True, its all about not freaking out.

Lucky for me I've dealt with way more "scary" moments that a simple spin isn't that bad.

It doesn't help that I took out my spare, tools, and have almost nothing in my car at all.

I have noticed that since I went to 225/245 I have far fewer issues

 

try removing all that and then driving in 3-4 inches of CT snow!! that's how i learned to counter-steer haha. my S is daily driven 12 months/year.

-Chris

 

Well I did something similar in the ICE on almost bald rears this past Jan and it was an interesting experience skating accross lanes and spinning in slow motion lol

 

RWD is the only way to go for any real sports car. Yes AP1's can be a little tail happy at times but its no big deal. Some people are making it sound WAAAAY to dramatic. If you step on the gas too hard in dry or especially in rain the back end will come around. If you give it a little too much gas however it can very easily be controlled by a semi experienced driver. If you completely stab the gas and and really get the entire weight of the car going sideways, you are going to end up in a curb no matter how much experience you have. Its really no big deal and ads an entirely new dimension to driving to be able to control the back end with carefully modulating the throttle. At first take it easy and learn the car and push more as you feel comfortable. I have been driving my AP1 for 3 months and I love the feeling of being able to control the back end. Most important of all remember the quickest way around a corner is not sideways its with all 4 tires sticking to the road.

 

As comfortable I am with the car, I wouldn't even run the Dragon myself in sub-freezing temps. I don't like inconsistent or unpredictable surfaces myself so I'm more inclined to take things slow the first time around and expect similar conditions on following runs. This goes for the track as well.

 

I slide my car around quite a lot, not on the street, but when autocrossing, and it's not that hard to learn to keep the tail tucked in, or hang it out without losing control, but even most experienced drivers have to make some adjustments to get the most out of an S2000. I've also had the tail step out suddenly and unexpectedly, due to water and worn tires, and all I'll say about that is that the combination can be downright dangerous. The car has great handling and is easy to drive right to the limit, but the same characteristics that make it so much fun and to easy to drive fast also make it less forgiving than many (if not most) other production cars. If you never push the car to the limit, and never drive too fast in the rain or snow on tires that aren't up to the task, you are really not very likely to have any issues, but you can't learn the limits without exceeding them, and if you do that on the street, it can (and often does) get pretty ugly. Treat it with the same respect you'd treat a superbike and you'll probably never have any problems.

Oversteer is fun, but it is also an inherently unstable condition, and early S2000's have so much oversteer that it almost feels like the front tires are glued to the road. The only way I could get the front tires on my AP1 to slide at all was to use too much trailing brake during corner entry, and that's caused by the breaking force more than the cornering forces (and as soon as you ease off the brake and get back on the throttle the handling shifts back to the normal (for the car) oversteer mode. Over the years Honda has steadily reduced the amount of oversteer, no doubt in the interest of more stable handling that is more confidance inspiring and less likely to get owners into trouble. According to the early reports I've read, as of MY08, oversteer has been completely eleminated in the base MY08 cars (though I suspect you'll still be able to power slide the car easily enough), and that should make the newer cars much more forgiving and confidance inspiring. If you're worried about oversteer just get an MY08 or later car. If you have to buy used, get an MY06 or later with stability control and DBW. As long as you keep decent tires on the car and aren't a complete idiot behind the wheel, the newer cars shouldn't be any problem at all.

 

A bigger front sway bar makes the car MUCH more predictable. I have the Whiteline 30mm front sway and I love it. Gives a nice bit of understeer so the car seems more confident.

 

When I saw the title I thought this thread was about something totally different ... you'll understand when you get older -- or meet a sorority girl

I have lost control of the car in a straight line in a heavy downpour (sudden braking), so I'm probably the last one to talk, but the rear really doesn't break loose as long as you drive it correctly. Just remember to back off in the rain, and go with a great set of tires!

 

true; but its not the "funnest" way!

-Chris

 

This definitely gave me a good chuckle.



I've only fully lost it once with the S -- fortunately it was on a small private track. As I wouldn't have been doing this otherwise:
I was going a little over seventy around a turn... I went in a little more hot than usual, and found myself doing a very light controlled drift. It was perfect, if I do say so myself, not enough to loose speed but enough to take the turn at a higher rate of travel than I could otherwise.
Well, it was near perfect--or at least perfect until I hit a patch of gravel/dirt--no I'm not sure why that was there. Needless to say this was not a proper track (and thusly not truly maintained). But the point of the matter is: I spun around. A lot. Fortunately, I kept it on the road... but that is not something I would like to repeat.