Winter storm just passed through us in Maryland. My S was stuck at home for 2 days. Anyone have winter tires on their S now? What would u guys recommand?

 

The Calgary guys who drive their cars all winter have had winter tires on for quite some time now. Most have the Blizzak LM-22's. I have the Blizzak MZ-01's but these are not widely available in our sizes. Some tire shops may still have left-over stock. MZ-01's provide better snow/ice grip than LM-22's. Even better than the 01's is the WS-50 but again, it may not be possible to get these in our sizes but you can make do with a slightly taller aspect ratio. Understandably, the better the snow/ice tire it is, the quicker they wear out due to the softer rubber compound. Most guys consider the LM-22's to be a good compromise.
If you don't get as much snow but more icy conditions, any of the Michelin winter tires are also very good. Check out our sponsor "Tire Rack" to see what they offer. If you have a lot of snow, all season radials will NOT suffice.

 

According to Consumer Reports:

BEST H-RATED TIRES:

1.st place - Goodyear Eagle Ultra Grip GW-2, $132
(best dry/wet braking, best ice braking for cars without ABS)

2.nd place - Dunlop SP Winter Sport M2, $ 126
(best dry/ice braking, responsive handling)

3.rd place - Pirelli Winter 210 Snow Sport, $155
(best dry cornering, expensive)

4.th place - Bridgestone Blizzak LM-22, $130
(best emergency handling)

5.th place - Nokian Hakkapeliitta NRW, $157
(excellent in snow, but not ideal for wet weather)

6.th place - Michelin Pilot Alpin, $116
(quite ride, but best suited for areas with less severe snow)


BEST Q-RATED TIRES:

1.st place - Kumho I'zen Stud KW-11, $50
(excellent where snow less severe, best dry/wet braking, accepts studs)

2.nd place - Michelin Arctic Alpin, $85
(excellent where snow less severe, excellent overall)

3.rd place - Dunlop Graspic DS-1, $55
(best snow traction, best ice braking, only fair emergency handling)

4.th place - Gislaved NordFrost II, $75
(very good overall, accepts studs)

5.th place - Nokian Hakkapeliitta Q, $85
(obvious choice where winters include lots of snow and rain, very good overall)

6.th place - BFGoodrich Winter Slalom $60
(very good overall, accepts studs)

7.th place - Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice, $77
(excellent in snow or rain, only fair handling)

8.th place - Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50, $72
(stiff ride, good all-around)

9.th place - Yokohama Guardex F720, $75
(most likely to hydroplane)

10.th place - Firestone Winterfire, $53
(poor ice braking)

11.th place - Cooper Weather-Master XGR, $52
(long dry stops, only fair emergency handling)



Personally, I have the LM 22s on. They are very good in the dry, handles great and only feels squishy when pushed hard in the corners. This winter has been really mild but these tires are holding up well since the compound is pretty hard, similar to all seasons.

In the snow they are good but ice traction is iffy.

 

I've had a number of hi-tech snow tires for my cars over the years, and I have found a favorite.

I have Arctic Alpins on two of our "regular" cars and they are awesome. Nice and quiet, surprisingly good in the dry and rain, and are excellent in ice and snow. As they are wearing down, there hasn't been any perceivable loss of performance.

If I was choosing something for the S2000, I would seriously consider these or something engineered like them (Q-Rated, keep it to double-digit speed). But I don't think they come in the S2000 size.

 

I had a set of LM-22s put on yesterday. Also bought two 50lb bags
of crushed rock from Home Depot. Threw it in the trunk, and i'm good to
go. Gave it a good test in a snow covered parking lot. Works Great!

I have also used Arctic Alpins on my Prelude and have been
very happy with them..Good luck.

I know what it's like to drive ,or should I say, attempt to drive
with the stock SO2s in the snow..Scary...

 

I have Toyo on my S2000

 

I have Toyo Garit HT's... they're great tires.

 

Jackie,

Say hi to AndyP!!! Tell him to spend some more time in the Corner, we miss him!

FYI, I'm a big fan of Blizzaks, but haven't run any sizes nearly as wide as S2000 rims. Our AWD Volvo wagon does well with 'em, and mine are several years old already.

 

As I understand it, the Blizzak LM-22 tires do well in snow and do great on the interstate/autobahn. The Blizzak MZ-01 tires are poor on the interstate but do even better in snow than the LM-22 tires, and, most importantly, stop better on ice.

Nothing does well on ice other than the retractible spike tires on James Bond's Aston Martin in "Die Another Day."

Here is a picture of Bassman's S2000 in Stockholm, Sweden with MZ-01 tires and a hard top. Stockholm sits at 59 deg north latitude (2 deg latitude south of Anchorage, Alaska.) My car looks similar. I'll have to grab some pictures.

 

I am running Nokian Hakapelitas, 205 front and 215 rear. I think the sidewalls are too soft; the handling is very mushy.

Jonas