my evo was rock solid compared to s2000. s2000 isn't nearly sure footed as prelude i owned.

but in s2000, i could drive like how i want to instead of having limitations due to drivetrain or chasis limits.

 

My first car was also a FWD. '01 Honda Prelude... It sure was sure footed as you said and well planted. It was a bit heavier than the S2000 but out of all the FWD cars I have driven, it handles the best. I like taking corners fast and going to the twisties and my Prelude corners like it is in a railtrack.

Because of that need for speed in tight corners and twisty roads, I traded it in for the S2000 in hopes of going faster on those same tight corners and twisties. But what do you know, I ended up going much slower than I did in my Prelude. But after getting used to the RWD, I started getting better and more aware of the back end and getting faster on corners.

 

One big issue is the fact that, when downshifting, the power delivery of the S2000 is so linear with RPMs that you can jump from 60whp to 120whp easily on a non-full-throttle downshift. (numbers were a hip shot, not real) That means if you were anywhere close to the car's cornering limits before you shift, you might overstep the static friction limits of the tires after you change gears (even gently) and then give it some throttle.

But IMO, take the car to an empty, safe lot where there aren't any residents to piss off and do some doughnuts, some high angle (90 degree) high throttle turns, shift during the maneuvers, and try any other maneuvers you might do when you want to have some fun. When you lose the back end, learn to correct it. That way, when one day you fool around and screw up, you know how to get the car back under control before you hit a wall/curb/etc or do any damage.

This is my first RWD car too, and I love it! And BTW, my younger brother is in the guard and in Iraq right now. But he's not buying my car from me in 2 years!

 

I look at it this way.

Since you have an AP1 you have no active handling or traction control provided by the car. Those two things are you right and left foot along with your hands.

If you wreck the car or lose control it is caused by 1 or 2 things. You or mechanical failure but it will mainly be you.

FWD cars are great because the average joe driver can recover a little better. However they also build too much confidence in shitty drivers. I use to power understeer all the time in my Spec V and thought I was the greatest. First time at an AutoCross I had the ass every where. By my third try, with an upgraded front sway bar, I took home 3rd place and finish under 7/10th from 1st. With my first track day I had a fellow s2k owner as my instructor. Amazing world of difference from the first time I hit an autox to my first day at Homestead.

Most s2k wrecks are on wet roads.

Most s2k wrecks are caused by the driver.

Respect the car and never try to push it. The first time that rearend kicks out on a off ramp because you carried too much speed and you will nearly shit your pants. Having your front wheels in one lane and the rears in another is not fun until you survive it. =)

 

you never shift while at turn. you never lift throttle while on sweepers either. that's the 2 biggest killer for s2k, i think. That and random drunks hitting us.

I think the gearing is tall enough and rpm band is wide enough that we could do away with not shifting during a turn or a sweeper.

Left foot braking while still on throttle seem to be the safest way to slow down while on a high speed sweepers, that I've found with this car. lift oversteer is horrible on this car. I thought it was bad in the evo, but this car is scary bad at speed.

 

All else being equal, AWD can deliver more grip, and when tuned for maximum cornering performance, will let go even more suddenly than a RWD car. Fact is, you can't judge most RWD cars based on experience with the S2000, becaues no other modern RWD (or AWD/FWD car) has its strong bias toward oversteer.

 

[QUOTE=plokivos,Feb 12 2008, 03:56 PM]you never shift while at turn.

 

an honest and simple answer i was told when i first gt my s2k(had a civic before).

go your desired speed and go into the cornerr(in desired gear) but dont hit the gas. when you exit the turn then get back on the throttle.

when your hitting the gas mid turn your going to understeer HARD in the s2k. once you get comfortable youan start plaing with the throttle mid turn...

 

Maybe that's the case with your MY07 AP2, but it's not the case with an AP1. With the early cars, when cornering hard, you can't get on the gas before you start unwinding the steering or you'll get oversteer (rather than understeer). This has been a factor in a number of AP1 "spin related accidents." AP1 does NOT understeer when you hit the gas on corner exit, it oversteers, which is a less stable condition than understeer.

 

its kinda hard to explain. my car will also oversteer/understeer in different situations.

now let me say this...it is all in the feel. "I" myself do not get understeer at all when driving hard. i actually get a smidgen of oversteer which is perfect for my taste.

but i know exactly the feeling the OP has and the same advice was given to me when i switched over to rwd. and it did wonders for me, now that i know how to handle the car i can use throttle to "rotate" the car.