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Honda S2000 vs. Nissan 350Z

183 messages,  Last post on Sep 08, 2007 at 11:04 AM

You are in the Honda S2000 Forum. Your Host is claires

What is this discussion about? Honda S2000, Nissan 350Z, Coupe, Convertible


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#156 of 183
Re: S2000 torque? [biancar] by dat2
Jun 06, 2007 (8:25 pm)
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Replying to: biancar (Jun 06, 2007 10:38 am)

The C/D track comparo was in one of the issues last fall I believe, they used VIR and said it was the closest thing in the US to a Nuremborge like track. They then sorted out cars into different categories, 30-40k, 40-50k and 50k+ or something, the Z won the 30-40 group and outgunned some of the cars in the 40-50 group running around VIR. It was a very detailed article and a lot of fun, and they said they would benchmark all sports cars with that track run in the future. (although I haven't seen anything else from there again!)
#157 of 183
Re: S2000 torque? [dat2] by accelerator
Jun 07, 2007 (5:51 am)
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Replying to: dat2 (Jun 06, 2007 8:25 pm)

I read that article, too. That was a great comparo!
#158 of 183
Ahem... by claires HOST
Jun 07, 2007 (9:29 pm)
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We have an existing discussion for comparing the
S2000 vs. Sky/Saturn, and we have several discussions about the merits of GM vehicles vs. those of German/Japanese makes in several topics over in News & Views.
 
  
#159 of 183
350z test results by dat2
Jun 10, 2007 (3:33 am)
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Since we are pasting CD results, thought I would paste this from the 07 350Z test. It should be noted that they had a model w/o limited slip and still posted 0-60 in 5.2. So accel times with a limited slip should be a few ticks better than that!
http://www.caranddriver.com/assets/download/0706_nis350z_ts.pdf
1/4 mi: 13.7 104 is nothing to sneeze at!
 
PS- habitat1, loved your remark about the '95 Max topend of 142!! That gen of Max is definitely a classic, I also liked the 02-03 model with a 6 spd, even though it weighed a couple hundred pounds more, the vq35 more than made up for it!
#160 of 183
this sounds sweet! by dat2
Jun 10, 2007 (3:45 am)
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2008 Honda S2000 CR - Auto Shows

Honda builds a track toy as a retirement gift to its most revered engineer, and you can buy a copy.
BY MIKE DUSHANE, PHOTOGRAPHY BY JARED HOLSTEIN
April 2007
 
2008 Honda S2000 CR Video >>>
 
What’s your idea of retirement planning? At Car and Driver, our scribblers spend their golden years counting their air miles and grousing about the web interns. If you’re Shigeru Uehara, Honda R&D’s Executive Chief Engineer, you spend your last year on the job building a track-ready special-edition version of the S2000.
 
Lots of engineers build track toys, but not many get their cars approved for production. Uehara isn’t just any engineer, though; he’s credited as the father of the Honda S2000 and the Acura NSX and Integra Type R, the trio that convinced a generation of American tuners and enthusiasts that Honda is a legitimate performance car company. Uehara’s legacy is solid, so he doesn’t need to work on the NSX’s successor—he said through an interpreter that he’s leaving that to the next generation. Instead, his final gift to the enthusiast world is the S2000 CR.
Suspension and steering modifications
 
The S2000 CR has the same 237-hp, 2.2-liter engine as other S2000s, but don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s just a dress-up job. The most dramatic changes involve springs and shocks that Honda calls “significantly stiffer.” Although no figures are available, our experience with Uehara’s other creations like the Acura Integra Type R tells us that he knows the meaning of “significant.” Thicker anti-roll bars round out the suspension changes. A quicker steering ratio will allow drivers to avoid shuffling hands in tight corners. A limited slip differential and defeatable electronic stability control carry over from the regular S2000.
Tires
 
The S2000 CR’s biggest handling gain over the regular S2000 may come from gumball Bridgestone Potenza RE070 tires similar to those used on the former Japanese-market NSX-R. The 215/45R-17 front and 255/40R-17 rear tires have a treadwear rating of 140, which means they’re barely able to be called conventional street tires.
Front and rear spoilers
 
A ludicrously large body kit and a rear cowl fairing behind the seats are claimed to smooth airflow over the S2000 CR. But the most over-the-top aerodynamic modification is the massive rear spoiler. The wing has three distinct horizontal surfaces: the upturned outside sections produce downforce while a flatter center section smoothes airflow over the car. The whole affair is affixed with black supports that look more like a back yard racer’s weekend concoction than factory pieces, but who are we to argue if it works? Honda claims overall downforce on the rear axle at speed, a rare trait for a street car.
Weight savings and chassis
 
