Yes we can drive our s2000's in the winter
11-24-2003, 09:01 AM
#1
Registered User
Thread Starter
Yes we can drive our s2000's in the winter
I constantly get the surprised look as to Why I drive my s2000 in the winter ? There are so many new s2000 owners, potential s2000 owners as of late emailing me, calling me about this same topic that I am now going to ask you to refer to this little write up from now on. I don't care what you all do for the winter, that is your prerogative, but I feel as of late, I am constantly justifying myself over this topic. I am not trying to impose my view on you, I'm just trying to give an explanation so I can reference it when the next newbie or service tech comes along imposing their viewpoint on me.
A service technician from a Honda dealership really infuriated me weeks back, as to why I drive my car in the winter. He is really motivating me to give this write up. He is going to get this first printed edited copy.
My Winter driving of the s2000 is limited to cold and dry days, days with minimal residual snow on the ground, days with no freezing rain and I think that is fine. There is always residual snow on side streets, and residential intersections where snow tires are a must. Our s2000's are fine in the winter. Once you are aware of your acceleration and deceleration limits, you should have no problems.
I'm quite fed up over hearing, I CAN'T, or I SHOULDN'T drive my car due to road salt etc. etc. I disagree, I can and will , and below you will read my reasoning.
So the next time anyone questions my winter driving the s2000, I'll have this printed and give you a personal copy.
My s2000 is my daily driver. Years back, I tried storing it, but couldn't justify it just sitting there. I really missed driving it. So what did I do ? I researched it, and asked those who do winter drive what they did. I had a soft top '00 Silverstone which is more than adequate in the winter. Now with my hard top, its even better.
I'm sickenend to hear guys avoiding roads where there are conditions of sand, salt, mud puddles, dirt, and then the ultimate, never driven in the rain. Sorry, but those rules certainly do not apply to me and that's a whole different conversation. I drive through a construction zone - sand, mud, and gravel every day and am still able to maintain my car's cleanliness. So what if it gets dirty ? It's a car than can be washed. If you don't want your car to get dirty, then .. (sorry, but I'm refraining from answering that, as that is too subjective on my part)
I believe our winters in the GTA are NOT THAT BAD. Our winters are less and less predictable which prompts me to watch the weather network a little more often. That is done because, there could be the possibility of no precipation in my morning 40km drive, but snow or freezing rain for my 40km drive home.
A good friend of mine Xviper has collaborated with me in this little write up of winter driving the s2000.
YES! YOU CAN DRIVE THE S2000 IN WINTER:
1.The S2000, with dedicated snow tires on all 4 corners makes this one of the best RWD sports car to ever been driven in winter.
2. It is FAR better in winter conditions that most FWD cars with all season radials.
3.The S2000's perfect 50/50 weight distribution makes it handle extremely well under winter conditions when cornering is encountered. Whereas a front weight biased car will tend to either plow into a corner or when pushed too far, the back end will come around easily. With ABS, stopping is almost a mindless procedure. Just mash the brakes and let the ABS do its thing while you steer, if necessary.
Have we so quickly forgotten what the whole nation did before the advent of FWD cars? What do you think people did then? Even today, many of the taxi companies and police departments use, guess what? REAR WHEEL DRIVE CARS!!!!! Do they NOT go to work just because winter happens to come along? Curious, huh? The ONLY thing that give me any sort of trouble is GROUND CLEARANCE. I can still plow through snow that is upwards of about 8" deep. Any deeper than that, it is very difficult to get through. And I've learned to ride on the high spots next to the ruts in the roads caused by previous vehicles.
4.Regarding rust: We are NOT talking Hondas of even 10 years ago, where they rusted out like crazy. After 3 winters of driving on salty streets, with moderate care to hosing out the underside whenever I wash the car, it looks no worse than an S2000 that has been driven in summer rains. We must remember that factory rust protection on modern day cars is FAR better than in days past. The S2000 goes through the same treatment as your average Accord and Civic and these cars manage to fend off rust these days extremely well even without aftermarket undercoating. Sure, the suspension parts looks a bit rusty but this is only surface rust and the car looks like this after a few times being washed.
5.Why do we need snow tires on the front even though it is a RWD? We need to stop, don't we? We need to corner, don't we? If we did not have snows on the front, stopping distances would be absolutely horrendous. We all know that during breaking, weight gets transferred to the front and the bulk of the stopping power is done by the front. Even weight loaded, SO2's are almost totally useless at grabbing snow and ice covered surfaces - you will never stop or turn effectively. SNOW TIRES ON THE FRONT IS A MUST!
