And the S2000 is a refreshing break from that trend (2004+ excluded of course)

 

I was wondering if that was the case as well, but I still think the pre '04s are a bit understeer biased.

Granted not as much as the '04-'05...

 

Once my tires warm up, I actually have a tought time getting my car to oversteer.

If you want to feel "snap oversteer"...floor a Corvette with cold tires!!!

 

..then wouldn't sending weight to the rear of a car that's losing rear traction help aleviate the problem? I'm not trying to be an a$$, I don't even own a RWD car yet. I'm just curious.

 

I was a little apprehensive before buying this car because I also read all the stories about "snap oversteer" and people spinning their cars in various situations. They often described the experience like everything was perfectly normal, and they couldn't find any reason why the accident was their fault.

In hindsight I think those drivers were either deceiving themselves, or never understood the basics of a RWD automobile. In two years of ownership, I have had many experiences with mild oversteer on city streets, and every single time it was perfectly predictable, and easily correctable. When you know it's going to happen, and you're not surprised by it, then you are much less likely to panic and overcompensate. The only scary part is hoping there are no cops watching.

 

Yes, it can. The problem is the way you move weight to the rear is by using the gas pedal. The same tires are responsible for acceleration, so when you accelerate, the extra weight on the rear is offset by the loss of traction used for acceleration. Do a search on google for "traction circle."

 

I think we should also point out that these SO2s give very little warning when they're about to slide compared to other tires. You have to feel the car very well and listen for a faint chirp to know the tires are at thier max traction. Other tires are a little noisier and may feel more progressive as they lose traction.

The first time I spun(2nd autoX) was a bit of a surprise just because I hadn't heard the tires chirp at all, and I'd only had the car a couple weeks so I didn't feel it. Now that I can feel it better I've got a lot more confidence.

 

I'm in the process of reading Ross Bentely's Speed Secrets 1 and 2. I think I get what you're saying. Even though weight needs to be sent to the rear, that is accomplished by backing off the throttle since the wheels are spinning. Kinda like the steering correction for understeer. You need to input less for the car to do more..that what you're saying?

 

snap oversteer is attributed to tires on this vehicle, namely S-02's

 

I hope you're joking...