Globetro

So I was coming home from the gym tonite at around 2:30am, the ambient temperature is around 50 degrees. I noticed that the ground was slightly wet, probably from the automatic sprinklers that run at night. I'm waiting at a stop light on a 4 lane road to make a left turn onto a 3 lane road. The light turns green, and I go to take the turn at around 25 mph (giving about 1/3rd throttle), and all of a sudden, before I could even realize it, the rear of my car slid out completely and I've spun 180 degrees! It was quite a surreal experience, as I could not have been going any more than 25 mph at the time! I wasn't even trying to push it hard or anything, so I totaly was not anticipating any kind of drama during the turn! Luckily, it was 2:30 in the morning, so the roads were pretty deserted and there was no one behind me. However, there was a car waiting at the light to go straight, and I could see him kinda staring at my car in disbelief.
I had always read these stories of people spinning out their car or fishtailing on wet roads, and always figured that they were pushing their car hard or something. But now I realize how easy it is to spin out in wet conditions! On top of that, I had only been driving for about 3 mins, so my tires were probably still cold.
Anyways, just wanted to tell everyone to be safe out there, especially in wet conditions!!

FormerH22a4

I know what you are talking about. I spun my new S about a week into driving it. The weather was cold, making a right into a 3 lane road, 1/3 throttle but entered the corner at about 40km/h. The rear just gradually spun around, tried to catch it but no grip I guess. That gave me a whole new respect for the S

TWashburn

The same happened to me last weekend. It was raining and I went into a turn at around 20 mph. The rear just totally gave out and the car spun 180 degrees. This was in Queens, NY where the streets are always crowded, so as it started to give, I remember thinking sh!t there is no way I am not going to hit a parked car. But thank goodness, I spun into an almost perfectly parked spot (facing the wrong way of course), with my rear bumper a foot away from the next parked car. If someone was parked in the "spot" I spun into, it would have been bad! I just got my S 2 months ago. Is this due to lack of experience with a rear wheel drive car, or do we have to be REALLY careful in our cars when it's wet?

nHobbes

the S is fast, but down low, there isnt' much power. i've done donuts in the parking lot for fun (dry), but never fishtailed severely....YET. i know it'll come at some point. i remember my OLD car, my first car after my getting my license (well, actually it was my bro's and i borrowed it often), it was raining, car prob had 75 horses (this is a 1982??? car i think, rwd, old-school)...veryyyyyyy slow car, with NOTHING going to the wheels EVEN if i floored it. anyways, i did a 180 multiple times in that car during the rain (i was inexperienced driver AND i have a heavy foot! haha). ANY rwd car will do a 180 when it's wet and you make a small error in accelerating while turning...IMO.

wanabe

my experience is that once the tail begins to go, its gone! the so2s are very sticky, so when they lose grip- they totally lose grip.
my worst power slide was also caused by a spring spacer that we found sometime after the event- check your car with the wheels off for spring spacers... it only takes one to unstabilize the car.

Anthony

The rear end of MY01 started getting twitchy at a recent meet we had.
After going sideways round the roundabout got to the destination a little checked the tyres and realised they was not a much tread as I thought.
Changed my SO2's and they are as sticky as ever and the tail is behaving itself once again

Anthony

Antilles

that worries me a bit as my mom will be buying an S2000 very soon. how bad are they in the rain? is it a weight or suspension issue? or are the tires really a dry only tire?

intendedaccel

This topic of discussion never ceases to confuse me. I have driven my S in every condition possible in the month or so that I have had it (snow, ice, Rain, intense cold, etc.) with the stock tires, and not once have I even come close to spinning. My camaro seems to be a little looser in the rear in fact. I know you guys say that you are not pushing the car hard when you spin but damn, it sure seems stable to me! Even when trying to spin in a open parking lot just to get a feel for the car and it's limit's, I found the spin to be very predictable at least and handlable (is that even a word?) at worst. What are you guys doing wrong?

Dorian Gray

One of the main reasons I traded my S2000 in was that the rear end was very loose. I tell you it was EXCITING to drive.

speeeding

I think it takes a little time to learn to get a feel for the car's traction. You have to feel it in your butt and your ears(sense of balance) which will tell you if something is not going as planned. Tires , especially the S02's don't have to squeel to lose traction, so sound is not a good measure. One way to sense rear wheel spin is when you feel like you''re riding over little "bumps" on the road as you accelerate. That usually means wheel slipage and is especially pronounced in dry weather.