pwrinxs

I stopped taking the bus in grade school so no thanks. I support your use of it though. Bravo!

Flashers while driving are illegal in some states but not all. I use them and will continue to do so because in my state they can be used in special emergency situations. And keep in mind we are talking about a once every year or two situation when I'm out in the s2000 and there's an unexpected downpour. I do not drive this car in the rain.

So it is advised not to use flashers because it can prevent people from seeing your brake lights and also prevent the use of turn signals while on. In the 2 or 3 times I've had to use them in my life, it's always been during the day and I will be in the s2000 in the rightmost lane and will not make lane changes.

Therefore I will continue using them because I want to warn those people going 75 or 80mph in the rain not to hydroplane or rear end me as they drive too fast for the conditions. I don't have any experience at all driving in heavy rain in a light and powerful RWD roadster. I'm glad you have experience in that condition but I want to keep my car pristine and it doesn't see rain or snow and won't do so as long as I own it.

Instead of ruining the car of my dreams which is built and modified to my vision, I would rather be selfish and considered among the worst people on the road and be despised. Small price to pay. Stay safe out there...

B serious

Builds a S2000 with dangerous amounts of HP.

Drives with flashers on in the rain at 55mph max no matter what.

B serious

Since this thread may have served to provide practical advise for those of us who live in THIS dimension....

Just slow down a bit in the rain and be aware.

The S2000 has a wacky factory alignment, is fairly light, RWD, and has wide tires in comparison to its weight. So...no, in practical terms, it is not the most stable car in the rain.

And as mentioned before (for obvious reasons), neither is a lightweight pickup truck.

If you plan on driving in the rain, be smart. Buy tyres that work in the rain...and remember that its different than driving your overgrown AWD or FWD daily driver.

I don't really see the correlation between horsepower and crashing in the rain. That signifies a correlation between having no self control and crashing in the rain.

pwrinxs

Left off the last part... Never drives it in the rain.

Jokes aside, 400hp is not dangerous...so don't hate if you can't handle or afford more power. Its the road or weather that makes this car dangerous.

Think about it this way...would you show up to the track or the Tail of the Dragon in a minivan and try to go fast? Exactly...my car is prepped for a different purpose, not to be driven in the rain. I use the Lexus or the SUV for that.

B serious

^LOL.

pwrinxs

Exactly.... I dont drive the SUV much but i took it to the Dragon for the first time a couple weeks ago bc my wife and daughter wanted to go and let me tell you... It made me appreciate even more what the s2000 is capable of. I won't be going back in anything other than an s2000 again that's for sure....but back on topic. On the way back Sunday, I had amazing visibility as it poured hard all the way. I had new great tires and even at highway speeds its amazing how resistant to hydroplaning a heavier fwd vehicle is.

hirev

i just want to add that with close to spent tires on the rear you will spin on a normal on/off ramp unless you take it way slow. the car in the rain is a stable car on the straights but in corners it's deceptively easy to go a bit too fast and find the rear end wanting to swap ends. Drive it like it was your grandma's lexus in the rain and you will be ok.

Ohnothimagen

Nearly had our S get away from me a couple of weeks ago. Had been doing about 75 on the interstate when we were hit with a monsoon. I did slow down, but clearly not enough. Was coming down a pretty steep section of road and caught an area of standing water that I couldn't see for the spray from a truck ahead of me. There was an ever so slight sensation of being on glaze ice.

I slowly got out of the throttle (my MR2 days with icy roads taught me never to back off too quickly) and got the flashers on because even in downpours and near zero visibility Indiana drivers (especially truckers) don't slow down. Fortunately we were less than a mile from our exit and made it home just fine.

This was by far the heaviest rain I have ever been in during the nearly two years of owning the S. When I tried to analyze the situation, I couldn't understand at first why this happened with this car and never with my MR2 (in rain). The S tires are much, much wider than what I had on the MR2, so there is that. I currently have mis-matched tires on the S (not for long) and that might have contributed. The rain came on so quickly and so heavy, I don't think there really was any chance for much drainage even on the downhill section of road.

Lesson learned in time for a similar rain just this week during the drive to work. Speed way down, like 50 max on flat road, plenty of distance to next car, and flashers on.

Rex

Car Analogy

When it first starts to rain, its much more slippery than it is after raining for a while. The oils and other detritus is washed off the road surface, and is still in solution at first. Once its rained for a while, this has all washed away, and you're dealing with just water.

This is why rain in places like Cali is so dangerous. It doesn't rain for a long time, so a lot more accumulated oils and such. So its hella slippery until all that finally washes away.

But even in someplace like Indy, where it prolly wasn't all that long ago it rained, there is still gonna be plenty of nasties to wash away at first.

CMK

Can confirm. Like pwrinxs, I don't drive the S in the rain, but occasionally I'll get caught in a bit of it and have no choice in driving it, and that initial bit of rain means you really need to be careful. When your only traction control is between your ears, you've gotta be cautious.