@ well boof, FWD and RWD are dif too....he could have driven a honda civic for 5 years and still had this problem with traction with RWD+light car+Rain

Your brain tends to remember better when you have that adrenaline pumping from a mistake =p Good lesson since noone/thing was hurt No finger pointing should be in order.

 

[QUOTE=boofer,Oct 17 2007, 02:02 PM]i'm definitely chill.

 

I wouldn't say that a swing-axle Corvair was dangerous, at least not until someone who doesn't know what they're doing gets behind the wheel. A car that does not tolerate mistakes forgivingly is often a part of the equation, and in such cases I don't think it's right to ignore the part the car plays.

This would not have happened in (for example) a Miata.

The faster and quicker a car is, and the higher it's grip limit, the more dangerous it is. If it also has inherently unstable handling (and oversteer is an inherently unstable condition) the situation is made worse. The S2000 probably a very bad choice of vehicles for people who don't understand how dangerous it can be in inexperienced hands.

Even a Yugo can be dangerous in inexperienced hands.

 

so you engaged the drivetrain after you gave it MORE power input... and you lost control... should anybody be surprised????

 

Vik2000, what is the tread depth on those rear tires? These little wake-up calls are sometimes an indication that you need new tires. If you don't have more than 3/32s start looking into new tires.

 

And I wouldn't say that someone "is a crappy driver" just because they lost traction... I'm a pretty decent autocrosser/road racer, and when I first got the s2k, and had my first experience getting sideways on dry pavement from shifting hard mid-turn, or giving it too much throttle in a turn, or the time I got sideways in the rain, or the first time I felt the rear end scoot out from oversteer doesn't mean I suck at driving (I corrected), it just meant that I did not know the limits of the car...

I personally thought that the s2k wouldn't loose traction as easily as it did (going from 450hp to 240hp) but that is still plenty of power to break loose

I agree with the folks that have said to take the car into a vacant parking lot/driving course to see what its limits are... Once you have gone over the limit a couple of times, you will know where not to go on the streets... A lot better in an empty parking lot or hit a few cones versus hitting an 18 wheeler, a curb, or a pedestrian...

 

After owning an S2000 for 5 years I did a 180 degree turn around about a month ago for the first time. I didn't hit anything but it was at a 90 degree turn going slightly up hill, but in dry weather. I can usually feel the car out for when it is going to loose grip, but that day it was grip, then no grip... I didn't even feel it letting loose.

 

You guys are killing me! He admitted his error. He won't do that again.

1. It is a sports car with neutral handling.
2. The AP1 has serious dynamics that are amplified with too much input by the driver.
3. AP2 has reduced dynamics that can still be dangerous with reduced traction (conditions or tires, or abrupt driving).

The important part in all of this is an alert driver, who reacts smoothly, and maintains the vehicle.

 

I guess the main reason this happened was due to wet road + acceleration when entering the corner + pretty steep uphill. Actually tires were replaced by brand new t1r about 2 months ago, so I don't think it's tires' problem. But yea, I definitely need to be more careful and as some people said, I should go learn the car's limit. I'm just glad that no cars were coming; scares me whenever I think back what if there were cars. Definitely thanks a bunch for all the tips.

 

Best way to do that is to take a performance driving class (or two, or a dozen).