Hi all!

2nd post on the forum ..

I'm thinking of doing a swap from my 01 330Ci Steptronic to a 02 suzuka blue (what a name!) S2000. How'd you guys think of the pros and cons of having a S2k in Vancity?

Thx!

 

You'll lose the back seats and the prestige of owing a bimmer. In return you'll drive a car that isn't at every block (maybe every second).

 

heard the S is easy to powershift from 3rd to 2nd. any truth to that?

 

Please explain what you mean by this?
If you are talking about downshifting from 3rd to 2nd at high rpm BY MISTAKE, then it has been done many times by many people. This results in a mechanical over-rev which can destroy the engine. The S2000 has a close gated 6 speed manual. You need to learn these gates and need to be able to operate the gear box instinctively. "Easy" is when you fail to figure this out. In fact, learning to operate a 6 speed manual on any modern day car requires some learning to avoid a mechanical over-rev. The S2000 is no exception to this.

 

Yeah, what do you mean by "powershift"? I thought that term was mostly used in the hot rod community to indicate shifting without using the clutch. If so, then the S is not really very well-suited to that.

Misshifts (the "money shift") are possible with any manual transmission. They almost always happen during downshifting, not upshifting. And they tend not to happen when you are not moving the stick sideways (eg. 3rd<->4th). So the most likely error is 5th->2nd (looking for 4th). Also, if you are skipping gears, 5/6->1st (looking for 3rd) and 6th->2nd (looking for 4th).

 

Yeah I mean moneyshift .. better get the terms (and my driving) straight!

 

Also called "mechanical overrev", but if you are being picky it is the misshift that leads to the overrev. The overrev is just the consequence.

You can also misshift going up higher than you meant to, but that only kills your acceleration, not your engine.

My most common error with the S2K tranny, though, is to try to shift too quickly and not get any gear at all! Sucks to try and power out of a corner while you are in neutral....

 

Mike, are you an ex-VW owner by any chance? I had lunch with a couple of racers over the weekend and we were discussing shifting in the S. All the ex-VW at the table complained about missing the gears when they're in a hurry.

 

Nope. But for some reason I sometimes have troubles getting the car into second. Especially in T5 at SRP. Just a lack of patience and concentration on my part, I think.

 

S2000 is an experience. There is no other car that can provide an experience quite like it. Get it and you will know what I mean. Best of luck on your decision.