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Perhaps a useful perspective on this, from an intermediate-duration member, would be that a number of us have become tired of and grumpy about reading how the S won't handle in this or that situation -- snow, rain, gravel, curved roads, straight roads, night, day, what-have-you.
In point of fact, it's not the car in any of these situations, it's the operator. RWD vehicles do indeed handle differently from FWD and AWD vehicles, duh. But to suggest that the car is inherently dangerous (as implied by the safety-first reference) in any particular situation is to proclaim victim-hood and to attempt to deflect blame and responsibility from where belongs, with the driver.
I will say (wisecrack above notwithstanding) that the S suffers in winter conditions from its low clearance, but then so do many other cars. I managed to get an Audi A4 with four studded snows high-centered one time in the Colorado mountains. It ate into my skiing time that day, grump grump. HPH
This is a matter of perception. In fact, I have way more fun in winter than I do in summer. It can be drifted, spun out, driven to its winter limits without hurting or straining any part of the car.
Let's face it, to some, the S2000 is their pride and joy and may be the pinnacle of the cars they've owned so far in their lives. To others, it a daily driver, a thing that is to be used - it's still just a car. It has no feelings nor does it care if there's snow on the ground. Even the salt on the roads is not a big deal. Mine is over 5 years old and about to finish its 6th winter. In the spring, it cleans up and you can't tell it from one that is winter stored.
"POOR" car would indicate that it suffers or has feelings. Believe me when I say that it does not suffer nor do I personify it. Of all the sports cars that I have owned (some of them daily driven big buck cars), this is perhaps the most reliable, most capable and most fun of them all for winter use. It is a tough little Honda.
This is the kind of stuff that winter fun is made of:
And all of this is just stuff that washes right off:
Cleans up like new:
BTW, mine is the original year 2000. It has never needed repair. It has never failed me. It has never broken down. It keeps me warm on the coldest days (-38*C) and has always started right up. I've driven into parking lots with snow drifts 18" deep and drove out again. Oh, it's also supercharged with 4.44 gears in the ass end. "POOR" car? Not at all .................... "GREAT" winter car.
I could not have said it better. Excellent post Dave.
Funny, this topic keeps coming back. Is it safe to drive in the rain, the snow, at night, during the winter, the cold, etc...?
Good points xviper.
Adding my 2 cents here too, I daily drive mine and have used it through the winters. The car can get twitchy at times, but most of this is all driver's input that causes this, but drive it with care or learn to understand it and it can be driven in any environment with the right tires of course. I adore it, but I won't refrain myself from enjoying it all year round just to protect it from the elements. It's not something that I think I could kept flawless for the rest of it's life, naturally it's going to get bruises here and there through it's lifetime. I don't plan on selling it, so its going to be driven as often as I can.
Originally Posted by FL05S2K,Mar 13 2006, 11:06 AM
well i appologize for my opinions...and butting heads...maybe its just from growing up on the other side of the lake from canada and getting all the lake effect from the arctic breeze
Like I said before, don't be sorry for your "opinion" and as for the butting heads, let me also apologize. I just get a little uppity when I'm told the what I routinely do shouldn't be done.
As for the "lake effect", we used to have a few members here on the forum who live in that area AND drive their S2000s in it.
Originally Posted by DrCloud,Mar 13 2006, 01:16 PM
In point of fact, it's not the car in any of these situations, it's the operator. RWD vehicles do indeed handle differently from FWD and AWD vehicles, duh. But to suggest that the car is inherently dangerous (as implied by the safety-first reference) in any particular situation is to proclaim victim-hood and to attempt to deflect blame and responsibility from where belongs, with the driver.
ahh yes you would have said that because the last post that i had didnt post...i stated that what i meant by saftey first was not saftey of me crashing an S but someone else in a prominantly SUV area being worried about them crashing into me in accident prone winters...
Originally Posted by FL05S2K,Mar 13 2006, 11:29 AM
i stated that what i meant by saftey first was not saftey of me crashing an S but someone else in a prominantly SUV area being worried about them crashing into me in accident prone winters...
May I take you back to a statement I made earlier in this thread:
Let's face it, to some, the S2000 is their pride and joy and may be the pinnacle of the cars they've owned so far in their lives.
You see, it's absolutely fine if you don't drive your S because you wish to pamper it and keep it "protected". It's another matter if you don't drive it in snow because you perceive that it can't be done.
Anyone, regardless of what they drive, faces being crashed into by some other vehicle. It's all in how the owner places importance upon their vehicles. There are those with megabuck SUVS (Porsche, Escalades, Infinity, Land Rovers, BMWs, Benz) who won't drive them in the harsh winter because they don't want to risk getting them run into. These are vehicles that supposedly are best suited to winter's ravage. These are not people who don't drive their cars because they can't. They don't drive them because they won't.
Originally Posted by FL05S2K,Mar 13 2006, 10:40 AM
ur crazy if you think this is a great winter car...but snow isnt going to make the car break down...but salt is going to ruin paint and parts...
you're way off. cars today have incredible resistance to rust, and road salt.
i live in wisconsin, where we get road salt constantly. i dont see wisconsin car owners driving around with cars that are falling apart. in fact, you have just as much a chance of getting rust on your car due to the fact that you live near the ocean. ever heard of salt water? yeah it evaporates into your air.
Originally Posted by FL05S2K,Mar 13 2006, 11:04 AM
spent 21 years of my life living in the third snowiest city in the US...never did you see s2000's driving around bcs people thought they were great winter cars...the ONLY compact sports cars you see are AWD cars bcs they are controllable in the snow...try starting your rwd s2000 on a steep hill in the middle of winter...see if you make it up it...cars rust from salt...you cannot tell me that they dont...
couldn't be more wrong. my S2000 drives better than the majority of the cars out there, because I have good winter tires on it. even my fiancee, who has never driven RWD before, says that she feels safer driving my S2000 in heavy snow than her FWD corolla.
