Another thing you have to keep in mind is that all off ramps are "Decreasing radius" turns. You'll have a nice long even right turn then before you hit the straight it gets twice as sharp..
Ill never forget this.. I was driving home one night really late, and I was getting off the turnpike. This dude in an Expedition or something wanted to mess with me on the off ramp. So I was taking the ramp at like.. eh.. 45.. I know the ramp well so I know that before the end there is that sharp turn.. The guy gets like 3 feet off my ass on the curve.. I come out of it fine but when he hits the sharp part, he almost goes off the road. Trying to take and S2k on the twistys in an SUV.. tsk tsk tsk* He started it!

So please.. everyone.. be carefull on exit ramps..

Everwhere else...

 

A 33 MPH difference between "almost flying off the ramp" and a first time driver??? That's nuts, regardless of driver experience or skill.

Sure he wasn't doing 83 KPH? That would put him only 1.5 mph faster than you.

 

you can definitly push more than 40mph
where are you in the turns?
Wide? inside?
maybe thats why???
no way a G35 out handles the S

 

Depends if he was braking during the turn or before it. As long as the wheel is straight, all he is doing is lowering his entrance speed. Which, technically, is safer. If he's braking during the turn, then the recipe is for disaster.

S2000's need to be taken to the track. I think it even says so in the manual . Yes, on the street, an S2k may not outperform a G35 if you like to drive in your comfort zone. But hell, one of the reasons I got the S was cuz I was tired of getting passed on the race track. I could care less if I get passed on the street.

 

OK, just to be more clear, I am in no way saying that a G35 will outhandle an S2K. I'm basically putting all the blame on myself... I have no delusions of grandeur, I know I'm just an average driver. And to me, I feel like I can drive the G35 faster than my S2K. I know that in the hands of a professional, the S2K will run circles around a G35.

I think from reading some posts, I'm realizing that perhaps the S2K feels scarier because it gives better feedback than a G35. There are many turns where I can almost feel like the rear is starting to lose traction... I don't know if this is just in my head, or if it's really losing traction. Being just an average driver, any time the rear of the car feels a bit unsettled in a tight turn, it's unnerving. And at that point, it's even more unnerving to think to just stay on the gas and everything will be OK.

I guess the best way to really learn the car is to take it to a track or autocross and learn to trust it. Although I'm not sure if being "comfortable" with the rear losing traction would necessarily be a good thing on public roads....

As someone else pointed in an earlier post, I always feel like I'm flying around in my S2K, taking turns at speeds that most other cars can't. It's just kind've disappointing to realize that I'm actually not really going as fast as I think I am.

 

[QUOTE=Globetro,May 27 2005, 01:09 PM]I'm just an average driver.

 

Go do some Auto-X or HPDE (track time) like Patinum said! Then drive your car...while there, seek out an instructor to help show you what your car is capable of. Then you try driving again...the new found understanding of the gap between novice drive and car capabilities will ususally quickly start to diminish as you have better first-hand knowledge of what your car can do. I was with Patinum at Road America and as quite the novice - I too saw my laptimes greatly decrease and start closing in on his as the weekend progresses. I was originally sure I was going fast in my car, until I learned better. Keep that knowledge for the track or for a situation where it is really necessary (like accident avoidance) Use what you learn to be a better driver on the street, but remember the skills of the people on the road are not the same - so please don't treat street traffic like racing traffic.

-Justin

PS - My friend thought his muscle car was fast - until another friend in a little MR2 showed him that the muscle car was SLOW in everthing but a drag-race.

 

Also keep in mind that if you could get through the turn 5% faster, you would only be going 42mph.

5% in a race is a LIFETIME. If a 350z could run a partiular track at 1:30 a lap, and you were 5% faster you would be turning in lapst 1:25.5. If you could do that over a ten lap race he would only be halfway through his last lap when you too the checker flag.

BTW -- If you have time to look at the speedo in a corner, you are NOT going fast enough.

 

I'd say it's mostly the fact that at a low speed like 40mph around a nice banked on/offramp situation the G35 is going to feel more stable due to it's heft and wider wheels/tires....but I still bet you could do it 20mph faster in the S2K and be just fine if you don't mind the on edge about to rotate feeling

 

It's not that you will feel comfortable losing traction. It's more that you will realize that losing traction is harder than you think, and in the event it does happen, you'll know what to do. If you go 9/10th, 10/10th, or even 11/10th on the track, you'll realize that what you thought was 7/10th on the street was really more like 5/10th (math makes my head hurt).

I had an instructor drive my car around the race track to get better feel of its limits. He had heard that the S was prone to snap oversteer. After his couple of laps in the S, he asked when does that snap oversteer happen? Having already done quite a few laps myself, I could only say it happens with inexperienced drivers or non-optimal conditions. I kind of think this snap oversteer is a bit overrated. Yes, the rear is more squirmy than other cars, but it is controllable. You can learn that at the track.