I've read that the stock tire width are acutally
closer to 195 front and 245 rear instead of 205 front
and 225 rear...

But does these tire sizes provide the most neutral handling characteristic
for S2000? I ask this because for my car (E36 M3s) using same width
front and rear will provide the most neutral handling (like tires on 95
M3s 235/45-17)... People also claim that using staggered setup like
those 96+ M3s (225/45-17 front and 245/40-17 rear) will give the car
a little more understeer...

Given this formula... (rear tire width > front tire width = more understeer)...
I'm wondering that if S2000 having such big difference in front vs rear tire
size could haver very neutral handling characteristics...

Just curious...

Also, most people go with 225 front and 245 rear... which means increase front
tire width w/o changing rear tire width (is this statement true?)... How will this
affect handling??

Thanks,

 

The front tire treadwidth is a hair less than one 205 I compared it with, but may be similar to others. The front has wide tread voids. The rear is as wide or wider than most 245's and has less tread void than any street tire I have examined.

Yes, this affects the balance of the car so it must be considered when installing replacement tires.

Many people buy 225/245 for two reasons.. 1) that is the closest available with some brands, 2) when installing a larger front sway bar that reduces oversteer, more load is put on the front tires and the 205s show excessive wear.

The 225/245 with larger front swaybar has a bit more push but is more controllable and stable so is a faster combination for many of us.

 

I believe the reason the front tire's width shows less than 205mm is because it is being placed on a wheel whose width is .5 inches less than the measured wheel width for a tire that size (16x7 inches). For every half inch reduction, the contact with the road width is reduced by 5mm.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Russ
[B]I believe the reason the front tire's width shows less than 205mm is because it is being placed on a wheel whose width is .5 inches less than the measured wheel width for a tire that size (16x7 inches).