S2000 shift accuracy

[onehondafan]

I have one gripe with the S2000 and am curious if any one else feels the same way. Let me say up front I realize that most often the "user" is the problem. Not denying the possible applicability of that statement in my case, I'll move on.

I have had two Miatas, one with 190k miles, and the shifter "center gate" spring action (which guides the shifter towards the center from either the 1-2 or 5-6 gates) was better in both, than that in my S2000, which was bought new.

I am left wondering if the S2000 transmission even has any "centering" engineered into the shifter action. There seems to be no "spring" action whatsoever. Any (constructive) comments?

[ninja]

I agree, it definitely doesn't center as "strongly" as a Miata's shifter. It definitely centers, but probably not as much as you're used to. I got a weighted knob, which makes shifting at least feel more deliberate.

[WestSideBilly]

A precise transmission (which is rare) doesn't need artificial centering weight, IMO. I'm not sure why you'd want to be guided into the middle on a regular basis - the only benefit to me is that you can more easily reset your hand position if you're unsure of your relative position. But again, with a precisely gated transmission, I don't see a lot of value in that.

[ninja]

IMHO it seems like a 6-4 or 5-3 downshift would be easier to do with a strong centering guide, I could see myself missing that if I was shifting too fast.

[Goku]

I feel that the posision that the gear will enter is so prescise that it feels like its hard to shift. Well it is. You have to hit that exact right spot to get the gear in. But the beauty of that is that it will always go in when you do. I have never driven a trany that I loved so much when racing and hated so much when daily driving. But luckly I race a lot. So its not that bad. But after driving many Hondas I dont think any honda trany has a strong centering spring. they all seem to just kinda float after you pull it outa gear.

[equinoxiq]

i admit that i haven't driven many cars in my life, i've owned 2, a 02 Mitsubishi Lancer and my now 03 S2000, but i'd say the S2000 has a definite centering spring feel. i've never missed a shift. i've also test driven an 05 S2000 at a dealer and i never noticed a lack of a centering spring. i've never felt this "floating" that you guys are talking about, if i move the shifter from either 1,2 5, or the 6th gear the gear leverl automatically goes back to being in neutral in between 3rd and 4th. it never just stays to the left or to the right.
WestSideBilly: are there really cars that don't do this? i can't imagine driving a car without the centering spring, i think it's pretty vital in telling you where you are. for racing it's not as important because you are probably going successively from gear to gear during acceleration and deceleration but daily driving i'd say it is very useful.

i feel like i've never had to be that precise with either of my cars.. for instance a 2nd to 3rd shift requires me to just push foward, no movement at all to the right. and it seems that no matter how fast i try, it's still centers itself enough that it goes right into third (and i'm pretty quick). a shift from 4th to 5th requires me to push forward and to the right and it doesn't matter how hard i push to the right because there's nowhere else to go but up once. same thing applies from 5th to 4th and 3th to 2nd.

i didn't think anybody experienced anything different from this for any manual transmission.. am i missing or misinterpreting something?

[Chris S]

IMHO it seems like a 6-4 or 5-3 downshift would be easier to do with a strong centering guide, I could see myself missing that if I was shifting too fast.

I'm no expert on this, but IIRC multiple gear downshifts can be hard on your sychros.

[repiv]

The S2000 shifter has a well defined centering position. Whether or not it is as "strong" as other cars you've driven, is a matter of personal interpretation and also a matter of whether or not your stick is in need of maintenance and/or repair. This is the 3rd 6sp. manual I've owned and comparing to my last Vette and Viper, the S2000 centering springs are much weaker, yet I've never had a problem with it. It's all a matter of how the driver adjusts his ability to feel for this position.
Now, to look at the possibility that your stick is in need of attention. The centering spring mechanism is built into the base of the stick. You may have a situation where the base is "sticky" and in need of a bit of lubrication. Your springs may also be weak or may have popped out of their normal position. A comparison of other S2000s may be more revealing.

[repiv]

I'm no expert on this, but IIRC multiple gear downshifts can be hard on your sychros.
You are correct. "Skip-shifting" can be very hazardous to your tranny's syncros. Moreso with up-skip-shifting, but can also apply to down-skip-shifting. Such operations need to be accompanied by a firm understanding of how the tranny works and with accurate rev-matching. And yes, you "rev match" when you upshift. It's not so much something you do (as in downshifting), but more something you must not do.

[Coop]

It is one of the best "center locations" shifters I have driven. 3 & 4 gear should be easy to locate, as the spring set you up for these 2 gears.

[desmo4]

As was previously stated, it could be a matter of maintenance. If your car interior has ever been wet. Rained into with the top down or something then the shifter may get baulky. Corrosion in the guide or spring will cause problems. This is especially true for early AP1's.

Jonathan

[dlq04]

Mine center's itself easily. I think the key to enjoying the S2000 transmission is to not be heavy handed with it during normal driving (when the rev's are not at the limits). It does seem to come into it's own best when driven hard (that's not to say it must be shifted hard) at the track.

[S2Kouichi]

2-3 and 5-4 have never been a problem in this car. First had problems with 5-6 and 6-5 because this is my first 6 speed. Also agree with others, it's easier to upshift above 5k rpm.

[MtnHome]

IMHO it seems like a 6-4 or 5-3 downshift would be easier to do with a strong centering guide, I could see myself missing that if I was shifting too fast.

Seems like a strong centering spring (or weight or whatever) wouldn't cause this -- but it could cause 6-3 or 5-2. Yikes.

The feel of this shifter and its self-centering are better than other cars I've had (Audis and Subarus). I agree with the maintenance diagnosis -- this ought to be checked out. HPH

[repiv]

Looking back at the title, I think it's not "accurate". ;)
In fact, the gates on the S2000's gear selector is extremely "accurate" and thus, requires extreme accuracy on the part of the operator. It is this failure to be "accurate" that leads to many mis-shifts.