I just purchase some new 18'' rims for my car and i realize that this is going to affect the performance and handling of the car. With the low trends on my tires right now. I am already have problems in the rain. It starts to wobble back and forth on the highway when i drive in the rain. I know by getting 18s its not gonna get any better. I was wondering what the best thing that i should buy to improce the handling of the car. I heard alot about X-Brace. Does it really help if not. wat else can i get for a reasonable price? Thanks for all the advice.

 

A new driver.






j/k man


I don't think an xbrace will help with aqua planing. It would be hard to tell a difference on a dry surface let alone a wet surface. Your best bet is to make sure your car is properly aligned, and MOST important, if you have to run it in the rain, make sure you have a good set of tires on your car. I can't stress enough how important it is to have good rubber in adverse conditions such as heavy rain while driving this car.

Even the owners manual says to take extra caution while driving in the rain. If I remember correctly, the owners manual says "serious injury or death can occur from losing control of your car" or something like that.

 

Moving to S2000 Talk as per:
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=247214

As for your questions, the trouble you are having in the rain is due to the condition of the tires on your car and the fact that you are "over-driving" the car for the driving conditions at the time. Putting 18" rims on the car will have no consequence to driving in the rain. Once you have 18" rims on the car, it will STILL be dependent upon the type and condition of the tires you put on those rims and the way you drive the car in the rain (speed for the given situation).

In many ways, RACER's first comment is not that far off. Sad, but true.

 

The biggest handling limit of your car sits between the engine and the driver seat.

18inch wheels are over kill for S2000. It's for show. Stick wtih stock size. Honda engineers knew the best when they built the car. Why change?

HPDE events or Autocross perhaps? try it and tell us how well your S2000 handles. You'd be amazed.

 

Rubber is the biggest difference you can make in as far as handling go's and that's not meant in size. Some tire makers actually market their tires for weather, such as the Pirelli Full Rain Tire SC1R(blue). These tires are made of mixed compunds and are used in WET conditions and with non abrasive surfaces like streets.

This is just an example as these tires probably wouldn't be found in our sizes. This is merely to say that a vast improvement in rain can be made this way