6. The heater in this thing is one of THE best I've encountered. Combined with a block heater, I can get heat inside within a minute and before even a short trip on a really cold day is over, I have to turn the heater DOWN! The engine actually starts easily in the cold. Plugging it in makes it child's play. I have managed to start this car with no plug in on a day when it was -25*C. The car was parked outside all night. (I forgot to plug it in when I parked and I was too lazy to go out just before bed.)
7. This car starts well, gets moving in snow and ice well, stops well, corners well. Why would I want anything that is less enjoyable and less competent? I can out drive 90% of the cars I encounter on a typical winter day. I have more fun in winter with this car than I do in summer.
8. Then there is one final remark that people NOT in the know pose to me: "Why would you risk a $50K car in winter when other people might slam into you? You may be able to manage with your car but you can't depend upon others to be able to drive theirs". Well, my answer is this: "How is risking my S2000 any different than the guy who is risking his $50K to $100K SUV?" You see a LOT of these on the winter roads. Maybe these people should NOT drive their cars either for fear of getting run into? Should we all drive beaters? Should we double up on our insurance for having that beater? Why should we have to leave our FUN car at home just because of winter? Why should we have to drive a beater that may or may not start or may or may not keep running 3 blocks from home? That doesn't brake as well? That doesn't handle as well? Whose heater won't keep us warm?
So there you have it. I hoped that you can learn from reading this, that our s2000's are not bad in the winter and we are not "killing our cars" like some of you have told me. The s2000 with proper maintenance and some defensive driving in my opinion is more than a viable winter driving vehicle.
A service technician from a Honda dealership really infuriated me weeks back, as to why I drive my car in the winter. He is really motivating me to give this write up. He is going to get this first printed edited copy.
My Winter driving of the s2000 is limited to cold and dry days, days with minimal residual snow on the ground, days with no freezing rain and I think that is fine. There is always residual snow on side streets, and residential intersections where snow tires are a must. Our s2000's are fine in the winter. Once you are aware of your acceleration and deceleration limits, you should have no problems.
I'm quite fed up over hearing, I CAN'T, or I SHOULDN'T drive my car due to road salt etc. etc. I disagree, I can and will , and below you will read my reasoning.
So the next time anyone questions my winter driving the s2000, I'll have this printed and give you a personal copy.
My s2000 is my daily driver. Years back, I tried storing it, but couldn't justify it just sitting there. I really missed driving it. So what did I do ? I researched it, and asked those who do winter drive what they did. I had a soft top '00 Silverstone which is more than adequate in the winter. Now with my hard top, its even better.
I'm sickenend to hear guys avoiding roads where there are conditions of sand, salt, mud puddles, dirt, and then the ultimate, never driven in the rain. Sorry, but those rules certainly do not apply to me and that's a whole different conversation. I drive through a construction zone - sand, mud, and gravel every day and am still able to maintain my car's cleanliness. So what if it gets dirty ? It's a car than can be washed. If you don't want your car to get dirty, then .. (sorry, but I'm refraining from answering that, as that is too subjective on my part)
I believe our winters in the GTA are NOT THAT BAD. Our winters are less and less predictable which prompts me to watch the weather network a little more often. That is done because, there could be the possibility of no precipation in my morning 40km drive, but snow or freezing rain for my 40km drive home.
A good friend of mine Xviper has collaborated with me in this little write up of winter driving the s2000.
YES! YOU CAN DRIVE THE S2000 IN WINTER:
1.The S2000, with dedicated snow tires on all 4 corners makes this one of the best RWD sports car to ever been driven in winter.
2. It is FAR better in winter conditions that most FWD cars with all season radials.
3.The S2000's perfect 50/50 weight distribution makes it handle extremely well under winter conditions when cornering is encountered. Whereas a front weight biased car will tend to either plow into a corner or when pushed too far, the back end will come around easily. With ABS, stopping is almost a mindless procedure. Just mash the brakes and let the ABS do its thing while you steer, if necessary.
Have we so quickly forgotten what the whole nation did before the advent of FWD cars? What do you think people did then? Even today, many of the taxi companies and police departments use, guess what? REAR WHEEL DRIVE CARS!!!!! Do they NOT go to work just because winter happens to come along? Curious, huh? The ONLY thing that give me any sort of trouble is GROUND CLEARANCE. I can still plow through snow that is upwards of about 8" deep. Any deeper than that, it is very difficult to get through. And I've learned to ride on the high spots next to the ruts in the roads caused by previous vehicles.
