been there, done that; I feel your pain. I nearly bought the farm one night in my 928 on a decreasing sweeper out in the boonies. After I finally stopped, I thought I was going to have to clean out my drawers. Of course, my goof-up was in no way related to any lack of driving skill, only my limited sobriety at the time. Yeah, right!

 

The only way anyone is going to learn is to practice. Go to an autocross and practice going into corners too hot and making the rear braak loose. You will learn how to correct it. You may have a lot of experience but you do not have experience with this car and this driver. I learned more in 4 autocrosses than 10 years of driving. I also went from FWD to RWD and there is i big differance in handling. In time you will become part of the car and the little quirks will not surprise you. Many NASCAR drivers take lessons because they lack experience on road courses.
Good luck, the S2000 is a very controlable car once you learn its limits.

 

Okay, I have to chime in here... I got my S2k a week ago, and I've been breaking the rear free every time I'm aggressive in a turn! Due to my past track experience in my GSR, I can control or recover it with no stress, but I'd like expert advice on how to avoid the problem

At the road course I go to, the instructors told us to run down the straights, stomp on the brakes at the last minute, and start to power as we turn in, hitting full throttle as you touch the late apex. Obviously, you have to adjust that for street driving and circular (not late apex) turns, but I was fine in a FWD car. What do I need to do differently for RWD?

TXR

 

Ace- Thanks for your story. It is good that you realized that you got in over your head and hopefully this will help others to have fun while being safe. The lesson here isn't one of "what did you do wrong", but one that should encourage all of us to respect other drivers on public roads by not endangering their lives along with ours.

Others have said this already and I'll say it again - PLEASE learn how to drive this car at the limit ON THE TRACK. The beauty of track driving is that you face the same corner numerous times and can focus on car control. Everyone else out there has the same agenda, so if you loop the car and wind up facing the wrong way, it's good for a few grins but it's not a surprise to the other drivers.

I thought I was an "experienced" driver too ... until driving on the track with truely experienced and talented people. You might find that there is a LOT to learn about car control, and the process of improving your skill and learning the limits of the car can really enhance your appreciation for the S2000.

 

TXRacer,

I've done a little track work, but not with the S2k. If you need to unsettle the back end, say, for tighter turns, then stabbing the brakes hard and locking over at or near the point at which the brake is released, is going to bring the back around a little - reapplying power may bring the car back under control, but that will depend on how smooth the road surface is and the condition of the tyres. This is certainly easier in a RWD.
If you're concerned about being tail happy, and this especially applies on public roads where the same margin for error simply isn't available and where tight turns are less common, then smooth application of steering is a minimum. Feeding in the steering gently at first and then applying as much as you need seems to work for me - the LSD helps prevent the understeer you will have been anticipating with a FWD car.
I found my car way too tail happy when I first bought it, until I checked tyre pressures - put in some more air and it solved the problem and it's much more secure when I want to press on, especially through lower speed corners.
Reference other comments in this thread, I agree completely that dipping the clutch in a corner is potentially a fatal mistake. Maybe some more technically minded than me may correct me on this, but if there is no power being applied through the back axle then there's no forward grip being generated at the tyre, and you're relying on only lateral grip. Going into a corner too hot, and dipping the clutch will almost guarantee a spin and coupled with braking hard and the transfer of weight towards the front wheels (mostly the outside wheel is taking the load so you basically have one tyre holding the car in position) especially in a stiffly sprung car like the S2k is only going to make matters worse. Ace, you were lucky you could tell us the tale! Sounds like you should take up some form of motorsport and get that racing out of your system on the track