People jerk the shifter around like a teenage boy that just figured out what his wang is for, and mis-shift into a lower gear than the engine can tolerate at the given speed, thus causing mechanical overrevs and blowing the engine. Think redline shift from third back into second, vs fourth.

Different cars have different characteristics and need to be driven in their own way. You're confusing people telling you to slow your shifts with people telling you to drive slow. Synchros only work so fast, and when a heavy flywheel stores energy (AP2) you don't need to shift as fast to keep from losing it. Even with 25 years of experience, I doubt you've driven anything like the S2000.

At any rate, if you don't like the character of the car stock, you can change it - put in an AP1 flywheel (lighter weight) and ACT PP (more gripping force) - that will quicken the response of the car to your faster shifts. Sounds like this is the behavior you want/expect.

And for anyone who tells you its the CDV, they are wrong, and ignorant to boot, since they continue to spout incorrect "facts". The CDV protects the driveline from shock and sets the engagement speed to a reasonable and fast rate. You I'm sure have realized that you never feel slip at mid-range rpm, only at redline/upper - its not the CDV, its the faster speed and inertia of the flywheel that causes the slip, and its a lasting slip - can you imagine driving the car and having that slip at every shift?

 

never driven anything like the S in terms of shifting characteristics. i think i will need to change the PP and flywheel, as it's just not conducive to my driving style. and shifting and cornering go hand in hand imho. kinda shocked considering how my GSR, ITR and Civic all shifted. those are also honda products and had a great direct and immediate feel to them, and no floating of the engine rpm for 2-5 seconds on acceleration shifts great car, but some funny / bad details .... especially given what honda has made previously.

 

never driven anything like the S in terms of shifting characteristics (civic, gsr, itr, gsr, m3, m3, m3, 993tt, 996, 996tt, 996gts, 996gt3, m3, miata, STi, camaro, mustang, firebird, fuego, M5, accord and many others). i think i will need to change the PP and flywheel, as it's just not conducive to my driving style. and shifting and cornering go hand in hand imho. kinda shocked considering how my GSR, ITR and Civic all shifted. those are also honda products and had a great direct and immediate feel to them, and no floating of the engine rpm for 2-5 seconds on acceleration shifts great car, but some funny / bad details .... especially given what honda has made previously.
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never driven anything like the S in terms of shifting characteristics. i think i will need to change the PP and flywheel, as it's just not conducive to my driving style. and shifting and cornering go hand in hand imho. kinda shocked considering how my GSR, ITR and Civic all shifted. those are also honda products and had a great direct and immediate feel to them, and no floating of the engine rpm for 2-5 seconds on acceleration shifts great car, but some funny / bad details .... especially given what honda has made previously.
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I think you'd feel differntly about the S2k's driving feel if you drove an AP1.. or a CR edition. The AP2 has it's obvious advantages over the AP1, but the AP1s are much more raw.

 

Yeah - might want to go drive an AP1 and compare. If you like its character better, replace the flywheel with AP1 OEM, and might as well add a stiffer pp while you're at it - ACT is by all accounts reasonable and works well. If after all that you still don't think your shifting is metal on metal direct enough, you can remove the CDV. Just know what you're really after and what to target to change - no sense going of on a wild goose chase and swapping random parts.

 

Just reposting what I had PMed the OP:

Try this. Make sure you take your foot completely off the gas before you even start pushing in the clutch. Do it in order, and you may do it fast. On the gas to 8k, foot completely off throttle, then push clutch to the firewall, then shift, & don't re-apply gas until clutch is completely released. This method will allow the engine to decel enough so when you shift gears the engine and clutch disc are the same speed. THIS is the reason for the cdv.

Remove the cdv only if you go to an Ap1 flywheel. Rpms will fall faster.

It was never intended to save the Dif.

 

It almost sounds like some people are trying to powershift.

 

I will say the AP2 does take special technique. More so than any other car that I have driven. And thats a lot....25 years of working on different cars.

It can be driven just as fast as an AP1, and with the right technique the AP2 will win a race every time. "there is no replacement for displacement" as we used to say.

Trust me on this...it has nothing to do with knowing how to drive a manual transmission. It has to do with learning to master the AP2 car and it's odd setup.

It's sad the way the car was set up, and I have one customer that went through TWO clutches in 20k miles.

Original clutch, lasted 10k miles.

2nd clutch installed by dealer, AP2 flywheel remained, lasted 10k miles.

3rd clutch installed by me with an AP1 flywheel, and the clutch has 40k on it now. 60k on the car.

AP2 takes unique and odd technique, and practice.

 

It is also possible the unit has glazed and burnt itself enough that it may never come back.

 

Sort of on topic, however how bad is it for the drivetrain etc to bring it up to redline shift and then let then dump the clutch this would be just as bad if not worse then doing it from a stand still?