I recently test drove S2k at my local dealer, and it took me a little while to get the hand of it. Even though I've driven a manual before(my brother's EVO), I still had difficulty with driving the S2k. Any help? Also. thank to all with helped me on my insurance question. I figured out(with my parents ideas) what the best plan would be. Because of the time limit we had at the dealers(family gathering issues) I never had the chance to ask about the hardtop. I know you can trade your soft top in for a hardtop and then get the warranty for it, but can you remove the hard top once you put it on? And is it hard to? I didn't get a chance to ask the dealership, so I figured why not post on the forumn since you guys have already been such a big help. Thanks a lot for all your time and help.

 

Hi Golden,

Don't feel bad about shifting the S2000. It's a "very" tight transmission and it takes some getting used to. I've driven many manual transmissions and always considered myself to be a reasonably good stick but I'd never driven anything with such short throws and spacing between gears as the S2000 has. In the very beginning of my ownership experience, I had a number of shift where I went from 2nd to 5th when I was trying for 3rd and worse yet, going from 6th to 2nd when I was trying for 4th! NOT a good thing! Fortunately, I caught the downshift mistake before letting off the clutch so I didn't do any damage but it's something you'll need to be "very" careful of until you get used to the car. If I'd have simply dropped the clutch on that downshift, I would have been saying goodbye to my engine, as well as a significant hit to my saving to get the it repaired again.

As for the hard top, it doesn't replace the soft top, although there are those on the forum that have taken the time and trouble to remove the soft top and all it's mechanisms to save the weight because they simply don't like convertibles. The soft top is simply stowed in the down position as it normally would be and the hard top is mounted on top of it. The hard top can be removed any time you'd like and you'll have your convertible back again. I don't personally have a hard top but everything I've read on this forum says that it's a no brainer to remove and install but you will need a couple of people to do it because the hard top, while not particularly heavy, is a little too bulky for one person to handle without running a significant risk of scratching up the paint.

You can check out H and A Accessories for info on the hard top. You'll need to click on the appropriate year model and scroll down until you find the hard to information. They even include a link with a PDF file that shows the installation instructions. I looked at it again just now and unfortunately, they're saying that the hard top is currently unavailable. I don't know what the deal is with that. They also list some "nice to have" accessories to make it easier to store the hard top when it's not on the car. You might want to consider them, or something like them, if you do decide to get this option.

FWIW!
Good luck & Drive Safe,
Steve R.

 

Thank you. I think I've figures out the necessary means for getting my S2k. Although I won't take it for a "hard drive" right away. I'll take it slow so I can get used to the shifting...hehe. thanks a lot!!

-Golden But Broken

 

You can trade your soft top for a hardtop?

 

No.

 

Well, there are those on this forum that really like the S2000 but really hate convertibles.

The solution? Buy a hard top. Those that are really hard core about it have even, in some cases, gone to the extreme of removing the soft top and all it's associated mechanisms (framing, hydrolics that raise and lower the top, etc.) in order to save the weight that all of that stuff makes up.

If you inquired of this to a dealer, they'd probably look at you like you were on drugs or something although I'm sure they'd take your money to do this if you were insistant enough about it. It seems to me that you'd really be reducing the value of the car at resale time by doing this so I don't see the point but to each their own!

Drive Safe,
Steve R.

 

Ok, so I THOUGHT u could replace the soft top. I'm still doing research on the car before I buy. I don't really plan to do much with it yet...maybe when I earn a little more cash then I can add a new set of rims...CF hood...then maybe make it look good with a custom paint job...but hey, it's just a rough sketch plan, nothing final.

 

It's a rear wheel drive car. They handle differently than FWD/AWD cars.

 

I think he's talking more about the clutch and the transmission, not the handling characteristics.

 

I tend to shift my grip depending on which gate I am in.

For the 1-2 shift I hook the shift knob with my fingers around the far side, pulling it toward me, and deliberately "ride" the edge of the gate closest to me.

On the 3-4 I touch as little of the shifter as possible so the spring tension keeps it centered, usually using just 2 fingers to flick down into 4th and the heel of my hand to move up into 3rd. Steering the stick as little as possible while doing this.

Then for 5-6 I bring my hand to the closer side of the stick, pushing it away, and "ride" the far side of the gate. You might think you can accidentially get into reverse with this but without a firm push down to defeat the lockout, it shouldn't happen.

This may seem kind of busy, but if you just put a death-grip on the shifter and start to muscle it around you are courting disaster, IMO. It won't be long until you are in the heat of having a blast, coming out of 5th and aiming for 4th and yanking it right into 2nd. Shifting my hand helps keep me focused and involved in the process by forcing me to think about what I am doing at the time. Drive a stick for awhile and you tend to get a little complacent, this is when mistakes happen.

The last suggestion I can make is get your hand off the stick when not shifting. Keep both on the wheel until the time for a gearchange presents, and then move your hand deliberately to the stick, thinking about where you want to go when you get there. Move with a purpose, make the shift, and then get back to the wheel. Watch some in-car footage and take note of how few drivers leave their hand on the shifter between shifts. Just recently I saw footage of a Vette driver who was doing just that as the back end of his car started breaking loose. He was busy using the stick as an armrest when he should have been dialing in countersteer.

I hope this helps. In the end, do what you like, what works for me may not work for you, yada, yada, yada . . . Enjoy.