riderguy57

I need new tires for my S. I'm thinking about either going through tirerack.com for the tires and having them delivered to Tire Tracks on School Ave. and having them do the install, or going to the Firestone dealer on Mission. Firestone is a number of dollars more, but I'm willing to pay if there is a valid reason to. Has anyone got any information, on these 2 dealers? Any info, whether it's positive or negative would be appreciated.

whitenoise

Hi Scott, I have used both installers in the past with my most recent experience with Firestone. I didn't mind paying more for the install since they drove me home after I dropped off my car and they picked me up when it was ready. They even brought the old tires back with them when they picked me up. They are really good guys at the shop.

Hope this helps!

riderguy57

Thanks for the response Keith.

Scott

the_architect

Scott,

Im new to the forums. I just joined the ranks of the S2000 owner's...

I have used University Auto with my other cars and they have done great work and would trust them.

James

jmoore2k

Scott, As you know, what size, brand, and type of tires installed on the Honda S2000 can make a big difference how the car handles.
James may not be aware that the model years 2000-2003 (AP1) S2000 came stock with 16-inch wheels and the 2004 and later (AP2) came with 17-inch wheels that were 1/2-inch wider in front and 1-inch wider in rear than the AP1. The AP1 S2000 cars came new with Bridgestone S-02 Pole Position tires in sizes (F) 205/55 R16 and (R) 225/50 R16. With those 225/50 size rear tires the AP1 would snap loose in the rear when pushed to the adhesion limit. I had purchased my used S2000(at 10,800 miles) from the Mazda dealer in Fayetteville, AR, and they had removed the original S-02 tires and installed new high-performance all-weather tires in the stock sizes.
The first year with my '02, I was pushing the limit in a decreasing radius right-hand turn on a two lane mountain road when a cat ran across the road. I just for a split-second lifted and got back on the gas, but the rear end snapped about 75-degrees to the left then rotated over 160-degrees to the right with me steering to the left and then right to keep the car in the middle of the road. The car then rotated clock-wise around 270-degrees to end up going backwards along the center of the road at around 55-mph. I had already pushed in the clutch before it had stopped rotating and by then was on a straight section of road; I hit the brakes hard to stop the car in the middle of the road. Thank goodness my years of racing Corvettes in S.C.C.A. had conditioned my reflexes to control spinouts.
That little scare made me want to install wider tires on the rear of my S2000. I found out that the maximum width tire that could be installed on an AP1/AP2 S2000 rear (without rubbing) was 255/40. That size would be too wide for the AP1 rear 16-inch rims, so I ordered a used set of AP2 wheels over the internet. When the AP2 wheels arrived, I had the front wheels mounted with Bridgestone Potenza RE050 PP (summer) in size 225/45 R17 and the rear with 255/40 R17. Two years after I purchased the car and after the drive-train warranty had expired, I had a Comptech supercharger and after-cooler installed on the car which increased the horsepower by 110 rwhp to a max of 310 hp at the rear-wheels. The wider rear wheel/tire combination also helped reduce excessive wheel-spin in first and second gears.
The last time I needed new tires, Tire Rack informed me that Bridgestone had discontinued the RE050 PP tire in size 255/40 R17, so they recommended going to Bridgestone Potenza S-04 PP tires which have the same performance and speed ratings. With the S-04 tires on front and rear using 32 psi rear and 33 psi front, I could not tell any difference between the S-04 and the RE050 tires. The S-04 are rated a little better for tread wear, and the car handles absolutely neutral in the curves: no oversteer or understeer.
My point is, be careful what type of tires you put on an S2000. If you are a non-spirited driver, longer lasting all-weather high-performance tires might work well, but if you ever intend to push the car to the limit in curves consider spending more money for summer max performance tires. My AP1 OEM 16-inch wheels are mounted with Bridgestone Potenza PE970 AS Pole Position M+S tires that I only use in winter months. My daily driver is a Toyota Highlander AWD hybrid, and I also have two sets of wheel/tires for that vehicle that include special winter ice/snow tires for winter use. Jerome

riderguy57

Jerome:

Thanks for the detailed response! My style of driving is the type that puts me in the slower group for the BMT. Not having had any track training, I like to drive the car hard, but within the limits of my wife not shouting at me - too much! That said, I was happy with the OEM Potenzas that came on the car from the factory, and put on another set of them. After about 600 miles of driving on the new set, I like the feel of the car in curves and haven't slid the rear end yet with the new tires. The old set just became a little slippery in high speed curves, thus prompting me to get a new set all the way around.

I hope to see you and everyone else at the next BMT.

Scott

JulieU

Off-topic but AP1s came with S-02s.

jmoore2k

Julie, Thanks, I have made the correction. Not having seen AP1 S2000 cars when new, I was not aware that they came with S-02 tires. In one of the S2000 S2Ki or S2KCA threads, I had read that AP1 came with the RE050 tires.....wrong!