Those who know me, know that I am the great defender of S02's performance in adverse weather. In the spirit of the "I woke up this morning and my S2000 ran great", I just want to say that I have been pushing my new S02's in this cold weather and in rainstorms and they grip like the dickens, despite reports otherwise.

I have never lost confidence in my S02's, and I don't really understand why many people bash their wet weather performance. Do they expect to be able to drive the same in the wet as the dry? I guess so.

I just go a tiny bit slower, brake a little earlier and am especially careful not to do anything dumb in the corners. I can still go faster than (almost) any other car on the road in the rain.

So, my advice would be to stop blaming your S02's for your carelessness, and drive carefully in the cold and the rain. It's not the tires' fault!

 

I hope nothing changes your mind.

 

I think you missed my point. I'll never blame tires for errors that could have been avoided by driving more carefully.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Sunchild
[B]

I think you missed my point.

 

N/p. I was being facetious in my first post, so misunderstandings are par for the course.

 

i feel the same way they grip pretty good in the rain as long as you drive more carefully

 

I've never had any problem in wet weather either (the few times that I have driven the car in the rain).

I have noticed a big difference in traction in cold, dry weather though......it sucks.

Other than that, the S-02s are great tires.

Be careful driving out there people!

 

Sunchild,

I think you have a valid point. I've never had problems with my S02's in the rain either, although I do live in a slightly less wet climate than you . However, this car is my daily driver and I commute 30 miles each way to work so I get a decent amount of exposure to rain. But what are we gonna do? These people who crash their cars and are looking for a scapegoat for the fact that they drove too fast don't want to hear that at that moment. So I bite my tongue and roll my eyes. But I'm with you brotha

 

Actually in one respect I definitely agree. Our driving techniques have a great deal to do with tire response. Cold tires, slick surfaces with a combination of damp or wet conditions has a great deal to do with performance. Most people expect the tire to make up the difference of their mistakes. This is totally irrational. Tires don't have memories or the ability to adapt to varying environmental conditions. On the other hand we do. I to believe that their isn't a problem with the SO2's in the rain. My only complaint was the longevity of the tire. I wish I could show you the difference between motorcycle wet comp tire and a slick! Not much except for diagonal cut grooves.

You hit the proverbial nail on the head when you stated, People need to stop blaming the product and start driving with a LITTLE more common sense. When the adhesion is limited because of the cold temps and dampness, you just need to vary your driving response. I don't subscribe to it's the tires fault. It wouldn't be doing anything unless there is input from the driver!! I agree Sunchild!

 

Sunchild,

When you hear people say that stock S02's "suck in the rain...", it doens't mean that a brand new S02 is not a good tire in the rain.

Let me explain why I rather not drive on a S02 in the rain...

1. The rear S02's have very small water displacement channels for maximum dry weather performance.

2. A brand new S02 is fine to drive on in the rain, but the tires are soft and wear down so quick that 6,000 of the 10,000 mile tread life (for example), the tread is not very deep.

3. The stock rear tire tread is wide.

Add those two together and you are mostly driving on a tire that does not have enough water displacement (in my opinion). Sure the tire feels o.k. when the cement is wet. But, I'm talking about hydroplaning. Add those three above items and you spend most of your miles driving on rear water skies. My stock S02's were down to the wear bar in 5,000 miles. In Houston we have alot of standing water on the freeway, and by just going 50 MPH, you can feel the rear end drifting loose.

There is not much any "performance" tire can do when you are traveling 50 MPH and drive over standing water...but the S02's are one of the worst because of it's strong dry weather performance design.