FINALLY - Got my FR-S
 

Well let me do a quick post here and I will elaborate on more points later when I'm not out driving the damn thing.

1. Power: To those of you who think this car lacks it or is slow, GTFO. This car has plenty of pep even when compared to the s2000. It is not difficult to break the rear tires on dry pavement below 4k rpm. Hell I even did a slight second gear drift last night. The car is actually is just so stable it hides its speed like an Acura NSX, I did about XXmph last night and it got there with such ease (think 6th @ 4k rpm).

2. Handling: Nothing really needs to be said here that has not been said. The mechanical grip is amazing though it is fun as hell to go beyond its limits as they just slowly morph into an elegant slide.

3. Interior: Once again, people need to calm the **** down about it. It's fantastic and I have not a single issue (though the speakers are not the best but that's a minor problem that I could care less about).

4. Looks: Well in hot lava it looks like a damn ferrari so I'm quite pleased. Actually part of me is thinking of getting some ferrari logos and throwing them on the car just to troll dumbasses.

5. Overall package 10/10. There is a reason why this car has won damn near every comparison and won top gear's car of the year award. I'm beyond happy with the car and so many of the issues that are discussed about it are so irreverent when you actually drive the car. Bench race it all you want, but it is essentially a usable Honda S2000 with much more room and is equal in so many ways. By the way, the limited slip is brilliant, it is so awesome when it kicks in.

More pictures to come...by the way, it gets great gas mileage too, without even trying (and driving hard) I'm currently at 30.1 mpg.

:drool:Looks great! Glad you like it.

Welcome to the family! I would like to see more comparison pics with the s2000 if you don't mind.

very nice congrats

That XXmph = 90 mph :D

When you sit in FR-S, is your eye level higher in FR-S or S2000? I'm just curious because when I see S2000 around, they look lower.

I will try to do that tomorrow, it will not be a problem. Just for reference the car is almost the exact same length, as far as the eye can discern they are the same length. The reason I keep comparing it to the S200 is 1) I know that car quite well, and 2) it is really the performance benchmark for an inexpensive sports car.

It may be like an inch or two higher than the S2000, but there is such a small difference that it is basically impossible to notice. As far as the interior goes, both cars have almost the exact same shift throw, center consul set up, e-brake location, and eye placement on the tachometer/digital speedometer.



On a separate note, I drove the car around today for a while and I'm now at 150 miles. I'm sitting right at 30.1 mpg and it has been hella fun to drive (and yes, 90 is about correct). I'm thinking of removing the lame ass exhaust tips as they do nothing and I'm also considering taking off the intake noise maker. Basically I was going around the whole car looking for items I can take off to slowly lighten it. This is an area in which I want to make a thread. So far my thoughts on lightening the car are:

>remove superfluous exhaust tips.
>remove resonator/noise tube into the cabin
>get a much smaller and lighter battery
>new cat-back that is quiet and gets rid of the bulky muffler

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First of all congrats on your new picked up. Hot lava & Red versions of this car is like one of a new mini Ferrari model out there !:). The rest of your brief summary is spot on when you currently have S2000. People have no idea how this car drive & feel in real world driving ! The specs stats sheet number seem meaningless for this car :). BTW, any comparable street car out there has a weighted direct steering feel and driving balance like this 86 ??? These are my favorites of this car.

Also, I have some random questions for those of you who have FR-S.' Can you install regular prius tries on this car??? It looks like the ones that come stock on it are a bit wider than the rim. Second, did you notice any real difference when installing a k&N air filter? I'm thinking about doing that as well.

Yeah, I mean for all intensive purposes this car is just as fast. The main differences in peak hp between the two is this: the S2000 revs up to 9,000rpm, if the FR-S's engine had that high of a redline it woud probably make similar power or only be down by about 20 or so. Second, the S2000 has a much higher rate of speed when the back end decides to slip, this car's limits are much lower (only due to the tires) and much more approachable. The steering and shifts feel essentially the same (even steering wheel size). Speaking of speed, I believe the S2000 has a 0-60 of around 5.8 and the FR-S is 6.2...really not that much slower, and in the real world that's the same time. Lastly, the FR-S is much more quiet, the Honda has the loudest flywheel in ever produced lol.

