I was driving it today and thinking, yeah(!) what keeps me from running it to the upper revs in a lower gear...and then I thought, "stupid question"...i should know better. Sheesh! But had a bit of fun today although did break various local ordinances
In response to a couple of the posts above, I've never ridden a motorcycle so can't relate, but looks scary. That said, my brother lives near Erding, outside of Muenchen, so I am familiar with some of those roads. What a great place to wring out a motorcycle, S2000 or Miata for that matter. I do still own several Miatas although my wife is wanting me to get rid of a couple. I'm nt of that frame of mind!

 

Hah! That´s just around the corner of me.

 

I use mine like B Serious does, as often as possible. Not gettin any younger, enjoy every sec while I can.

So even just going to get groceries is fun. Every drive feels special. Its rare I don't redline at least once on virtually any trip for any reason. These cars aren't especially fast, so redlining to get up to speed is totally possible without ever exceeding speed limit.

You really shouldn't be upshifting below 4k rpm for best shift engagement, but also to keep from lugging engine (basically, never let rpms drop below 3k, downshift as needed). Low rpm is much worse for this engine than high rpm.

So driving at any level beyond granny cruise which is 4k rpm shifting, you're already knocking on vtecs door. So anything more spirited you should already be hitting vtec on every shift. Driving with any real gusto means hitting redline in lower gears.

 

yeah I have banged the limiter on this car multiple seconds at a time many times I have a track video where I was experimenting on one turn (3rd vs 4th) and I think was on the limiter for a good 3 seconds straight there on one lap and that is with a 160,000 + mile engine. In autocross, one rule of thumb is you only upshift if going to be on the rev limiter more than 2-3 seconds or the downshift after makes it a wash. so I have seen S2ks on the limiter for a couple of seconds many times depending on course design. And in general on track, I am shifting around 8500 rpm on just about every shift. Definitely a car that responds well to driving it like you stole it!

Keep those Miatas around too! Dont give in!!! lol

 

Car Analogy, i do remember your basic statements on lessons on how to drive the car when I initially got it and was working on it to bring it back!
Engifeer, your comments very helpful. Thank you!

 

Rule of Thump for the S2000: 0-3000 RPM: Does not exist. 3000-6000 RPM: Crusing. 6000-9000 RPM: Fun.

The tachometer on my old Suzuki GSXR was cool, it started at 3000 RPM. A little hint that this Motorcyle was not meant for relaxed cruising. Adjusting the idle at the carbs was done with a calibrated ear.

 

With bikes and even cars, you kinda learn the feel of the engine's response. Without knowing the exact RPMs. My bikes had no gauges.

 

Wait...adjusting idle at the carbs....did you mean to say British Leyland product instead of Suzuki? That spell correct will get you sometimes! Advice noted and respected!

 

German pun for British Leyland is "British Elend" wich means British Miserable. Hope i dont have hurt feelings...
Even my 2004 Kawasaki has Carbs where you need to adjust the idle from time to time, but i think it was one of the last Motorcycles produced with Carbs.

 

So my S2000 is my only car and it's also the family roadtrip car (I don't have kids). We live in the southwest so we have a ton of mountain roads we can take and national/state parks to visit. We normally to find the off-beaten path to get to our destinations and avoid highways. The longest we drove on a single trip was about 2,000 miles in a week, one day of which was a 1,000-mile trek. I can't speak for you, especially in the southeast where the roads are pretty straight, but try driving it up north a bit to the roads in the Appalachian mountains. That's where this car really shines. You'll quickly realize what this car is known for. Yeah, the track is fun but that can add up if you do it regularly. Brake pads, tires, oil, brake fluid, coolant drain for water/water wetter, and track insurance aren't free. But this car is amazing on track so it's definitely worth doing.