kmvguy83

I have MY04 and i read numberless posts about difference between handling characteristic on 04 and pre-04.

It's argued that pre-04 oversteers and 04+ understeers.

If for instance, pre-04 and 04+ is equiped with same suspension, such as TEIN FLEX, would there be difference in handling?

RazorV3

yes there will still be a difference. the sway bars are different diameters and most importantly the tires make a big difference. bridgestone s02's are much, much better than the tires that come on the 2004+ s2000's(in terms of performance).


other than that, the chassis itself is identicle on both models.

kmvguy83

so even with identical suspension upgrade characteristic of both car remain same?

would pre-04 still oversteer and 04+ understeer?

CrazyPhuD

So there are a bunch of changes that were done. The chassis on the MY04 was stiffened in certain areas(I believe there was so reinforcement of the front frame). There is also some reinforcement from the suspension components, but I believe that is more from breakage that occurred rather than stiffness. Other changes are obvious altered sway bars and softer rear springs.

As for the issue that the S0-2s are 'much much better tires', this is just blatantly wrong. There are probably an equal number of people who track the car who have driven both that prefer either tire to say there is little dry performance difference between the two(but a significant wet improvement for the MY04)

CrazyPhuD

No.....there are significant differences between the two. FYI the MY04 only understeers because of the alignment from the factory(mine was horrible) Fix the alignment and it shouldn't understeer on you. Basiclly if you're going to change suspension you need to find the changes that work for you. This may entail changing the suspension, the sway bars or the amount of rubber on the road. Additionally alignment can have a significant impact on handling. You need to find what is best for your driving style. No matter if you drive a MY00-03 or a MY04.

dlq04

Just for the record there was a lot of things done to change things between the first generation and second generation cars that impact on handling:



SUSPENSION & STEERING

Fongu

It's not as simple as pre-'04 oversteers and '04+ understeers. The car dynamics on a balanced RWD chassis like a S2000 are controlable by the driver. There are differences, but you can still get oversteer and understeer all model years. All years have slight understeer going in circles on the skidpad. All years have throttle controllable oversteer. All years are responsive to weight transfer.

OK, '00-'01, '02'03, and '04+ will feel slightly different. But there are so many ways to change oversteer/understeer characteristics that don't cost a lot to try. I would suggest trying these first:

1) Adjust your front/rear tire pressures.
2) Adjust your wheel alignment.
3) Get different front/rear tire widths next time getting tires.
4) Swaybars.
5) Then coilovers.

Here's a handling FAQ I googled.
http://www.ffcobra.com/FAQ/handling101.html

*** Try a drivng school to learn to control and create understeer and oversteer whenever you want. You only get oversteer or understeer when your driving near the limits of the car. IMO driver training is the quickest and possibly the cheapest way to reconize trouble and prevent wrecking the car.

Terence

I feel a lot more educated after this thread.

What I don't get is why I was told that having a front strut bar but not the rear would give you more understeer. My logic is probably wrong but if the front was stiffer than the front, wouldn't that mean the looser tail would be more easier to kick out when cornering?

Second question: If I have my front coilovers set stiffer than the rear, does this mean I'll get less oversteer?

Thanks.

kmvguy83

Thank you for all your help.

Which coilover works well with s2000 on autox?

kmvguy83

http://www.ffcobra.com/FAQ/handling101.html

according to this website, stiffer front and softer back would give you more oversteer.