Hey everyone! Long time reader, first time poster (sorry, had to say that). Okay I will briefly outline my situation and then open things up for comment. I just graduated from college (go Badgers!) and am hoping to start grad school in the fall (if everything falls into place), and need to get a car. Obviously, my car of choice is the s2000 but I have a few questions/concerns that I hope you guys and gals could shed some light on.

First, this car will be my daily driver and driven through some rather nasty weather from time to time (I plan on attending Ohio State for grad school since I am from C-bus) so I was hoping to buy a second wheel/tire combo for the winter. If I choose to upgrade to slightly larger wheels during the summer months am I going to need a set of adjustable coilovers when returning to stock for the winter?

Also, given the relatively tame nature of a central ohio winter would you recommend true snow tires (i.e. blizzaks) or just a set of all seasons?

Next, I have some minor experience with manual transmissions, but I basically suck. Would you folks recommend driving around a beater for ~6 months or so (like a civic or something) to get it down or is the clutch on the stook tough enough to learn/attain perfection on (and no I won't be dumpin the clutch at 6k or 9k rpms, i know the diff is weak). The main reason I wouldn't want to do this is because I can't think of too many cheap, manual, rwd cars that I can practice on for a while.

Lastly, (for now I am sure) I have heard the horror stories about people spinning their cars out, and I suspect I will be buying my car around early fall (Sept. -Oct. ish) so I don't think I could learn the handling by autocrossing it right when I get it. Since, I have never owned a sports car does anyone have any advice on where/how I could gain some practice/experience at that time of year so I can handle this safely for myself and others?

If you have any other ideas or things you think I may want to consider please let me know, and thanks in advance for your help. I am looking forward to being a part of your fantastic community.

Oh and if anyone in Columbus wants to give me a ride in their s2000 that would be awesome!! (I promise I won't ask to drive....yet!)
-Doug

 

There are plenty of RWD cars out there that you could get to practice on, Mustangs, F bodies, some RWD imports. Drive a RWD beater in bad weather so you know how a RWD handles in the wet (and snow).

IMO getting a FWD car won't do much for you because they behave so differently when pushed.

 

Thanks for the reply! I was thinking the same things in regard to FWD. Do you know of anything that is light, cheap, and prone to oversteer like the s2k that would be a good 'test vehicle'? I assume a mustang doesn't have similar handling in terms of oversteer... Oh i have a volvo 240dl that is RWD (auto tranny) that i drive year round now, i was just looking for something that would be more similar to an S.

And a really dumb question, what is an F body?

 

Camaro / Firebird.

If you get a RWD car, a good set of snow tire will really make your life eaiser.
FWD and heaver RWD cars can can get by with a good set of all-seasons, but the S2000 won't move in the snow on S02s

 

Better yet, get a rental car for the weekend and beat the hell out of it in an empty parking lot. You should be ok after that

 

Camaro, Firebird.

I drove a '94 T-Bird (RWD) 5 hours in a blizzard here in PA/NJ back in '96, and it never even fishtailed. I had Dunlop SP4000s on it.

A lot of the spinout stories you hear are due to summer tires, worn tires, bad driver input, etc. A quote from Barry Winfield of Car & Driver on the 2004 model:

"Because certain owners had discovered inappropriate vehicle rotation at the point of disappearing talent, Honda set about revising the chassis for better at-the-limit stability and more progressive breakaway characteristics."

 

Hey, Doug - What a coincidence!

First off, Go Badgers! Yes, I graduated from Madtown. Ironically, I grew up in Wisconsin and now I'm in the Columbus area (well, close anyway).

I've got snow tires for the winter months. Blizzak tires make the car handle quite well as long as the snow doesn't get too deep. If this is a daily driver, you'd be crazy not do get some. You can pick up a used set of stock wheels at a good price and keep them stored in the winter.

Personally, I think the S2000 is a pretty easy manual tranny to drive. Several owners learned to drive a stick on this car (do a search). Unless you're planning on testing the limits of the car early on, I don't see the need to necessarily seek out a RWD beater.

I'd suggest that you get the hang of a stick for a few days with any beater - preferably one without a lot of torque. Then you can let it come naturally by learning the rest on the S2000. Remember that the gear ratio on this car is significantly different than any beater you'll find.

I'd offer you a ride, buy you'd be really disappointed. I don't push my car. But if you go to the Ohio forum, meet some of the guys that meet for lunch weekly, I'm sure you won't go home disappointed.

 

Hey guys thanks for all the info. I will definetly be thrashing on a rental in the near future!
slalom44 thanks for the heads up about the lunch drives the guys in the ohio forum take. I will certainly be looking into that. You seem like a pretty cool guy: s2000, badger alumni, livin in central ohio... now if only we could get you to trade your skis in for a snowboard you would be all set

 

Uh, I wouldn't buy a Camaro or firebird. Go try your hand at a 240SX. Good low end torque in a RWD, and if you get one w/o VLSD, it can be more twitchy than an S2k. It's a solid car and you can get one cheap.