My friend seems to believe that intense suspension modification would be needed to be on par with that of an s2000. Is he right? what would it take? what would it cost?

 

a Nismo Z will hang every bit with an S2000, i'll tell you that. the only place it might not is on a very tight and slow course with lots of sharp transitions. road course + equal handling + HR engine = bye bye S2000.

 

both handles well but i feel much more comfortable/confident turning in the s2k.

 

if you take away the z's power advantage, it doesn't stand a chance against an s2k without significant suspension mods and weight reduction

 

The S2000 is less predictable at the limits from what I've heard... But I've never had one on a track.

 

No./reported.

 

I've never run into an S2K at the dragon that could outrun me, and thats about as tight as it gets. Theyre more nimble yeah, but out of turns they dont have nearly as much torque. give and take. through a twisty road an S2K and a Z are fairly comparable. as far as modifications, and costs...go search.

 

 

Man, thats just a silly statement. Go to youtube and search. You'll see that every track they have taken the Z and S2000 to the S2000 was left behind. Sure he might get close at the turns but once the Z gets out of the turn the Z will out power that S2k.

I drove both cars before buying did tons of research. The S2000 is a great lil car. But you have to be in the 6RPM before it becomes fun to drive. The Z has such low end power advantages over the S2000.

 

I have had both. And I am faster on all tracks in the Z...without any mods.

With a few mods...I am MUCH faster than the S2000 (stock) based on lap times

 

I have driven both cars at a road racing facility. Both are enjoyable and as others have said, both are competent handling machines. They are at opposite ends of the handling spectrum, however. The S2000 is more biased towards oversteer and the engine requires it to be wound up tight and buzzed to get the most performance. The Z--in stock form--understeers at the limit and gives ample warning when you approach it. The VQ35 (either DE or HR) has meaty torque and ample power coming off the turns.

The point is that a 350Z is a better and faster track car (at 40MPH and up), while the S2000 is a better autocrosser (from 0-40 MPH). This is borne out by the fact that the S2000, in SCCA National competition , was dropped down one class to better compete in the Touring 3 class, with cars like the RX8. The 350Z has the handling and power to remain in Touring 2 and is usually a second a lap (or more) clear of the S2000.


The OP's stated it would take "intense suspension modification" to make both cars equal. The biggest and most expensive mod to make is to the nut behind the wheel! Driving skills in ANY car will make up the slight differences you can debate in cyberspace...

 

I worked at Honda for three years,im 6'6 and the s2k is a tin can-not enough tourqe,gotta be in vtec to feel the power,and i have not been impressed by any s2k in person-it dosent compare to the z in my book(exception of the 2jz swap s2k found on youtubr-jeZus!)

 

+1. The s200 is extremely twitchy !

 

dkmura, Nice post.

About the snap oversteer on the S2K, earlier models are suppose to be more prone to this while later years are a bit more well-behaved.

 

on a street level you will see/feel very minimal handling differance. However, on a track yes the s2k handles better, but i would think what makes a majority of the differance for an s2k on a track is that it can brake later since it's lighter. Overall, the newer Z's are putting better lap times then s2k's because while their handling aspect might be SLIGHTLY less, their power puts them into the next turn sooner.

 

Well put. I have owned both cars and my 07 Nismo Z is much easier to drive fast than the S2K.

 

So the consensus is that yes, the S2K has better candling capabilities, but it is harder to extract that potential. Even with that, the Z still will outrun it on a road course, due to the extra torque.

 

yea s2k outperforms the 350

 

Stock for Stock

My 03 touring before minor suspension changes didn't handle as well, nor ride as well as a good friend's 04 s2k.

Even after minor suspension changes, I still enjoyed his s2k more.

So, IMO s2k > Z in handling/suspension.

Power IMO, the Z > s2k.