Air conditioning and the sound system are jettisoned in the name of weight savings, but you can add them back in as options. The S2000 CR also loses its power folding softtop to shed a few pounds, and in its place it gains a beefy rear strut tower brace with four mounting points. This is said to enhance the already stellar rigidity of the S2000’s shell so it won’t flex when cornering. A removable aluminum hardtop provides shelter from the elements and admission to tracks where open-top cars aren’t allowed. With the top off, the S2000 CR will weigh approximately 2765 pounds, almost 90 pounds less than the regular S2000.
It’s significantly faster on a track, according to Honda
 
The result of these changes is a claimed two-second reduction in the S2000 CR’s lap time around Honda’s Tochigi test track. That’s a huge difference; you could add 50 horsepower to a regular S2000 and you might not see your lap time drop that much.
Interior modifications
 
Every special edition needs to look unique, so the S2000 CR has a bunch of dress up features that distinguish it. The most obvious is the Apex Blue paint, which is a pearlescent bright blue evocative of Audi’s Sprint Blue. Black badges and gunmetal gray five-spoke wheels round out the exterior mods. Abundant yellow stitching on the doors, steering wheel, seats, and shifter (which has shorter throws than the already insanely short ones in the regular S2000) complements yellow woven seat inserts. Faux-suede seat bolsters and door panels replace the leather items on the regular S2000 in the name of grip, and they’ll also broaden the S2000 CR’s appeal to PETA members. Faux carbon fiber trim is a slavishly trendy addition, but we can forgive anything in a car this raw.
Pricing
 
The S2000 CR goes on sale in the fall of 2007 as a 2008 model. The car shown at the New York show isn’t 100 percent production correct, but the body kit, spoiler, and wheels are accurate renditions of what you’ll see in dealers. Pricing isn’t confirmed, but it will certainly be more than the regular S2000’s $35k base price and probably less than $40k. Given the expected production volume of less than 2000 units (no limit was confirmed), Honda will lose money on the deal, a fact that company representatives actually admit. Such corporate honesty is rare, but Honda can afford it. The S2000 CR is a fitting tribute to the man who put “Honda” and “performance” together in the popular lexicon. Let’s hope it’s a harbinger of more great things to come and not a last hurrah.
 
  

 
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#161 of 183
Re: 350z test results [dat2] by fedlawman
Jun 23, 2007 (7:09 am)
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Replying to: dat2 (Jun 10, 2007 3:33 am)

Please explain how a LSD makes a car faster in a straight-line.
#162 of 183
Re: 350z test results [fedlawman] by dat2
Jun 23, 2007 (1:51 pm)
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Replying to: fedlawman (Jun 23, 2007 7:09 am)

because you get more power to the ground with both wheels spinning at launch, revving quicker into the peak power band. the street start shouldn't make a diff though, hence the quarter is better than the g35 sedan with the same motor and 300 lbs more weight. But with a limited slip the 0-60 should be another couple tenths quicker
#163 of 183
Re: 350z test results [dat2] by fedlawman
Jun 23, 2007 (9:07 pm)
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Replying to: dat2 (Jun 23, 2007 1:51 pm)

A LSD does nothing (acts like an open differential) when both wheels are gripping equally (either spinning or gripping). Only when there is a difference in traction between the right and left driven wheels does the LSD transfer torque from one side to the other.
 
So, unless you are drag racing with the left wheel on the road and the right wheel on gravel, a LSD will do nothing in straight line acceleration.
#164 of 183
Re: 350z test results [fedlawman] by dat2
Jun 24, 2007 (9:56 am)
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Replying to: fedlawman (Jun 23, 2007 9:07 pm)

i thought once a wheel was spinning with an open diff it send more power to the spinning wheel because there is less friction (resistance) at that wheel. that is why you usually only get one stripe on the ground with an open diff.
#165 of 183
Re: 350z test results [fedlawman] by dat2
Jun 24, 2007 (10:05 am)
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Replying to: fedlawman (Jun 23, 2007 9:07 pm)

it seems that, at least theoretically, you should get more power to the ground with a limited slip versus an open diff. and regardless the handling performance would have been greatly improved had CD used a 350z with limited slip, such as the unimpressive slalom speed. this ref also gives some supporting info about the lsd.
http://www.datsuns.com/Tech/lsd.htm

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