Foot off throttle and leaving it in gear is an incorrect reaction in for passing through a puddle in a RWD car.

Take it out of gear or clutch in.

 

My s2000 has got to be the worst driving cars in the rain i have every owned. my car has almost no traction in the rain. I think it a combination of the car being so light and the fact that i run a 295 size extreme performance tire.

 

I've was in heavy rain in RE-11A tires for a while last summer in one of those narrowed turnpike lanes with Jersey barriers on both sides. Not a comfortable feeling as the tires were worn down to about 3/32". Went with SO4 tires this time. These have a deeper tread to start with and the only tire ratings I'm aware of (Tire Rack) show excellent rain/water performance.

Very heavy rain here yesterday and even my Expedition with semi off road tires was a bit squirrely. It ain't just the S2000! Narrow tires are better in rain and snow. The S2000 tires are nearly as wide as the Expedition's and half the weight.

-- Chuck

 

I took a 180 degree on-ramp last night test driving after a chassis brace installation, for the first time in 7 years the rear end got way loose on me and I got into a tank-slapper situation. I almost spun out, but I was able to save it after a couple wild pendulum swings. A bit too much throttle on cold tires likely caused it, my car has always run on the understeer side, last night was the first time I felt it oversteer that much. I got lucky saving it from a total spinout.

 

Don't discount the effect of the mechanical diff lock that can transfer drive to the wheel with better traction and opposing toe alignment when the left and right side of the car does not have the same traction. If one side stops gripping, the other side drives and tries to rotate the car. Rear toe cancels itself until one side let's loose and the remaining side tries to align with the direction of travel. It wiggles the back of car and if it keeps rotating, well. You know what happens. I drive a lot of worn out tar and chip roads which are down right scary when the smooth tar gets wet.

 

I restored a Triumph TR7 about 15 years ago. It is still one of my favourite cars.

It had sat for 5 years in a dark shed before I bought it, so when finished it had 8 year old Bridgestones, that had done only 2000 miles, & looked perfect on the back, with new front Bridgestones. I loved these tyres. That TR7 engine, even with some tuning had only 126 BHP when it went back in the car, so wheel spin was not a problem. With those old hard tyres I could break the rear end loose in the dry at will, something they struggle to do with good tyres.

On a Triumph club run we were caught in a downpour on a great new country divided 4 lane highway, surfaced with Stone Mastic hot mix bitumen. This road has developed a reputation for being slippery when wet, with it blamed for many accidents. On a dead flat road, at 60 MPH & just a cruising throttle, the tail started to come round on me. Nothing I did would stop it, I did still have full grip on the front, & managed to hold it at 90 degrees to the road. Another member near me reckoned I slid 400 yards before I stopped with just the front wheels off the edge of the bitumen. None of the other club members, or other cars were having any trouble.

I drove on, more slowly, & it started to happen again, but at only about 40 mph I managed to get it back, but it took a couple of hundred yards. I had previously had no idea that old tyres could be quite that bad in the wet. I fitted new tyres of exactly the same range, & have never had a problem again in 14 years.

Needless to say I replace the tyres on my Triumphs at 5 years now, & the S at 4 years. It's a pity really, I did enjoy sliding that TR7 around slow corners on those old hard tyres.

 

Wet tar lines are the worst!

 

I always found that concrete on or off ramps are especially lively.

Knock on wood I've had no issues in my S2000, but I only really drive it on nicer days.

I did run it in pretty yucky conditions at the dragon and it was fantastic. The S-04's did well.

 

While we are on the subject of tires and grip - and with some Canadian folks reading this thread who, like me in Vermont, are well acquainted with COLD weather - will my Bridgestone S04s be ok driving in the cold mornings we tend to get in September and October? What is the morning temp that should cause me to leave the S in the garage? I'm driving an ap1 with ap2 wheels.

 

People act like these lessons some how apply even more so to the S. Seems like these lessons apply to all driving.

What shocks me is how these threads pop up so frequency. I can only imagine it's the RWd aspect and the affordable nature of this car now.

Glad you're ok.