Tires...what do you run?
03-15-2016, 09:27 AM
#1
Tires...what do you run?
Hello!
I purchased my AP2 (2004) at the end of the summer last year and have recently brought out the car out of hibernation. As we all know we deal with all types of road conditions here in the Pac NW and it's often wet. But fun cars like ours deserve max or extreme performance tires to extract the highest # of grins on the road!
I'm currently on RE760 Sports and I have not liked the wet or dry grip with these tires. It's partly due to the tires I used that were in a higher performance category on my previous car (Z4M...Michelin Pilot Super Sports, and before that Dunlop Star Spec Z1's). The grip that I'm used to is just not there with my s2000's current set of sneakers...but then again I lived in CA with the Star Specs so I question the wisdom of going back to that tire in OR.
I'm thinking of changing my tires (that have less than 2000mi, by the way!) to the PSS due to a good mix of dry and wet traction I experienced with those tires, but before I pulled the trigger I wanted to check with the board here on your experience with the S2K in the PacNW. I'm hoping to learn from your experience to help me make the right decision...
Thank you!
(Just to add, I don't track, and I don't care too much about longevity since the car only gets driven 3-4k miles per year.)
Yosuke
I purchased my AP2 (2004) at the end of the summer last year and have recently brought out the car out of hibernation. As we all know we deal with all types of road conditions here in the Pac NW and it's often wet. But fun cars like ours deserve max or extreme performance tires to extract the highest # of grins on the road!
I'm currently on RE760 Sports and I have not liked the wet or dry grip with these tires. It's partly due to the tires I used that were in a higher performance category on my previous car (Z4M...Michelin Pilot Super Sports, and before that Dunlop Star Spec Z1's). The grip that I'm used to is just not there with my s2000's current set of sneakers...but then again I lived in CA with the Star Specs so I question the wisdom of going back to that tire in OR.
I'm thinking of changing my tires (that have less than 2000mi, by the way!) to the PSS due to a good mix of dry and wet traction I experienced with those tires, but before I pulled the trigger I wanted to check with the board here on your experience with the S2K in the PacNW. I'm hoping to learn from your experience to help me make the right decision...
Thank you!
(Just to add, I don't track, and I don't care too much about longevity since the car only gets driven 3-4k miles per year.)
Yosuke
03-15-2016, 09:43 AM
#2
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I think the continental extremecontact DW is probably the best option for a year round tire here in the PNW. I haven't personally ever used them, but they are supposed to be pretty good in the dry and phenomenal in the wet.
On the other hand, it sounds like you store the car for the winter. Most of the extreme performance summer tires are actually pretty good in the rain, assuming they have decent tread depth remaining and there aren't large amounts of standing water. The Dunop ZII star spec would probably be fine for most of the rain we get around here. I have been driving around on a set of Bridgestone RE-71, and they seem fine in the wet.
On the other hand, it sounds like you store the car for the winter. Most of the extreme performance summer tires are actually pretty good in the rain, assuming they have decent tread depth remaining and there aren't large amounts of standing water. The Dunop ZII star spec would probably be fine for most of the rain we get around here. I have been driving around on a set of Bridgestone RE-71, and they seem fine in the wet.
03-15-2016, 09:58 AM
#3
Thank you for the quick input!
Yes, I kept the car in the garage this year from Dec-end of Feb (2.5mo). It was partly because I was not happy with wet performance of the RE760's. I'm not sure what I'll do next winter...but here we are in March with heavy rains and temps in low-mid 40's.
RE71 is a tire I'm intrigued by as well, it seems to be the new wonder tire. Glad to hear it works well around here! Are you using it year round?
Yes, I kept the car in the garage this year from Dec-end of Feb (2.5mo). It was partly because I was not happy with wet performance of the RE760's. I'm not sure what I'll do next winter...but here we are in March with heavy rains and temps in low-mid 40's.
RE71 is a tire I'm intrigued by as well, it seems to be the new wonder tire. Glad to hear it works well around here! Are you using it year round?
I think the continental extremecontact DW is probably the best option for a year round tire here in the PNW. I haven't personally ever used them, but they are supposed to be pretty good in the dry and phenomenal in the wet.
On the other hand, it sounds like you store the car for the winter. Most of the extreme performance summer tires are actually pretty good in the rain, assuming they have decent tread depth remaining and there aren't large amounts of standing water. The Dunop ZII star spec would probably be fine for most of the rain we get around here. I have been driving around on a set of Bridgestone RE-71, and they seem fine in the wet.
On the other hand, it sounds like you store the car for the winter. Most of the extreme performance summer tires are actually pretty good in the rain, assuming they have decent tread depth remaining and there aren't large amounts of standing water. The Dunop ZII star spec would probably be fine for most of the rain we get around here. I have been driving around on a set of Bridgestone RE-71, and they seem fine in the wet.
03-15-2016, 10:38 AM
#5
I have had good experience with the Star Spec ZII's. I have them both on my S2000 and NSX. However I don't drive either much during the winter. The S2000 will occasionally drive in the rain and the tires do very well.
Good luck on your search.
Huy
Good luck on your search.
Huy
03-15-2016, 11:06 AM
#6
Community Organizer
See, my personal experience with the Z1s was that they were fine for "wet" roads, but hitting ANY standing water was a terrifying experience. Got some water channels running down the ruts of the road? God help you.
On the flip side, the Toyo T1Rs I used to run during the early years of the AP1 were fantastic in the wet, but had a pretty soft sidewall and they were too expensive for what they were. Of course for an Ap2, sidewall softness is less of an issue.
I ran Sumitomo HTRIII this last season and was pleasantly surprised how they handled the wet, were a pretty decent driving tire, good wear, and were CHEAP!
On the flip side, the Toyo T1Rs I used to run during the early years of the AP1 were fantastic in the wet, but had a pretty soft sidewall and they were too expensive for what they were. Of course for an Ap2, sidewall softness is less of an issue.
I ran Sumitomo HTRIII this last season and was pleasantly surprised how they handled the wet, were a pretty decent driving tire, good wear, and were CHEAP!
03-15-2016, 12:55 PM
#7
I run RE970AS in the winter and RE11A in the summer. It depends upon when and where you drive but I find the sticky summer performance tires can get pretty scary if you get stuck in a heavy cold rain. I did make the mistake of getting caught in a snow storm with R-S3 tires and had to leave it by the side of the road.
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03-19-2016, 05:23 PM
#9
Moderator
The ZII's and RE071's are a good bet if you only drive the car a few thousand miles a year and don't care about tread life.
I am a big fan of how stiff the sidewall is on the ZII
I am a big fan of how stiff the sidewall is on the ZII
03-22-2016, 06:39 AM
#10
Michelin Pilot Super Sports. They're grippy wet and dry, low road noise and seem to absorb the bumps much better. A very composed ride combined with excellent grip at a reasonable price? I'm sold.