Hey guys im a new owner, just got a used 00 . Ive never owned a rwd car before and as such am nervous to apply throttle in curves. My old cars were zippy and sometimes turbo fwd mazdas. I am very used to understeer and how to compensate for it with a fwd.

But i have no experience with losing the rear end, and I dont want my first experience to be unexpected and dangerous.

So I was wondering if you guys can tell me at what point does the rear break loose? I assume its fairly easily, in the fwd a fake slide takes effort including hard braking to shift the wieght forward.

I dont particularily want to try a burnout to see what kind of force is required to break the tires free. And at this point i am not comfortable trying anything while moving at any decent speed.

just wondering if you could tell me which kinds of situations the rear is likely to break free, i would be very grateful.

 

It''s difficult to describe a situation and for you to fully comprehend it unless you experience it for yourself. That way you practice at how to counteract that certain situation. If something were to get out of hand, it'd be awkward to think about what the s2ki guys told you as it's happening.

But basically if the rear end gets away from you in a turn, just stay easy on the throttle and counter the steering wheel in the opposite direction. Don't fully let go of the throttle and/or hit the brakes. Too much weight is shifted back to the front and you end up going the other way.

I had to learn this the hard way in the rain. So chalk one up to experience. Go in an empty parking lot one day and really go crazy and FEEL at what point your car breaks loose and how to control it. Don't wait for it to happen on the road somewhere and HOPE you'll know what to do next time.

 

be careful when it is wet or the tyres are cold.

the back on the S sticks like glue most of the time but when it does come out it has never 'snapped'. (thats for me anyway) if will always slowly let itself go.

if you do get the back end to come out... counter steer and keep the throttle where it is, if not apply it a bit more.... this will keep the weight to the rear and you will be able to straighten up.

DO NOT lift you foot off the throttle!!! if you do this will cause a sudden weight shift from back to front and you car will snap around and catch you out.

the back will come out if you blip the throttle on a roundabout , sharp corners (at high speed) etc.

if you are that nervous about the car giving you unexpected actions, take your car to a track, play around with the car until you can find its limits.

 

tizbad2k, welcome to S2ki. hope you enjoy the car and find the info on this site useful. happy driving

 

Wet tires is when you need to fear.

Very, very dangerous. Change your driving style from sport car to 90hp civic.

 

 

Cold is also something to be careful of. Sudden shifts in weight in the car as well. Hitting VTEC at wide open throttle on a cold day (or a wet day) can be enough to break the end loose. Try to be pointed as straight as possible during those times.

Think SMOOOOOOTH instead of jerky or abrupt and it will help a lot.

 

[QUOTE=Ckcrigger,Mar 15 2005, 03:00 AM] Cold is also something to be careful of.

 

Find a deserted intersection or side street and try doing a few U-turns at varying degrees of throttle, start out east and work your way up. Just please make sure it's truly a non populated area. Industrial parks on sunday work best. The rear end is pretty stable and breaks away predictably at lower speeds on these cars.

 

I don't know about intersections. Find a big parking lot like mentioned above, be aware of light posts - they creep up on you. Start making tight circles with the car, adding speed but keeping a tight radius. Gradually add speed and you will feel the car begin to slip (and the tires will howl). Keep going and adding speed to play with kicking the back out and your reactions, and you will have a better idea of what the car can handle...