S2000 Owner

Passing on a straight section of two lane road, had the car in second, at about 4000rpm; when it kicked into VTEC --- torque oversteer. Reason is there are few passing zones on this road. Now I stay one gear higher and/or "sqqquuueeezze" the trottle into VTEC range so it doesn't KICK IN so hard --- when the roads wet or cold.

See above torque curve.

Rick Hesel

Sime's post was so right. My off-road excursion at Lime Rock was totally my fault -- a way too aggressive application of power for the wet condtions, followed by major torque steer when the engine kicked into Vtec. Fortunately I was on a part of the track with a lot of grass on the side where I spun off. If I had been on a highway, I shudder to think what would have happened. In wet conditions, ease on the throttle is the rule. I drove that way up and back to Lime Rock with no problems.

Vista25

what's it feel like when the VTEC kicks in?

Rick Hesel

In dry conditions, when Vtec kicks in, you get an extra and instantaneous burst of acceleration. If you're going in a straight line, no problem. If you're in a turn, you have to be very careful not to let the extra torque and sudden speed throw the car out of balance

At Lime Rock, I was going straight up the hill. I was getting a little wheel spin as I accelerated, but I was able to maintain a straight line. When Vtech kicked in, it sounded like it always does, but suddenly there was no traction and the rear end came around almost instantly. I tried to correct, but my baby was out of control and into the grass and mud. No damage done to anything but my ego . When I saw all the pros losing it yesterday, I didn't feel so bad. But I learned a very important lesson about what Vtec can do in conditions when traction is compromised.

[Edited by Rick Hesel on 05-27-2001 at 04:49 PM]

malachi

sounds like another argument for keeping it above 6K at all times (grin).

Scot

???? Somehow in the wet, the S2000 beat the Type R, RX7, NSX, Turbo Silva and Z3 in the auto-X course set up by Best Motoring. I suppose they could have just had crappier people driving the other cars, but I think they used 1 guy for all cars.

Scot

pcloadletter

I almost got hit in the rain yesterday. I was slowing down, rather quickly, because the truck in front of me was turning, and well, the thunderbird behind me, locked em up and slid off the road. Not a good sight to have in your rear view.

VTEC Racer

My cousin's S2000 hydroplaned on the freeway. I don't know exactly what he was doing when it happened. I lost control of my car one time when I was racing in a straight line. I took it to 9,000 in first, and right when I shifted it into second, the rear end just broke loose which caused me to do a 180.

VTEC Racer

Oh yes, it was raining in both mine and my cousins incident.

lvs2k

Driving sensibly in the rain is your best defense against trouble. The only problems I have encountered were with hydroplaning at highway speeds. This didn't occur until my rear tires were near the end of their useful tread life and would no longer channel water efficiently.

I chose Michelin pilot sports the second time around. While they may offer a little less ultimate performance (I don't track or auto-x the car), I think their superior longevity/wet weather performance works better for me.