can i mix and match tires?
 

i tried posting in the tire forum, but am posting here for more feedback.

i currently have s02s on the fronts with about 95% tread left, and S02s on the rear with almost no tread left. my question is , would it be ok to leave the s02s on the front and put something like s03s on the rear, or maybe even the yokohama AVS ES 100s or the yokohama AVS dB S2s on the rear? would it be ok to mix these tires? the reason im thinking of changing is that the so3s and yokohamas rate a little better in wet conditions and in tread life, not to mention price. i occassionally take a fun aggressive drive, but the fact that the s02s slightly outperform in dry conditions isnt that important to me.

thanks in advance.

-tony

you sure can mix and match, but i'd advise against it.

understand that the OEM S-02s are sticky ass tires and if you got sticky ass tires and you go for anything less in the rear, you're asking for mad tail wagging action... if you're into that sort of thing, go for it, but most of us prefer control over the constant threat of losing the back end.

and the S-02s don't "slightly" outperform over the tires you've mentioned. The S-02s woop 'em.

recommendation
get OEM rear S-02s for the time being. use some common sense in the rain. when all four corners show wear, switch 'em all over to Kumho Ecsta 712s (cheap cheap cheap) or ES100s (decent tires).

if on stock rims, i'd only go with OEM S-02s, but hey burning rubber is $$$$ so i see where you're coming from.

I remember some of the guys put S-03's in the rear, with S-02PPs up front, and lost it...

I wouldn't do it. :nono:

Also, consider that the traction balance will change depending on conditions. In the dry the back end will have less traction to make it oversteer. In the wet the back will have more traction making the car understeer in the wet. Hell what is it going to feel when your driving along and then hit a rain storm?

sure you can. It's like wearing two shoes with different sizes. How does that feel?

Like everyone else said ... don't do it. The balance of the car is compromised and might bite you when you least expect it.

I hate how the car handles with new tires on the back and old ones up front, even if they are the same kind. I don't want to imagine what it would be like to mix different types of tires!

If you know what you're doing it can be OK. My first (and only) driving experience in an S2000 was in an '02 on a road course that had S02s up front and S03s at the rear. I loved it. The car had awesome balance in these conditions (40-100 mph, dry track, smooth driver). I tend to like more oversteer than most people though.

I've also mismatched tires on my MR2 on occasion - Victoracers up front and ES100s in back, for example. Now that I would not recommend to anyone but myself - oversteer came on very quickly and that's all the car would do. But I'm experienced in my own car so I had a blast and never lost control of it.

I think unless you're experienced at oversteer recovery, you should stick to the same tires all around.

Unfortunately for me, when I bought my S2K the original owner put S03s on the rears and the stock S02s up front. Sure..its fun sliding the tail out in almost any condition (literally) but the setup is fairly unpredictable and I've gotten myself into some hairy situations.

I'm looking to switch to the Khumo MXs soon. Very cheap, excellent performance, and from what I've been told they are very predictable.

I'm going to an SCCA event this weekend...I'll be sure to let you know what happens with my current setup.

No. Unless you have a deathwish :LOL:

I have two different sets of tires and i have driven through plenty of rain with no problems, granted if i try to take a 90 degree turn at 50 mph the ass slides but thats kinda fun if ya know what ur doin!