I was wondering how an s2000 handles in the snow, also in the rain? I don't own one yet, but am thinking about purchasing one.

 

do a search....=)

 

It depends a WHOLE LOT on your tires. The stock tires and any performance tire in snow will be like driving on ice. For rain, it also depends on the tire - some performance tires are good, some aren't.

Haven't done this myself, but others in snowy climes say the car handles fine with the right tires (snow tires).

 

Here is a "copy and paste" of a reply to a PM that I got from another board member:

I have driven my car for 2 winters now. I will only address the driving issues in this message. Issues to do with paint protection, personal comfort, etc. I'll address if you ask.
I was going to attach some photos of what our streets look like in a typical winter day, but I can't seem to access my photo album, so you might want to try a search with my username ("xviper") and "winter" to see them. I see you are from Luxemburg, yes? You might want to talk to some of the members in Sweden. They also have much experience with winter driving in this car.
The stock tires are not very good when the road surface temperature falls to near zero. Even if there is no snow on the ground, snow tires are highly recommended. I have been using 4 separate wheels (ADR, 16" X 7" on all four corners). I have BF Goodrich "Winter Slalom" on the front and Bridgestone Blizzak on the rear, all in stock sizes. None of these tires are studded. The front ones are identical in width to the stock tires but as you know the rear stock size is actually a "245" so when you get any "225", it will actually be slightly narrower than stock. I got two different makes of tires only because I wanted to save a bit of money. Blizzaks are a lot more expensive than the Winter Slalom but the WS do not come in the size that I needed so I had no choice. This combination has worked superbly. I have driven through snow over 6" deep and have never gotten stuck. I even drove through a parking lot once where the snow was higher than my grill opening with no problems.
Some words of caution: Driving this car, even with snow tires requires some delicate application of power. Moving off from a stop can be a challenge if you don't have good clutch/throttle control but once mastered, you'll be fine. A RWD car like this can easily loose traction in the rear so you must be careful when turning or even accelerating on a slightly banked road surface. The back end will "kick out" easily and must be instantly corrected with steering input and throttle modulation. Having just said that, this is what I find to one of the more fun things about driving this car. You can "drift" at will whenever and wherever you like.
Stopping with snow tires and ABS is very manageable and in time, you'll learn to decelarate and stop with a sensitive brake foot such that the ABS rarely comes on. Turning, of course must be done at slower speeds and with due care. It is wise to slow down before the turn.
Also, on those nice winter days when the temp rises and the snow disappears from the roads, you cannot drive as you would normally drive with the stock tires. Winter tires do not perform like the S02's do in warm/dry. You'll find that you cannot take curves as fast because there is too much flex in the winter tire. If you drive on the snow tires for too long in the warm/dry, you'll wear them out very fast.
If your winter temps get below freezing often, your would be wise to have a block heater. The car starts much easier and warms up quicker if it is plugged in while parked out in the cold. If you have problems with water in your gas, then put in gas line antifreeze with every other fill up. We have 10% ethanol gas here and I fill up with this every 3rd or 4th fill up just to make sure the tank is water free.

And here is a link to a thread about my latest "rain experiment":
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.php?...&threadid=74956

 

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.php?...?threadid=65978

 

It handles just fine with blizzard performance snow tires and a box of books in the trunks.
It doesn't even skid and slide like the bimmers.
However, without both of above, I would suggest that you leave it in the garage.

 

Just to remind the 'mericun drivers, he's talking about zero degree *Celcius*. Remember, that's 32F. Most summer compound V and Z rated tires become hard in the mid 30s F. You should switch over when temps are consistently in the 40s F.

I run Goodyear F1-GS 18" Z rated summer tires on my truck from March through October. When you can see 'frost on the pumpkins' the F1s are dangerous. The Bridgestone S02s should be very similar.

I switch over to Nokian WRs on 17" rims for winter. They don't grip as well above 60F (burnouts are stupidly easy), but are much better below 50F. Even with Blizzaks you still need to be careful. In winter you should always drive like the roads are wet.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by snoopy
[B]

Just to remind the 'mericun drivers, he's talking about zero degree *Celcius*. Remember, that's 32F. Most summer compound V and Z rated tires become hard in the mid 30s F.

 

When i first posted this question on this same topic a few weeks back I didn't know about the search.. A little while after i did a search and I felt more excluded as a newbie feeling ignorant that this topic had been discussed many of times before.. I had wished that somebody would've just told me to do a search; but i see your point xviper.

 

S-02s plus snow is ZERO traction. If you intend to drive the S2K in the snow, please get different tires.
My current car has S-03s. They will be taken off in the winter in favor of Dunlop SP9000s, which aren't winter tires but not strictly performance/summer tires either. The S-03s have outstanding traction in the rain and wet, however.