4.Regarding rust: We are NOT talking Hondas of even 10 years ago, where they rusted out like crazy. After 3 winters of driving on salty streets, with moderate care to hosing out the underside whenever I wash the car, it looks no worse than an S2000 that has been driven in summer rains. We must remember that factory rust protection on modern day cars is FAR better than in days past. The S2000 goes through the same treatment as your average Accord and Civic and these cars manage to fend off rust these days extremely well even without aftermarket undercoating. Sure, the suspension parts looks a bit rusty but this is only surface rust and the car looks like this after a few times being washed.
5.Why do we need snow tires on the front even though it is a RWD? We need to stop, don't we? We need to corner, don't we? If we did not have snows on the front, stopping distances would be absolutely horrendous. We all know that during breaking, weight gets transferred to the front and the bulk of the stopping power is done by the front. Even weight loaded, SO2's are almost totally useless at grabbing snow and ice covered surfaces - you will never stop or turn effectively. SNOW TIRES ON THE FRONT IS A MUST!
6. The heater in this thing is one of THE best I've encountered. Combined with a block heater, I can get heat inside within a minute and before even a short trip on a really cold day is over, I have to turn the heater DOWN! The engine actually starts easily in the cold. Plugging it in makes it child's play. I have managed to start this car with no plug in on a day when it was -25*C. The car was parked outside all night. (I forgot to plug it in when I parked and I was too lazy to go out just before bed.)
7. This car starts well, gets moving in snow and ice well, stops well, corners well. Why would I want anything that is less enjoyable and less competent? I can out drive 90% of the cars I encounter on a typical winter day. I have more fun in winter with this car than I do in summer.
8. Then there is one final remark that people NOT in the know pose to me: "Why would you risk a $50K car in winter when other people might slam into you? You may be able to manage with your car but you can't depend upon others to be able to drive theirs". Well, my answer is this: "How is risking my S2000 any different than the guy who is risking his $50K to $100K SUV?" You see a LOT of these on the winter roads. Maybe these people should NOT drive their cars either for fear of getting run into? Should we all drive beaters? Should we double up on our insurance for having that beater? Why should we have to leave our FUN car at home just because of winter? Why should we have to drive a beater that may or may not start or may or may not keep running 3 blocks from home? That doesn't brake as well? That doesn't handle as well? Whose heater won't keep us warm?
So there you have it. I hoped that you can learn from reading this, that our s2000's are not bad in the winter and we are not "killing our cars" like some of you have told me. The s2000 with proper maintenance and some defensive driving in my opinion is more than a viable winter driving vehicle.
The following users liked this post:
RJ_AP1 (12-26-2022)
11-24-2003, 09:11 AM
#2
BRAVO, SIMON! 
Consider the baton passed onto you. I'll still stay as backup.
ps. If you want to see S2000's being driven in the snow and ice:
http://forums.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.p...threadid=156779
Consider the baton passed onto you. I'll still stay as backup.
ps. If you want to see S2000's being driven in the snow and ice:
http://forums.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.p...threadid=156779
11-24-2003, 09:21 AM
#4
Good post, good points.
I have no problem actually DRIVING the car in the winter, especially with the conditions you mentioned, I know of some guys that drive their corvettes on those nice days in the winter on clear roads (on summers!).
Ground clearance is the only issue I'd be concerned with really, and considering I can't exit my driverway NOW without scraping I can't see getting out of the driveway and down my never plowed street during the winter.
Have fun winter driving her, I can't see how anyone can say DON'T drive her. It's up to YOU! I decided I won't be driving my car, that's my choice.
I'm always second guessing my choice since I have a HT that will NEVER be used otherwise
The heater though is TOP NOTCH, probably because the heater is probably made for a sedan and is filling such a tiny space.
I have no problem actually DRIVING the car in the winter, especially with the conditions you mentioned, I know of some guys that drive their corvettes on those nice days in the winter on clear roads (on summers!).
Ground clearance is the only issue I'd be concerned with really, and considering I can't exit my driverway NOW without scraping I can't see getting out of the driveway and down my never plowed street during the winter.
Have fun winter driving her, I can't see how anyone can say DON'T drive her. It's up to YOU! I decided I won't be driving my car, that's my choice.
I'm always second guessing my choice since I have a HT that will NEVER be used otherwise
The heater though is TOP NOTCH, probably because the heater is probably made for a sedan and is filling such a tiny space.
11-24-2003, 09:23 AM
#5
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Excellent...EXCELLENT write up Simon. Once again, Xviper has provided some very VALUABLE info on winter driving the S2000. The only thing missing is a recommendation on actual tires for the Winter. Again, going with Xviper's recommendation, I have opted for the Bridgestone WS-50's as this is my first winter with the S. The WS-50's provide greater traction in snowy, icy roads, as oppose to the better handling LM-22's on drier roads but less traction on icy, snowy roads...