S2000 Vs Miata
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Here is an outside the box idea, or really more of a different version of the original kitcar box. What about an FFR 818. Mid rear engined kit car. Available in Coupe with real rollup windows, or spyder with roadside assembled cloth top (and you can switch back and forth, the coupe roof can be built as a hardtop.)
Subaru powered. Turbo or NA. Mild to wild. Its 1800 lbs! Can also use Ford ecoboost 4 power. Some have done other motors, and even a few all electric.
No, its not awd. They use the engine and front trans, delete the rear driveshaft, and move the whole symmetrical assembly to the rear. The previously front overhanging motor becomes a mid rear motor, and the trans output to the front axles becomes the rear axles output. Clever. It uses a combination of Subie control arms and fabricated arms.
Available in street version or track. Street can still obviously be double duty and tracked. Very stout and flex free frame.
You build it yourself. Built price would probably be close to what you'd have in either moded S or Miata, and would blow them all off the track. Exotic looking and somewhat unique.
Subaru powered. Turbo or NA. Mild to wild. Its 1800 lbs! Can also use Ford ecoboost 4 power. Some have done other motors, and even a few all electric.
No, its not awd. They use the engine and front trans, delete the rear driveshaft, and move the whole symmetrical assembly to the rear. The previously front overhanging motor becomes a mid rear motor, and the trans output to the front axles becomes the rear axles output. Clever. It uses a combination of Subie control arms and fabricated arms.
Available in street version or track. Street can still obviously be double duty and tracked. Very stout and flex free frame.
You build it yourself. Built price would probably be close to what you'd have in either moded S or Miata, and would blow them all off the track. Exotic looking and somewhat unique.
Sure I was going to go with a brunton stalker kit car, and if I built one I'd do that, but they're just too impractical.
How about a lotus Elise? Thats the other car I've just opened up my search to.
Same idea, mid engine, super light weight. Has a real roof in case it rains.
I would buy a car that's been hit in the front or back and K24 swap it.
For a shockingly small number of cars sold, there always seems to be a crashed one available... makes me really wonder how bad the snap oversteer is. People say the AP1 is bad enough, but I know you can fix that, I haven't heard of a fix for the snap oversteer in the Elise, and everyone's natural inclination is to jump off the gas if you're coming into a corner too hot.
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The S2000 definitely has a higher performance ceiling mod for mod. Its a stiffer chassis with a longer wheel base, wider track width and can accommodate a lot more rubber under the car. The chassis can handle as much power as you can just about throw at it without any added reinforcement or a v8 swap without handling detriment, which is about all you can ask for with a 2700lb car. Hard to beat that balance and unheard of out of a convertible. The Miata is a fun car, the s2000 is more refined, substantial and purposeful which translates out of the box as well as modded. Weight matters, to a point. There are situations where a light 2000lb short wheel base car is harder to keep planted and stable on fast road courses unless aero was really hard designed into the chassis - which Miata is far from even with aftermarket consideration. The Miata just isn't a platform for that kind of serious high level duty. Would make an excellent competitive Auto X car though.
Joined: Aug 2012
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The Lotus 7 type kit cars are too impractical. No argument there. But there are other kit types that up the practicality equation considerably, yet are closer to that direct driver to machine connection than you'll get even with a modded production car.
The ffr 818 mentioned is not that far off from an Elise practicality wise. A lot more real car than you usually expect from a kit.
The ffr 818 mentioned is not that far off from an Elise practicality wise. A lot more real car than you usually expect from a kit.
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 507
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From: North Chicago Suburbs
Sure I was going to go with a brunton stalker kit car, and if I built one I'd do that, but they're just too impractical.
How about a lotus Elise? Thats the other car I've just opened up my search to.
Same idea, mid engine, super light weight. Has a real roof in case it rains.
I would buy a car that's been hit in the front or back and K24 swap it.
For a shockingly small number of cars sold, there always seems to be a crashed one available... makes me really wonder how bad the snap oversteer is. People say the AP1 is bad enough, but I know you can fix that, I haven't heard of a fix for the snap oversteer in the Elise, and everyone's natural inclination is to jump off the gas if you're coming into a corner too hot.
How about a lotus Elise? Thats the other car I've just opened up my search to.
Same idea, mid engine, super light weight. Has a real roof in case it rains.
I would buy a car that's been hit in the front or back and K24 swap it.
For a shockingly small number of cars sold, there always seems to be a crashed one available... makes me really wonder how bad the snap oversteer is. People say the AP1 is bad enough, but I know you can fix that, I haven't heard of a fix for the snap oversteer in the Elise, and everyone's natural inclination is to jump off the gas if you're coming into a corner too hot.
In regards to oversteer my father in law and some friends have been tracking Elise/Exige for many years and never heard them being described as prone to snap oversteer. Then again they're all advanced drivers and maybe just know how to deal with it and consider it as a part of the car their driving and not a flaw. I've done a few laps in the Elise and could immediately see the appeal but was not pushing hard enough to understand fully how it behaved at the limits (didn't want to be responsible for fixing a busted clam).
Joined: Aug 2012
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When a mid rear engine is driven to the point of oversteer, there is an inherent momentum that once past a certain point is not possible to recover. So its not about snap oversteer, its about terminal oversteer. Overdriving it is done at your peril.
Joined: Jun 2016
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From: Vermont
Yup. Remember the Nader book - "Unsafe at any speed"?
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