After two months of dodging snowfall, we finally got two good days of weekend sunshine and I was able to get my odometer back on track. Was on Vermont's interstate 89N when I went over 600 but decided to take the next exit to experience the optimistic excitement which waited my fiance and I. I believe I have done as good a job as practical in breaking in my suzuka. Never over 5000 RPM, only surpassing 4000 with a "3 bar" and modulating my speed even on short interstate jaunts. I've read some posts where owners couldn't really "feel" the VTEC engagement and I was hoping I wouldn't have to add myself to the list. Well, after making my exit and finding a reason to get the car down to 2nd gear, I met up with a nice patch of straightaway and let it rip. When the car's tach climbed to just over 6K, something magical happened and to my surprise, it had become apparent that the gods of acceleration had temporarily suspended time while replacing my S2000 with Ayrton Senna's 1986 John Player Special Lotus Renault 98T. Eegads! Even my girl, just as soon as VTEC engaged , looked over at me with one of those, "for the love of God, what just happened?" expressions but I was too busy glancing at the tach to explain. I'm not sure what goes on with other S2K's, but my engagement was extremely powerful...much more so than I had ever expected...absolutely NOTHING like other experiences I have been a part of with other VTEC-equipped sporty cars. I'd like to think my patience with the break in process did my car some good, because the 2001 S2000 I drove for the test drive (with 1100 miles on the odo) felt NOTHING like this. That was more of a gradual and linear feeling (from about 5800-6500). My experience today (in all four instances that I went up to 8500 RPM) was as opposite as possible...think God with a pair of Doc Marten's kicking my car in the ass.
Needless to say, playing granny with the car for the first 600-650 miles seems to have worked for me. I am one happy F1 wanabe! FWIW, the Tanabe Racing Medalion exhaust absolutely screams during this process so I'm eager to find out how the Comptech intake (awaiting arrival) will mesh with the current sound. I can't even begin to think how it could possibly sound any meaner.

 

Yep... I had the same experience.... I think also because the engine senses load, throttle position etc, so when you really put your foot in the engine says it's time to turn into a Cheetah...and it does! You'll find the same experience in the twisties when you keep it between 6 and 9 k. .Pure Joy!!!

 

Same experience here... I properly babied her for the first 600 miles. One trip to redline at 600 miles exactly, and not again until 700 miles. I'm now at 812 miles, and allow myself to rev to 8000 during normal driving. Soon, there'll be no limits (well, except the rev-limiter! )

I have to agree - whether it was the proper treatment or not, the shift to VTEC is VERY obvious. Kind of like bwaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! No missing it. Sounds like a motorcycle engine has suddenly kicked in with added power and sound! Mechanical Music!

BTW - my car is purse stock from an engine and drivetrain point of view.

JonasM

 

Is that a Rush reference ('Mechanical Music')?

JonasM

 

I'm closing in on the 500 mile mark, as you know the weather here hasn't been the best, hope I'm able to get the same feeling as you did.

 

congrats on going to the land of vtec. I still have about 650kms left before I can explore that land. We just had another snow storm here so I wouldn't be there for a long time

 

Lyrics from Rush?
Indeed.
One of my all-time fav songs, especially for a guy who's on his 9th convertible! I'm even considering my vanity plate to read:
MECMUZK
Few songs capture the spirit of driving a sportscar like this fantastic tune.
Shall we?


My uncle has a country place
That no one knows about.
He says it used to be a farm,
Before the Motor Law.
And on Sundays I elude the Eyes,
And hop the Turbine Freight
To far outside the Wire,
Where my white-haired uncle waits.
Jump to the ground
As the Turbo slows to cross the Borderline.
Run like the wind,
As excitement shivers up and down my spine.
Down in his barn,
My uncle preserved for me an old machine,
For fifty-odd years.
To keep it as new has been his dearest dream.
I strip away the old debris
That hides a shining car.
A brilliant red Barchetta
From a better, vanished time.
I fire up the willing engine,
Responding with a roar.
Tires spitting gravel,
I commit my weekly crime...
Wind-
In my hair-
Shifting and drifting-
Mechanical music-
Adrenalin surge...
Well-weathered leather,
Hot metal and oil,
The scented country air.
Sunlight on chrome,
The blur of the landscape,
Every nerve aware.
Suddenly ahead of me,
Across the mountainside,
A gleaming alloy air-car
Shoots towards me, two lanes wide.
I spin around with shrieking tires,
To run the deadly race,
Go screaming through the valley
As another joins the chase.
Drive like the wind,
Straining the limits of machine and man.
Laughing out loud
With fear and hope, I've got a desperate plan.
At the one-lane bridge
I leave the giants stranded at the riverside.
Race back to the farm, to dream with my uncle at the fireside.

 

I am surprised you felt that big of a difference ( v-tec) with two people in the car. Unless you have dropped the weight of the car like I have. What is the total weight of both of you? you can easily drop 100 lbs off the car. I am going for 130 lbs. The dropped weight makes a big difference when v-tec kicks in.

 

When I hit VTEC the first time it was very noticeable. It wasn't what I would describe as Earth shattering though. I now have 1200+ miles on her and it still seems like it's getting faster though. That appears to be a pretty common "feature" of the engine, it just keeps getting stronger and stronger even up to 10,000 miles. I posted a few weeks ago about how I thought my dad's Mustang GT felt faster than my S. Now, only 2 weeks later, the S feels faster to me.

I do have just one question though, Why did it take you 2 months to put 600 miles on your car?!?!? I did that in 5 days! In March. In Rochester, NY!

BTW, Red Barchetta was the first Rush song I learned to play on bass. Check out the Rush link in my sig if you play any instruments.

 

Rick, I'm 6-4, 235 and my fiance is 5-5, 120.
My Velox tire/wheel combo is 46-lbs (rear) and 43-lbs (front). OEM was weighed and it came in at 43-lbs (rear) and 41-lbs (front), so I didn't really lose much performance-wise going to my newbie combo because the new tires weigh less than the stockers which helped to offset the Velox's slightly-over-OEM wheel weight. My Tanabe exhaust weighed 13-lbs less than the stock system (hard to imagine with those twin guns staring at you) so yes...I was definitely surprised to feel such a kick with nearly 360-lbs of weight in the car. It's raining today so I'll wait for another opportunity to gun it with just me in the car.

Dave...everytime I had a trip planned, it would snow up here (Vermont), so I just tried to remain patient and it certainly was worth it. I have a winter beater that was used for running errands. BTW, my Paul Reed Smith thru a 5150 half stack DOES sound great when kicking back with some classic RUSH. Geddy is a monster player and Alex can be challenging to follow lead-wise. He's very underrated.,