Chuck S

The darling tires three years ago were the Bridgestone RE-11As which, alas, were superseded by the RE71Rs which are very noisy and firm on the road. Super handling but loud. I ran a set of RE-11As until October when I replaced them with Bridgestone S-04 tires. So far these seem to handle and ride as well as the RE-11As even though they're a performance grade lower (Max vs Extreme). I doubt 10mm matters in the tread width. I fitted 255 rears "just 'cuz" and I was curious. Fronts remain at 215. No fitment issues. At the Gettysburg event last fall another member had the same tires. We both like them.

I've been intending to get to the one day Mid-Ohio race track performance driving class. Hopefully this spring. This may change my opinion on these tires but judging from the "can you slow down a little" words coming from the right seat during the G'burg day I suspect they'll do just fine.

-- Chuck

ZDan

Could be. I wound up buying new tires with half the tread depth still remaining because the grip was *dangerously* low. Seriously, I haven't driven on such low-grip tires since I bought my 240Z and it was on 20+ year-old dry-rotted Firestone 721s from the 70s!

Do not understand why these tires are so revered. In their *best* days they were only OK in my book.

-Tim-

Thanks, everyone, for all the info. So far, Im leaning towards the S-04's.

TsukubaCody

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500

s2000Junky

The RE71 seems to be in a league of its own in grip and wear, for that reason it wouldn't make a great street tire choice for you so I wouldn't probably recommend it, however I would not be apposed to using any one of the other more traditional performing extreme summers in your case like the Rs3 or Z2 star spec etc. Great grip, handling and reasonable wear for the grip over the max performance summers. Just consider extreme summers are not good for real winter seasons if you have them or rely on the S2000 365. Some guys will have a winter set of rims and all seasons and switch to the summer wheels/tires to get the best tire on the ground for the conditions, rather then a compromised one like a S04, DW or PSS.

I personally run extreme summers on my car all year around, and am comfortable with how they perform in various conditions, however I have another vehicle to use for when the roads get iced over/really poor conditions.

-Tim-

It's not my daily. I have a civic beater I use to commute in and a truck for when I'm out with my family....but I do like to take the S out whenever weather permits -not only in the summer with the top down- so that might be another reason I'd be better of with something that can be used in the cold.

Also- I plan on keeping my car stock. I've read some articles that made me wonder if EP tires might be overkill as far as outperforming my stock suspension.

I may just get the potenzas for now and maybe next year search the classifieds for a nice set of wheels with some sticky tires. Thanks, s2000Junky.

Fokker

S04s are a good option; if you want to save some money, Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 or BFG Sport Comp2 will be comparable.

Memo6453

Anybody run the Bridgestone RE760 Sport ? i thought these were decent for the street... When my RE-11A need to be replaced i might consider these or the PSS by Michelin like mentioned...

s2000Junky

The s2000 has a really good/firm suspension out of the box, perfectly matched for an extreme summer compound tire in stock sizes. If this isn't your only car and you want the car to put bigger grins on your face up in the hills then its really a requirement in my book. The tires start to get skittish under 50 degrees until you get some miles on them to warm them up, but like I said, i run them all year around which means 20-30F if the roads are dry. Just be mindful. You get more out of the car with an extreme summer, handling as well generally. Most max summer Bridgstones are firm enough to maintain stock handling character, but pss is a single ply sidewall which deviates from that and most other max season tires do as well, being better BMW/sport sedan tires where comfort is part of the formula, so you not only give up grip but more importantly handling/feel and turn in precision. You want a firm sidewall tire on the S2000 to maintain its factory feel. The stickier and wider tire you go with, the even more crucial this is since more forces are applied to the sidewalls that are supporting you.

The Nitto NT05 I street have a triple ply sidewall construction. They are 275/40 up front and 315/35 in the back on 17's. Everything has to be in balance to maintain or improve the integrity of what makes this car great. OEM equip is a great basis to always keep in mind when making any changes. Dont do it blindly or you may end up with a car that doesn't satisfy you and may not know why, may even cause you to sell it eventually which would be unfortunate if could have been avoided.

Kills me every time I see some cheap or not cheap but inferior tires on the s2k, because i know how drastic they effect the cars feel and behavior. After almost 13 years of ownership ive tried quite a variety of tires from several classes to come to my conclusions here and become pretty much a tire snob as a result.

NFR-S2k-

Look into the firehawk indy 500. I just bought a pair for the rear of my daily s2 and I'm crazy excited for them to come in. Given they are ultra high performance tires vs Max performance but they're a new compound for 2016 and they're supposed to be the best in their category and everyone who has reviewed them loves them. I drive the same as you but I like to do skids every once in a while so I wanted a tire I could break loose when I wanted but still had enough grip to be planted through corners. I'll post a review when I get them on sometime later this week

Also reading through this thread I see a lot of hate on the mpss's. They're a Great daily tire and loved by pretty much everyone except s2k guys for whatever reason lol. I've driven my buddies 5.0 with mpss's and my mom's GTR with a full set and the steering feel is lacking a little but the overall grip and comfort is just insane. A lot of GTR guys like to track with them and they shave .5-1 second off their lap times if that tells you anything about the grip. But like I said there is a tradeoff for steering feel for comfort and grip so they may not be for everyone.