s2000 is scary.

[TheSoundMan21]

Originally Posted by controller

What's funny is you guys aren't even talking about snow and ice.

I drove on ice once and didnt know it was ice at the time. I wanted to see how much traction I had so I just tapped the gas and started sliding. Well I kept myself calm and eased her back onto the road. I have to say Stella isnt for ice or snow Ill stick to my little bros WRX hopfully soon to be STI. =]

[Java Junky]

Rain n' snow'll allow ya some grip. Findin' yerself suddenly on ice, with anythin' short'a studded tires is damn near a death sentence.
Ice seemin'ly gives'ya a kick in the butt ta increase yer speed, snips your control cables n' kicks back n' has a cigarette while it laughs at your frantic, hopeless efforts.
N' maybe crawlin' slowly across it 4 wheel drive might make a difference. But jumpin' onto a good sized patch of it at speed? 4 wheel drive ain't gonna dooya diddly.
It all comes back to what Phil said: smooth.
Smooth'll get you the best G's in your favorite turn, but more importantly, smooth'll likely save yer bacon when things get downright slippery, bleak n' ugly.
Upset yer vehicle's attitude at the point-of-entry n' you're more'n likely gonna instigate a spin. You'll go laser-straight, but yer ridin' on pure luck. (Religion wuz born of such situations.)
Get on the ice without doin' anythin' to upset the vehicle's attitude n' you'll likely stay pointed in the right direction so that when you run oud'a ice you can hopefully regain traction in enough time to correct course 'r, at least aim for the least painful outcome.
It's all about the S word guys.
N' once again borrowin' from the good Sgt. Esterhaus: "Let's be careful out there."
Java

[H20]

Originally Posted by Java Junky

N' once again borrowin' from the good Sgt. Esterhaus: "Let's be careful out there."
Java

I say, do it to the ice before the ice do it to YOU!

[DJJSR]

Driving on slippery roads is like driving for the best fuel economy. Imagine that there are eggs on your pedals and your goal is to not break the eggs.

[ottokrat]

When I first switched to the S2K, I found the rear end wiggling around much more than I'd expect for a car with 245's and not that much torque. I'm traditionally used to the big V8's with 275's+ on the rear, and they don't wiggle that much unless you give a whopping amount of throttle. Yes, easy/smooth on the pedals is the way to go.

But still, my car before the S2K was an RX7 (FC3S), and after I lowered it a bit it handled really badly - wiggling all the time even with the small amount of torque on an rx! - until I put the rear camber back more straight up (had to get a kit for that). Then I loved it, and I felt secure with the tail again.

When I switched to the S2K, it took me a while, but I recognized that the rear wheels were set up in a way meant more for the track than for street. I readjusted the rear camber and have been much happier with the street handling ever since. The adjustment was to have less neg camber - so that there is more tire contact patch with the road, and, the outside edge of the tire grabs sooner for better low speed cornering with less rear end motion. A lot more stability for normal day-to-day driving. This is good for the street and settles the car down a lot.

On the track, of course, the more neg camber the better - that's a different situation.

Also, the S2K, like the RX7, has dynamic rear wheel steering, in which it changes the toe based on cornering forces and throttle input, and, one needs to learn to work with it for best results; that's also easier to learn with less rear neg camber to start with. Later, when you're more comfortable with the S2K, you can increase the neg camber for more high speed (and track) handling.

[Scooter]

A good education, thanks for all of that!

[Java Junky]

Thanks Otto. 'Good stuff.

[desmo4]

Originally Posted by jagg

Shumacher is the Ferrari God.


I love to watch his body telemetry when he races......
his heart rate doesn't even come up...He handles G's as well as a fighter pilot. He's a model for skillful driving.

He runs the big 3+G sweeper at Imola better than anyone who ever ran any Grand Prix anywhere, anytime. Passing on the outside of that off-camber downhill sweeping turn is the gutsiest thing I've ever seen an F-1 driver do. I want to know how they pack his giant gonads in that tiny racecar.

jagg

And you forgot to mention his car is setup stiffer than perhaps anyone else's in the paddock.

