I've been hearing alot about the S2000's tendency to "snap oversteer." Is this same as the "lift-off" oversteer that plagues mid/rear - engined cars? If not, udner what conditions would it happen. During hard driving (on streets) I always accelerate through turns with the understanding that --as long as too much throttle isnt applied-- the weight transfer to the rear wheels would make understeer more likely than oversteer.

The real important question I have is this: does overpowering the rear wheels going through a turn cause "snap" oversteer (ie an uncontroled spin), or just a more progressive drift (in general). Or is this "snap" oversteer a "lift-off"/brake induced phenomena?

 

its caused by people that can't drive

 

The S2000 does not have a tendency to snap oversteer. That is a myth that was created by poor drivers looking for a scapegoat for their lack of driving skill after an accident.

 

Agreed. There is no 'snap over-steer'. The s2k might be happier to hang out the backend moreso then some feel comfortable. People that say this are either miss-informed or just not up to par on how to drive a proper sports car.

Things that may lead someone to say this however -
Hiting VTEC around a hard corner that is less then ideal traction @ WOT
Quick steering input that is not smooth, but 'jerky'
Quick throtle/brake adjustments mid-corner

Just 3 quickies off the top of my head. Although the right combo of those can at least lead to some fun driving

 

These posts aren't really helpful (except Uber-S2k's). How about I rephrase my question: Is throttle induced oversteer likely to induce an uncontrolable spin. It seems to me that, if A. conditions are dry, B. you are able to counter steer, and C. you have good throttle control, a little throttle induced oversteer wouldn't cause a spin. It has been my understanding that uncontrolable spins are more likely (especially in a 50:50 or more rearward balanced car) under braking or throttle lift at the limits of adhesion.

 

Unless you come into a corner faster then you should (by a noticably wrong amount) nothing gets out of hand IMO. The problem I think people run into is they become more re-active and less pro-active. And any time you do cook a corner a slightly bruised ego goes with it, some take it better then others.

Does the car over steer? yes. In all forms. Throttle induced, lifting mid-corner, bumby/rough spots. Is it a fault of design and not favorable? no. These qualities are what allow the s2k to run the times it does and makes it so fun to drive. When I auto-x, my faster times are usually when I manage to get a little over-steer here and there where needed. These qualities are tools to use more then a hinderence. If you go around, I would say safe to say that 90% of the time it would be from a driver miss-judging something, not some unrecoverable side-ways slide that came from left field.

*edit* I forgot to toss in that stock alignment is not set for performance. At least pre04, I have not got to drive a new one yet or know spec. The car over steers too easily IMO with stock alignments, the adheasion limit is not close to being used. Rear Neg camber is you're friend, just not you're tires

 

I'm pretty sure this statement is backwards. Excessive weighting of the front wheels limits their lateral traction. I always understood that if a car were to oversteer, finding a way to get the car's weight to shift to the rear was the cure.

 

Not usually: The more weight on a tire, the more traction it has available. Friction force = k * Normal force. There is a limit, of course, and if you overload the front tires, you can make them break loose. Same goes on the back, except you also have to deal with the fact that they are accelerating the car and already have less grip available. To shift weight to the rear, you press on the go-pedal, which has its own effect on available grip.


Other potential causes of "snap-oversteer":
Poor alignment
Improper tire sizes
Improper relative front/rear suspension stiffness
Worn tires

But I agree, the #1 cause is poor driving.

 

I believe that the s2k has an understeering setup for a RWD car.

 

Just about all (if not all) modern cars are set-up understeer biased from the factory in the assumption that most people can't handle oversteer...