Congrats! How's hot lava in the steel? I've never seen one in person.

Congratulations! Funny you mentioned it looking like a Ferrari, because this morning while I was reading through my Facebook wall, I saw one of Top Gear's posts about the new Berlinetta:

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...31161080_n.jpg

And thought it shared some similarities:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8022/7...dcb1084a_z.jpg
DSC_0010 by Gaiakai, on Flickr

Particularly around the quarter windows and a little bit on the taillights (without the chrome and transparent cover), and even going to the front fenders. It amused me.

I never seen that F model, but both red look really hot. The future aftermarket body kits will kick the 86 to another level !

Soo Jelly..

I wish I could keep my S2000 and have the FR-S as well.

The hot lava does look stunning!

Yeah the hot lava is quite brilliant in person. The camera doesn't quite do it justice, but it isn't so bright as it appears. It is just a very cool color, and I like colors that stand out. I'm thinking about getting dark blue/bright red wheels when it comes time to reduce the unsprung weight.

Your Hot Lava looks superb in the sunlight... Really makes me think twice about my Firestorm!

Dark blue/bright red wheels? post pics when you slap them on! would be good to see. :)

Is it possible to fit 205/45/17 tires on the FR-S? I'm looking for a cheap option to replace the tires I have when it comes time to do so. Thinking all season regular ones or something.

Yea 205/45/17 will be no problem on 7 in wheels. 205/45 will be a little lower profile than 215/45 though so I'm not sure how it would look like.

I thought I could power through a turn in the rain in third gear today...and I damn near crashed going 50.... once I get this car broken in I need to explore the handling limits a bit more as I'm not quite used to the car yet. That said, I leaned my lesson and I love the car more than ever now.

Looks great! Congratulations. I was debating between the Hot Lava and Firestorm but ended up with Firestorm (if it ever arrives). How long did you have to wait?

Both colors are awesome and I'm pretty sure I would be equally happy with firestorm. I placed my deposit in March and I got it on July, 30. I had quite a hefty wait. A lot of people say it, but trust me, it is worth the wait for this car. Once you get it you will forget all about the bs Scion put you though to get it.

Gotta love seeing another hot lava! Nice choice. The more people I see with these the harder my wait gets, but I'll have mine soon enough. Enjoy the ride!

+1 Be careful! Perhaps an autocross will help give you an enhanced feel for the vehicles handling.:happyanim:

As much as I would hate to admit...I think you are correct on that one. There is a track about an hour away that I think I will sign up to do a track day at. I just need to get the car broken and get a helmet. I'm used to sliding the S2000 around, but all cars are different and the only thing I was a bit unprepared for was when the car 'snapped' back straight and I still had a bit of opposite lock going. Nonetheless, it really wasn't as bad as it sounded, just made me aware of the speed in which the tires give up in this car.

Totally agree. Firestorm is sick!

There are like 4 dealerships within the 25 mile radius of where I live. I called all 4 places and they said that the cars last 4-6 hours in the dealership and arrive every few weeks. I left my number with one of them and managed to test drive the hot lava at 8pm. BTW the shine of these cars are AMAZING! Ya so I went back the next morning and the car was gone...

Good to know... I just started the "How long did it take to get your FR-S?" thread. I'm only 2 weeks in and getting impatient.

Very, very true. It's my first RWD car, so that's one thing. I've done some... silly things in the Si and when it lost it, it definitely was a little interesting getting it back.

I feel like the FR-S loses it far easier but when it regains it (which is quickly), it's completely under control and you're a bit taken aback by it, almost like "did that even happen?"

The other night I was coming home through the city, just me on the road. There's one left turn where from the light, it's about a perfect first gear run and as you straighten out it's time to shift to second (~6.5k rpm). Usually from there it's a quick shift to third/fourth and just cruising around 40mph. Well, I guess I was on it more than usual and had to shift to second before straightening out, which the rear wheels broke traction a good bit with the hard shift. It felt like I had an angel watching over me, the TC/VSC brought it right back straight as if nothing happened. :D