Jonathan

[Bubblerboy64]

You young guys don't remember the good ole days. You are completely correct that the S2000 is to be respected in the wet but I remember the days before antilocks and stability control and "good" tires of course "little cars" didn't have 200 plus hp either. The subject has been well covered with the only addition of using a little common sense when ya drive. I try not to take the car out in wet conditions and if caught up in them I SLOW DOWN. Again like Java I've lived long enough to remember and also to value the days and years I have left. I don't do the stupid stuff I used to do (or at least not intentionally) Take it to the track for your fun. JEH

[Dr. Jimbo]

I went ass first yesterday around a corner. In dry conditions, I can usually kick the rear around a little in this particular corner (it's my "training" corner). It was wet yesterday and since there is spin-out room, I gave a little tap an the gas. Instant 180. Just trying to figure out where stewies limits are so I don't get any surprises in real world driving.

[Scooter]

Way to do it.

[Scooter]

"Most people spend their lives avoiding intense situations. Repo men spend their lives getting in to intense situations!"

[controller]

First car I actually owned was a '55 chevy 210, bought it in '91 with bias ply on the original steelies. It would break if you wanted it to, and you had a steering wheel the size of a garbage can lid to try to countersteer with.

At least with Stewie, it's a slightly different sensation. Snow and ice mean appropriate tires, and at least the Stewie gives you quicker countersteering with less hand over hand.

[Java Junky]

Con, tell me you didn't feel like Ralph at the helm'uv'izz bus with that (the original) big wheel.
Everytime I spread my paws out to grab one'a them all I could think'uv was Ralph Cramden.
Thanks Con. I needed that.
Java

[jagg]

Being short of arm, and small of paw......I'm a firm believer in the 'ol
Suicide Knob. For you youngin's out there who may not know what this device is for, it clamps on your steering wheel, allowing you a swivel handle for smooth 'n easy operation. Especiallly good for vehicles that take 4 or 5 turns of the steering wheel to get the tires pointed from full left to full right, and vice versa. This was the norm in the days of mechanical steering in vehicles......or Buses, as it may be.

Photographic Aid included, as I just happen to have one on me.
Regards,
Jagg.
012408_09081.jpg

[jagg]

bump for nice knobs.

[Dr. Jimbo]

OK Jagg, NICE KNOBS!!

[jagg]

hey jimbo,

what exactly is that emoticon doing?

jagg

[Nickgouge]

Is it sniffin' it or kissin' it?

[Java Junky]

Hell! I thought it was Jane Mansfield comin' back fer a visit.

[jagg]

Attachment 573

Hell! I thought it was Jane Mansfield comin' back fer a visit.

'n here we are right back where we started......nice knobs.

jagg

[Java Junky]

'Like a @*#&in' pitbull. 'Don't let loose'a somethin' real easy, doo'ya?

[jagg]

Woof!




regards,
jagg

[controller]

Yeah, it didn't take long till I put a suicide knob on, fuzzy dice, and blue dots in the tails. It was the car that taught me you don't need much more than a single barrel carb and a two speed powerglide to make a car.

Before the carb was rebuilt, it had a sticky needle. I remember opening it up and shooting it with some gumout on the side of the road. All I needed was the flathead off my swiss army knife.

The other thing I liked, I think everything on the car was 1/2, 5/8's or 3/4ths. It was nice not having to guess if I needed a metric.

And for Java: To the moon, Alice. It drove like a bus, too!

[Java Junky]

Until the MGTC's started comin' home with our guys from the big one . . . everythin' drove like a bus, dinn'itt?
I think we got our English speakin' buddies 'cross the pond ta thank for wakin' us up to agile, efficient fun.
But, 'can't help but love the big ol' Amuricun A'rn, eh?
(Yeah, yeah. I know Jagg . . . nice knobs.)
Be well,
Java

[Dr. Jimbo]

Jagg, the emoticon is described as "downtown". It was the closest thing I could find to a knob reference.

[jagg]

downtown , huh?..............yikes!!
interesting connotation.

jagg

[philiam]

Originally Posted by jagg

Being short of arm, and small of paw......I'm a firm believer in the 'ol

Originally Posted by jagg

Suicide Knob. For you youngin's out there who may not know what this device is for, it clamps on your steering wheel, allowing you a swivel handle for smooth 'n easy operation. Especiallly good for vehicles that take 4 or 5 turns of the steering wheel to get the tires pointed from full left to full right, and vice versa. This was the norm in the days of mechanical steering in vehicles......or Buses, as it may be.

Photographic Aid included, as I just happen to have one on me.
Regards,
Jagg.
Attachment 573

We used to call them necker's knobs, because the let you drive with one hand while the other was busy.