Great pics cthree!! Man I wish I had seen those back in June when I had a flat rear at 3700 miles. I ordered what I thought were 2 Honda OEM S02s from Tire Rack. As it turned out, they are the Porsche OEM S02s and DO have wider grooves. At first the car felt slightly unstable in the rear, as if there was some drift. Now after 5000 miles (and a 3rd S02) later, the car feels much more stable.

So how does one order the right damn tire?
For future reference, does anyone know the correct tire numbers for the Honda OEM S02?

[This message has been edited by VA S2K (edited November 17, 2000).]

 

You need to read the model number on the tire. I can't remember exactly (it was on h-a.net 6 crashes ago), but someone posted about this earlier in the year. The model numbers are different and the OEM S02 is different than any other S02.

 

Thanks meat. I forgot I have an OEM tire in my garage, will look at it tonight

 

I called Bridgestone again and this time got the phone number of one of their tire engineers.

The verdict? There definately is a Honda OEM Bridgestone S02.

The strange part is that the article number (part number) he gave me for the Honda spec tire is the same one that the Tire Rack gave me for the plain S02.

The Bridgestone engineer also gave me a ton of info which I'll try to summerize here.

The tire sub-types don't have unique model numbers, but their numbering does vary and the type can be determined from the numbering schemes.

The Honda OEM S02 front tires should have the following printed on them:
205 55 R16 89w

The Honda OEM S02 rear tires should have the following printed on them:
225 50 R16 92w

The difference here being that neither the Porsche OEM tires nor the Pole Position will have a load-speed index rating on them. The load-speed index is the 89w and 92w portion.

The article # (part #) to ask for when ordering Honda OEM S02's is :
Fronts: 081612
Rears: 081620

The article# (part#) to ask for when ordering the Pole Positions in 16" is:
Fronts: 061425
Rears: 061441

Another thing to look out for is an "N" rating on the tire. Any tire with an "N" on it is a Porsche OEM tire.

After all this I'm still not convinced that the plain S02's are the Honda OEM spec tire.

I don't think Greg bought the Porsche OEM or the Pole Position tires, yet his were different, the saga continues.

 

Have you guys realize that there are two regular S02 offered by TireRack besides the Porsche OEM and PP.

The difference is the speed rating, one is ZR the other is WR. WR tires are what Tire Rack told me my car has from the factory.

These should also have a higher load index than ZR tires and the tread design could vary slightly to handle the higher speeds and heat.

 

That solves it... I'm getting the Michelin Pilots.

 

Honda OEM S02's are available from Sears. They are $300/corner. You cannot buy tires from the dealer, they don't sell tires (usually) even OEM ones. When I asked my dealer for a quote, they called Sears.

 

The question is.....What type would you get if you ordered replacement tires and had them installed by the Honda dealer? Would you get the same as your originals?

Has anybody bought replacements direct from Honda yet? If so, perhaps you take some measurements for comparison and post them.

 

You snuck in in front of me cthree! You answered my question, I guess.

 

Dude, $300/corner? That's a lot of money for tires...