“Snap oversteer” is one of those things people say to criticize sports cars like the iconic Honda S2000, but does it actually exist? Not really!
This is the first episode of a new series diving into exactly why cars drive like they do, explaining what’s really going on under the metal, and showing you how to be a better driver than your friends. With the help of pro racer and performance driving instructor Nik Romano, we’re starting with a big one: debunking the misunderstood myth of snap oversteer.
Snap oversteer is often understood as a dangerous dynamic that can happen unexpectedly when you’re speeding through a curve in a rear-wheel-drive sports car. Seemingly without warning, the car’s back wheels will break loose, slide out, and send you spinning into a ditch.
But even in a car that’s notorious for this, like the legendary Honda S2000, that’s not true. Unless you’re a bad driver. If you understand the physics and conditions leading up to that moment—and more important, what you’re really telling the car to do with your inputs—there is no snap, because it’s entirely predictable. It just takes time and patience to learn. And maybe a little lesson from a pro coach.
So next time someone tells you a car sucks because of snap oversteer, send them this video, and enjoy the fact that you know better.
Huge thanks to Honda for letting us play with their literal museum piece. Seriously, they pulled this 18,000-mile S2000 CR out of the American Honda Collection Hall after a big mechanical refresh so we could film this video.
Learn more about Nik’s coaching business here → https://www.fastsideways.com/
Produced by → https://www.instagram.com/joeyrassool/
Hosted by → https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha/
Hosted by → https://www.instagram.com/nikromanoracing/
Previous episode → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26-4oARwfF4
The Drive is the chronicle of car culture. We write stories you actually want to read. → https://www.thedrive.com/
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0:00 Does the snap exist?
1:26 Not the S2000’s fault
4:59 What’s really going on in the suspension
6:16 Enter the MR2
8:51 Why people get it wrong