can i assume they are not doing high rpm clutch drops? can you get to 5.4 to 5.8 0-60 times in the s2k without srewing around with the clutch and transmission?

jss
(into clutch preservation)

 

No, you cannot assume this.

If you read the articles they will tell you a lot of times. Keep in mind that many times these magazines test pre-production cars, and in all kinds of conditions, so they have problems getting solid numbers. Then months or years down the road people look at the numbers in the back of the mag and think..."what the hell is up with those, my car is faster than that".

Also keep in mind that the high-end production cars from Japan are sometimes hard to flog. Did you know that in Japan it's considered disrespectful to dump the clutch @ high-RPM and get a burnout? Now imagine Honda or Nissan sending one of their top cars to the US, with several factory mechanics and some magazine testing it. I've got numerous articles that point this out.

On the other hand, sometimes these mags have free reign to beat the hell out of a car on a sticky track without fear of breaking things or pi$$ing someone off. Case in point is the Camaro SS, I've raced several, and I've never lost. If you read the numbers, the car is quicker than the S, why did I win? Driver effort. Knowing my car and how to put the power to the pavement. Simple.

Forget the magazine numbers, what a car will do in terms of numbers is what YOU can get it to do, no other number is valid.

Andrew

 

Sorry, in answer to your question, no, you can't get good numbers in the S unless you beat it up, you make the call on the toll it will take on your drivetrain/tires.

I leased mine .

Andrew

 

Regarding the S2000, Car and Driver said something to the effect that "using techniques almost certain to get you well acquainted with your parts guy..." as they explained 5.8 seconds 0-60. They try a variety of launches and shift techniques (but they specify that all shifts are with the throttle lifted) to get the best time. Since the launch that yields the best 0-60 time can be rough on some cars, they added a 5-60 acceleration time (start at 5 mph in low gear with the clutch already engaged) to compare what the average driver might see.

As someone said, keep in mind that they test cars supplied by the manufacturer's public relations department. In the 60's, there were allegations that the cars supplied were specially prepped; it's probably happened once or twice since. But I'm also sure that some of the cars were well-worn and performance suffered from it. And of course, there are normal variations in individual units as they come off the assembly line.

And it does often come down to the driver.

 

I worked at C&D while I was at school in Ann Arbor and the guys really beat the cars up. There's usually no manufacturer rep around so the staff has free reign over the cars. The 0-60 times are established over many, many runs and techniques. I guarantee high-RPM clutch drops are part of it.

You may also think most of the driving happens on some track somewhere too. Well, let me say that the Ann Arbor police know when it's time to write the "10 best cars" issue. The Valentine 1 has always been a staffwriters best friend.

Anyhow there are a lot of stories around...like 170mph on I-94, out running cops, etc.

 

i went to school at michigan and grew up in the area. it was no secret that testing was occurring out and around ann arbor.

would a safe estimate be that from a reasonable start the performance is 1-2 seconds longer, or more?

 

I've seen two or three "rolling start" figures. These are usually 5-60mph times with the clutch out and simply mashing the gas. The times that I seem to recall for these types of tests are 6.5 -6.8 seconds.