Almost Wrecking My S2000 (80 mph lift-off oversteer)

2024 update: don't do this! Drive safe. It's not worth risking your life or other's lives just for an adrenaline rush. Keep it well within your limits, stay in your lane, and don't go too fast. This way you'll keep the backroad fun for yourself and safe for others--also you won't give car enthusiasts a bad image. Cheers!

[TforTouge]

2024 update: don't do this! Drive safe. It's not worth risking your life or other's lives just for an adrenaline rush. Keep it well within your limits, stay in your lane, and don't go too fast. This way you'll keep the backroad fun for yourself and safe for others--also you won't give car enthusiasts a bad image. Cheers!

[kierenalvarez]

I don't think it is lift off oversteer. You just got the weight off the suspension over the crest and then the small amount of steering input you did have took hold when the weight came back down on the front tires.
If you had the throttle on and that happened it would have been ALOT worse.

[ERLIES]

Trackdays are your friend, please go have fun without the trees, they bite 👍🏼

[garethwillis]

I'm actually really surprised by what happened. I thought for sure it would be mid bend but understand why it happened. Lifting off before the crest shifted the weight to the front, then going over the crest the rear gets even lighter so it crept a little. You did will to catch it due to how unexpected it was. It's difficult to react to these sudden, unexpected moments and you honestly did well. Glad to hear you're OK and have learned from it.

[Silverline]

The AP1's will snap loose in a heartbeat with oversteer & being in to low of a gear going around a corner, can wheel hop. Too much torque for the tires to stick. I know, I wrecked an AP1 on a mountain 17 years ago.
The AP2's are MUCH safer with 'VSA' standard. When your brain & foot & hands screw up, it can usually correct the mistake(s). By cutting the throttle (drive by wire), each individual brake can brake in whatever scenario required to correct the yaw. 50% left rear brake, 75% right rear, 50% front left, 40% front right, etc. They also come with a beefier rear stabilizer. You can turn VSA off, but I wouldn't recommend it unless on a track. It's saved me a bunch of times. Overreacts sometimes, but would rather have it do that then wait to long.. AP2 wrecks are much less then AP1's..

[tealruby]

This is basically how my dad came very close to dying and now has lifelong injuries. Lift off over steer over a cresting corner. Car snapped around and sent him into a telephone pole and then a barbed wire fence (notable, given it was in a convertible). I had never seen so much blood in my life.

Drive safe.

[TheOfficialCaseMade]

I actually lost my S2000 in a similar situation;

I wasn't speeding and I knew the road well, but it had just stopped sprinkling and the roads were damp with some dry patches.

I was coming into a downward corkscrew (to the right and then left), slowed down before the turn, the weight shifted to the front, I felt the rear get light, it hit a slick spot and snapped around, I went full lock to the left, the front lost traction and plowed through the turn into a guardrail, the rear spun 180 degrees and slid backwards across the road, sideswiping the opposite. guardrail.

The previous owner had also lowered the car and I think the stiffer springs and change in suspension geometry made the car ever more twitchy and unstable.

Mind you, the SUV in front of me was going faster than me and had no issues 😅

So, a combination of things struck all at once and resulted in one of the biggest heartbreaks of my life. The car was totaled and insurance didn't cover it, so I sold the car at a huge loss and have never been able to afford another S2000.

At least the guy I sold it to was a collision repair specialist and completely restored the car, so hopefully it's still on the road somewhere.

Every time I see an S2000 in the wild, my heart pangs.

[mediocreman]

I'm going to be a bit harsh, but try to not take it personally, this could keep you alive. We all share the roads, and I want you to be a good driver for everyone's sake.

But first off, you're over-driving those tires. Drive within the abilities of yourself and your car. If your abilities are awesome, get better tires.

Second, you're on public roads and it appears you are a VERY new driver. When it comes to areas where you can't see what's around the next curve or hill, prepare for that by slowing down. It doesn't take any of the fun out of it, and actually can be more fun to accelerate once you pull out of the corner. Your visibility is horrible in some places, and it looks like you are not familiar with this road at all. You can get familiar with a road first a few times, and learn the curves and challenges a bit. Know where the driveways and intersections are, pay attention to the time of day when people might be out more. Don't drive fast when the sun reduces your vision. It sounds like common sense, but I promise it's not.

Third, something appears to be wrong with that car's setup besides the tires. Has it been in an accident and possibly not repaired correctly? I would get that checked out. Pay a professional at a track maybe you figure out what is wrong. And I would do that after an alignment and better tires.

Fourth, don't be too proud to get lessons on handling your car. A lot of people die because we think we are such amazing drivers. Learn on the track first, and ideally only drive that way there.

All of this advice comes from many of my own mistakes, and if someone gave me this advice a long time ago, I probably would have ignored it like you might ignore mine. But it's there if you want it. I don't in any way think I'm better than you.

[TforTouge]

If you're commenting about how dangerous and reckless that was, save your time. I learned a lot from this experience about driving close to the limit. The car is a lot better sorted now (200 TW tires, big front sway bar, and lots of negative camber) and is a lot less edgy. I keep my speeds below 70 now on back roads, and I am very cautious of crests like the one seen in the video. Learn from my experience and take it easy on the back roads!

[fjaeger]

Fortunately that was only a close call and you've lived to learn. We all had to come close to these kinds of situation to understand the limits of not only our cars, but the roads we're on. People shouldn't flame this guy, most of us have done something similar and learned from it. Glad you made changes and don't stop enjoying your s2000.

[rxmatt]

That's a scary situation. It's all good to have a little fun on the street... but best to go to autocross or track day for yours and your car's safety!

[Thunspeed]

Props to good Control without panic. For average driver that could have end a lot worst.

[mtzhp]

S2K owner. I seek out videos like this sometimes to remind myself to back off.

[wvjon]

Fellow S2k owner here. Ap2. I don’t have any technical advice so I’ll just leave this. YIKES!
Glad that need ok. Be careful bro. On second thought I will agree that I go slow over risers and jumps I can’t see over. This has saved me from a few shetchy moves. Other than that I pretty much drive as fast as you are going there.

[KubanKevin]

Good recovery, but stop doing that anywhere but a track. There’s a reason it’s illegal.

[DaCliffBar]

Let's also take note that there is a small small angle incline right before he almost loses control. If the springs and dampeners aren't set right, your tires could have not kept its point of contact with the ground, but I'm just a learning person so take it with a grain of salt

[beastofackworth]

Hardly almost wrecking it. You had a small moment.

[Itsallfun]

That's not lift off oversteer but glad you didn't ditch!

[ThePgR]

*Any crash happen*
All commenters: thats because you lift-off

[nlluke]

Almost Every time i overestimate cars… i did not expect this also.

But if you did know the route well that was not very smart.