You must have a lot of fat to cushion ur arse, I cant stand to drive mine for more than a couple hours.

 

s2000 sucks at long drives unless you're 5 ft 2.

I start cramping up.

but you can't say S2000 is a Race car, and you can't say s2000 is a Sporty car, because it's between race car and sporty car.

 

I'm 5'11 and don't have all that much fat to cushion it. You failed to see what my other cars were or how they were setup. The S2000 is by far the softest car I've owned in 7 or 8 years, well except for a lincoln I got for free, but I wouldn't drive that more than 30 minutes

I'm not sure about the older seats, but the 06+ are fine with 12-15 hour drives, and with the lack of vibration I'm not completely numb like I am from 2 hours or more in my Integra. My only other car at the moment isn't street legal so...

Sure, a E46 M3, or a RL/TL, etc would be more comfortable, but since the goal of my road trips has some driving involved (usually a track event) I wouldn't bother buying one of them for trips.

I know I'm not the only one who doesn't mind this car for long trips, although I have to admit I was pretty surprised on just how livable it was after reading all the bitching on here.

 

i just don't have enough leg room, which is my problem on long drives.

that and my balls go numb.

i mean, I'm fairely built with wide shoulders and fairely masculin legs, and my right knee hits the side of the radio panel thing and it drives me nutz over couple of hours.

but I love long trips so... i can't help it.

going to 4 hour drive to dragon this weekend for the Z day, and I'm really not looking forward to the drive, at the same time I am.

 

I have the same problem with the radio, but only with the door itself, so I just leave it closed. I found that resting my feet against the cross beam is best on the interstate, otherwise leg room can be a problem.

For me those are all fairly minor things compared to how annoyed i get in my other and previous cars on any remotely lengthy drive. I actually did the same drive with my Integra and S2000 to Gingermane Raceway in MI (from Florida), took a longer route with the S and had less fatigue, and I did the drive with the integra when I was 4 years younger. I guess I don't mind the minor annoyances from the tight cabin compared to the numbness and mind numbing boredom I experience with most other cars for longer trips. The integra was plenty fun too though, and we had an interesting tornado experience on that trip, but still, the S was just more fun and livable I though.. with two peoples belongings for a week trip and the sub still installed

 

I've been around "race cars" since I was a kid, and that was actually a pretty long time ago.

The whole disagreement you guys are butting heads over hinges on the definition of "race car." Given a clear definition of the term I'll be we'd all be in agreement.

In the early press releases Honda called the S2000 "a race car for the street." All we can do is guess at what they meant by the term "race car," and if I take their statement literally it seems to say that the S2000 was designed for street racing. I don't think that's what they had in mind, but their statement certainly could be taken that way.

I have heard drivers in open wheel classes say, "Real race cars don't have fenders." Using their definition the S2000 could never be a "real race car."

The term "race car" has nothing to do with the car, and everything to do with the way it is used. There use to be a guy in our (SCCA) region that raced a two door Mazda in Showroom Stock. Naturally the car had an SCCA Log Book, so by any measure it was a "race car." A bone stock econo-box becomes a race car when it is prepared according to a set of class rules and put on the track.

If I am running an S2000 in showroom stock class and have a log book, them my S2000 is a race car. If I race the car in any kind of competition it becomes a race car during that competition.

My S2000 did not come with a log book or anything else that would make it a race car, but it's sure a great starting point. It's still not a race car in my eyes, but lots of people think it is, because I autocross it. I don't consider autocrossing to be the same as racing, so I prefer to think of my S as an autocross car. It wasn't an autocross car until it was autocrossed, but when it's on the courses, that's exactly what it is, and it's very effective at the task.

It's not what's on the inside that defines what you are. It's the things you do.
Ditto for cars.

 

When are you going to autocross it again? You did the PCA event, but it's been like....well.... I can't remember how long it has been now since you've been down to the melon. I might bring my s2000 out next month so I can call it a race car.

 

My definition:

I consider a race car to be designed for one thing: to win races. If something doesn't help it win the race, then it doesn't go on the car. Rules may mandate certain choices to compete in a given race series, but everything else needs to justify it's additional weight on the car.

Showroom stock and other series that attempt to keep the costs of racing lower necessarily restrict design by mandating the use of stock components. Showroom stock cars arn't designed to be racecars. Just the opposite, as your ability to make the car faster is limited to almost nothing. Does that make them less of a race car? I say yes, as the more restrictions on design that you make, the less the car can fulfill its intended purpose. So while a rock can be used as a weapon, you can't put in in the same category as a bazooka.

So... was the S2k designed to be a race car? Hell no. It's designed to fill a niche in the car market. It's the niche I happen to like: fast, nimble, reliable, refined, fun, convertable, and (relatively) cheap.

 

I disagree. I love the start button. Every time I let someone drive my car they always drool over it because it adds to the race theme of the car. It seems like most cars these days are moving to the start button anyway. (Including lexus, toyota, cadilac... etc). One thing I really looked at before I bought my S was the interior/dash. I loved the minimalist nature of the s2000 dash and i'm pretty sure a lot of us s2ki members do.

OP, if the features of the dash bother you enough to rant on the forums, then maybe you don't like your s2000. Maybe, just maybe you shoulda bought something else. I loved my S from day 1. Sure i'd like a better radio or better whatever here and there. But I would never go on and on over how Honda has failed you and so on... Did you ever think maybe Honda didn't change the features because more people like them than hate them?

I'm not trying to attack you or anything, but man you came out with a match and a gas can. Good luck to you.

 

[QUOTE=E-Z,May 17 2007, 04:49 PM]When are you going to autocross it again?