(S2K4ME)

Hi all and I thought I would put a little thread together to give a quick run down on where I stand with the S2K.

Probably the worst week to pick up a tail happy convertible - but hey I'm still smiling

Been seearching for threads, swatting up on past chat, listening out for noises and prodding various parts of my delightful S2K!

So when I was driving home last night with the raining chucking it down and stuck on the M25 NCP Car Park, I thought I'm learning to love this car and getting to know some of it's traits (long way to go yet).

One thing that worried me was when I had the clutch depressed down there was a wirring noise and virbration coming from the pedal - I got a little worried for a minute but then realised that it was the windscreen wipers sending vibes through the clutch

Other thing was the AC kept on switching itself on, but then i realised it does this when you switch from vents setting to the demist selection - cool little touch and not some gremlin living in my car

The interior lights seem to have a mind of their own and I think this will be an unsolvable characteristic, but I don't care

To finish off, I love my little car and my g-friend named it (not usual thing for me) but she thinks it is a bloke and his name is SONIC - I actually thought it was quite apt! Sonic boom, Sonic the hedgehog, Super Sonic.

I will finish there as I am probably borring you all

I'm off to check the oil again, judder through some traffic and then slide round a mini roundabout - just because I can!

Nick Graves

Glad you like it.

Sorry, Honda got there before your GF: My wife's Civic VTi is Supersonic Blue!

The clutch whirr is a characteristic - the cog box is unbelievably noisy from the passenger seat.

The interior light switches are under rubber boots on the back of the door shuts - the pins are easily knocked & jammed. You might need to prod 'em straight.

MB

Dont get too confident sliding it around roundabouts! It WILL bite you.

I gave up doing it and found it more fun to go round on the edge of having it sliding.

Also, VTEC in a straight line on a wet raod can be fatal. All it takes is a bit if a camber...

MB

Nick Graves

The car is for gentle four wheel drifting in the dry - it's all about balance and delicacy of control. It does slide tidily in the wet, but it demands experience.

One can (cadence) VTEC in the wet, but like a biker, one must have excellent awareness of the road surface and the correct geomerty settings.

Practice makes the Master.

You will get it in one year; not in one week.

(S2K4ME)

Cheers for the pointers and advice!

At the moment I really am taking it easy, it's like learning to drive again! But hopefully by summer time I will be a lot more in control.

MB

Im sure you've also been advised, but standing water at speed has been proven to induce spinning top mode

And... chaning down too harshly in the wet can send the rear of the car sideways.

I read some of this advice too when I first got the car, and suspected its was scaremongering. Its not

I had 18 months of near incident free / happy driving!

Enjoy!

MB

(S2K4ME)

What happened after 18 months

My neighbour / friend has an elise and we have been chatting long and hard for the last 1 + year about tail happy shenanigans.

He has been consulting me on the lift off, quick deceleration, turn in, flooded roads etc.

Believe it or not, my 172 cup was a handful in the wet, torque steer, lift off over steer etc. But this is a whole different ball game!

Darlo

as i almost found out in the first week of owning mine! never $hit myself so much in all my life. Hit standing water at about 80mph, car started go sideways then corrected itself, thank god! I always take it VERY easy on motorways when its or has been raining now!

MB

I sold it

Best thing is for you to have one of those "moments"

You wont do it again

Im the sort of arse who drives flat out all the time, if there's space. If nobody is on a roundabout, I see it as an opportunity to go over it at warp speed. I do not hang around. Ever. But I was still at probably 90% of what I percieved my ability to be in the S. It needs a good safety factor.

MB

LTB

This is the key, especially for the inexperienced S2k driver.

If you don't know what you're doing, don't snatch a handful of opposite lock, simply loosen your by now white knuckle grip on the wheel and let the car sort itself out, which it will do it most instances.

I believe this is known as the Nick Graves technique.