The Myth of the Honda OEM Bridgestone S02
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 721
Likes: 0
From: -
I was talking with Scot at King Motorsports today about some suspension upgrades. He mentioned in passing that there is a specific Honda OEM Bridgestone S02 tire.
He said specifically that the plain S02's you can order at Tire Rack are not the same tires that Honda ships with the car. He went on to say that the front Honda OEM S02's have a more open tread pattern and that the rear Honda spec tires have a closer tread pattern. This was a specific design to better assist the handling of the S2000.
Always having wondered about this I called the Tire Rack. Their story is that there is no such thing as a "Honda OEM" S02. Just the Porsche OEM, Pole Position and Plain S02. They even offered up the number for Bridgstone so that I could verify this.
While the rep's at King and Tire Rack seemed very competent, the Bridgestone rep seemed clueless. Nevertheless, he did verify the Tire Rack claim that there is no Honda spec S02. But as I said, the rep was pretty clueless so I'm still not certain.
I guess the next step is to copy down and verify model numbers on OEM tires and see if they match the Tire Rack numbers.
Unless of course someone else has some more insight into this.
[This message has been edited by Mikey (edited November 17, 2000).]
He said specifically that the plain S02's you can order at Tire Rack are not the same tires that Honda ships with the car. He went on to say that the front Honda OEM S02's have a more open tread pattern and that the rear Honda spec tires have a closer tread pattern. This was a specific design to better assist the handling of the S2000.
Always having wondered about this I called the Tire Rack. Their story is that there is no such thing as a "Honda OEM" S02. Just the Porsche OEM, Pole Position and Plain S02. They even offered up the number for Bridgstone so that I could verify this.
While the rep's at King and Tire Rack seemed very competent, the Bridgestone rep seemed clueless. Nevertheless, he did verify the Tire Rack claim that there is no Honda spec S02. But as I said, the rep was pretty clueless so I'm still not certain.
I guess the next step is to copy down and verify model numbers on OEM tires and see if they match the Tire Rack numbers.
Unless of course someone else has some more insight into this.
[This message has been edited by Mikey (edited November 17, 2000).]
Registered User
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 301
Likes: 0
From: Sydney
Banned
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,263
Likes: 1
From: On the lakefront...
Well, I don't know how much wisdom I can impart here, but I went through 2 full sets of S02's in the 20,000 miles...
The 2nd set of rear tires, which I always felt were different than the OEM S02's, wore out in 3 track days. There were huge chunks taken out all the way around the tires, which still makes me nervous.
The 2nd set of fronts wore out VERY quickly. They not only wore out, but they were out very differently than the OEM tires did. I made sure to specifically order the OEM S02's from tirerack. They were not the PP or any other variant. They WERE different tires and people told me that I should have sent them back, but I can't imagine that they would take them back on some kind of warranty.
And someone recently posted (was it C3?) pictures of the various tires in his garage. The valleys in the OEM tires were noticeably thinner, providing more contact with rubber to the road.
This is an issue that I really think needs to be resolved. The S02's that I ordered from tirerack simply were different tires. They wore differently and everything. Upsetting...and I can promise that this will not happen to me twice...
Bueller? Any thoughts?
The 2nd set of rear tires, which I always felt were different than the OEM S02's, wore out in 3 track days. There were huge chunks taken out all the way around the tires, which still makes me nervous.
The 2nd set of fronts wore out VERY quickly. They not only wore out, but they were out very differently than the OEM tires did. I made sure to specifically order the OEM S02's from tirerack. They were not the PP or any other variant. They WERE different tires and people told me that I should have sent them back, but I can't imagine that they would take them back on some kind of warranty.
And someone recently posted (was it C3?) pictures of the various tires in his garage. The valleys in the OEM tires were noticeably thinner, providing more contact with rubber to the road.
This is an issue that I really think needs to be resolved. The S02's that I ordered from tirerack simply were different tires. They wore differently and everything. Upsetting...and I can promise that this will not happen to me twice...
Bueller? Any thoughts?
Registered User
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 4,467
Likes: 3
From: Davie, FL
A little while ago cthree posted pictures of 3 different versions of the SO2s. Honda OEM as found on our cars, Pole positions, and the replacement tire offered in the aftermarket.
Here are the photos:
Honda OEM
Aftermarket SO2
SO2 Pole Position
The tread design of the OEM tire and aftermarket SO2 is different! The people at TireRack, and at the dealership for that matter, can't seem to explain it
.
Here are the photos:
Honda OEM
Aftermarket SO2
SO2 Pole Position
The tread design of the OEM tire and aftermarket SO2 is different! The people at TireRack, and at the dealership for that matter, can't seem to explain it
.
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 721
Likes: 0
From: -
Just a guess on my part but I'm thinking that the Honda OEM S02 is a Japanese spec tire and is not shipped to the states by Bridgestone.
They only make the standard S02 available and hope no one will notice the difference...
They only make the standard S02 available and hope no one will notice the difference...
Trending Topics
Registered User
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 722
Likes: 0
From: Portland
FWIW,
a friend runs SO2s on his 944 turbo. He told me that he got the OEM Porsche 225/50 and that when mounted on the stock 7 inch wheel was almost as wide as the 245/45 non OEM Porsche S02 on a 9 inch rear wheel.
didnt ask him about tread pattern differences though.
a friend runs SO2s on his 944 turbo. He told me that he got the OEM Porsche 225/50 and that when mounted on the stock 7 inch wheel was almost as wide as the 245/45 non OEM Porsche S02 on a 9 inch rear wheel.
didnt ask him about tread pattern differences though.
Registered User
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 616
Likes: 0
From: The wilds of
Well, that's pretty annoying. Assuming all 3 are new tires, it's obvious the OEM tire puts substantially more rubber on the road. It explains why Greg had a problem with the new ones chunking at the track.
I suppose the larger voids on the US-spec S02s will make them safer in the wet, but if I can't replace the tires I have with duplicates I might as well think about Yokohamas or Michelins next time.
I suppose the larger voids on the US-spec S02s will make them safer in the wet, but if I can't replace the tires I have with duplicates I might as well think about Yokohamas or Michelins next time.