At-the-limit performance?
 

Does the rear kick out at the limit? I am still learning about my new car. When pushed, will the rear step out? I have a 5th gen Prelude which I have not sold yet. With different tires on the front (good) than the back (bad) I knew that this could happen. Still, I pushed it the other day and nearly shit myself when the car became sideways at 60+ down an onramp. Since I haven't found the envelope for the S, what have you noticed? Is there a nice controllable powerslide, or will the rearwheel drive kick in? I had been able to control the lude well though with an impending sale there was no need to put 4 new tires in place. Since I had become used to the front wheel performance I was unsure what to expect. Thanks!
also......... where should I look in SD for a place to learn about driving this beast? Are there driving schools somewhere close to look at?

With the stock tires this car is pretty controllable and predictable. On the track as I've gotten nearer the limit I've had nice controllable slides with plenty of indication that I was approaching the limit. Some people have reported "snap" oversteer at the limit but I think that's mostly been with race tires which don't give as much indication that the limit is approaching.

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Posted by NavNurs:
I pushed it the other day and nearly shit myself when the car became sideways at 60+ down an onramp.

Get some wheel time at a track or local autocrosses. I didn't even really attempt to push mine until I could know what it felt like (I've been driving FWD for nearly 20 years - forgot what RWD felt like).

Yes, you CAN get it to step out on you with non-judicious use of the throttle. Hitting VTEC at the tires' limit is guaranteed to make you snap - too much power for the available traction. By the same token, lifting off the throttle with 11:1 compression will tend to lock up the rears (trailing-throttle oversteer). It's not the tires' or the car's fault - it's the driver's. Learning the ins and outs of RWD is what's needed.

A side note - I'm thinking of using a slightly less sticky tire for my next set. This can cause its own problems but will lower the ultimate level of performance so that it's more in line with other cars that I drive. Since I save the sideways stuff for autocrosses, this isn't an issue except for extreme emergencies...

RWD is very very different from FWD. i know it sounds obvious, but it seems like a lot of people haven't grasped just how different.

Here is a good list of performance driving and/or racing schools. it's the best mod money can buy.

Real world driving doesn't usually allow pure concept driving but...

If you are going a moderate speed and make a gradual turn-in to a moderate angle so that it becomes a steady state (say a skid pad), and then gently increase speed until something gives, your front end will plow with the stock SO2 tires (understeer).

I say this isn't the real world because usually an abrupt turn-in or a throttle lift allows for some serious oversteer. So you could say it comes back to your driving style and skill. If you got loose on dry pavement it was most likely because of your inputs, not because the car has "killer oversteer" built in. This is ignoring a turn on rough pavement or off-camber and any number of other variables. But I find the stock stook to be neutral-to-understeering until i make a mistake (I continue to make plenty o' goofs).

Throw in some wet pavement and I agree with the recent Mugen report suggesting significant oversteer and some weird Torsen LSD behavior (don't flame me for not calling it a torque-sensing diff okay?). At least that's what it felt like at the one wet Auto-X I've had so far. It was spooky to drive in a straight line in 2nd gear at 8-9K RPM and feel the rear step sideways for no obvious reason.

Thanks for all the info! In my haste I forgot to mention one thing. I was successful in coming out of that slide with the lude. After which I enjoyed an insane adrenaline rush. God I love these cars!

I think the unpredictable oversteer comes from the fact that the stock rears don't effectively communicate when they are at the limit. They grip like stink and give up the same way. They lack adequate feedback at the limit.

But you did.. Torsen means TORque SENsing.

We all need to be aware of the fact that opinions are just that - opinions. Especially when it comes to describing the handling of any car. I find the OEM tires are great for providing feedback at and even beyond the limit! Compared to an NSX, the S2000 is quite tame and easy to handle at or over the limit. You can feel every single thing the car is doing at each of the corners of the car. Though the S2000 behaves differently than my Prelude, the dynamics of a car for lift throttle (trailing throttle) oversteer is quite similar.

My recommendation is do a bunch of autocrosses and/or car control clinics.