Speaking personally, I think if you don't drive the S2000 in the rain or in wet conditions, the S-02 is a better tire. If you do drive the S2000 in wet/rainy conditions, the S-03 is a better tire...

I'm sticking with the S-02's. Since my car never sees rain, I am getting S-02's. Just look at the contact patch, there is more rubber on the road. It seems pretty simple to me, then again, what do I know?

It just seems obvious to me that the S-02 is a far superior tire as long as you never drive in wet conditions...

I could be wrong, but I don't think so...

Like I learned in auto mechanics in high school, everyone would have slicks if it weren't for rain...

 

The MUGEN guys run S-03s (saw them at Asheville)... but what do they know?

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by SilverStreak
[B]The MUGEN guys run S-03s (saw them at Asheville)... but what do they know?

 

I was going to respond to this thread 20 minutes ago, but I got to Keith's sig and lost all track of where I was....

I'd like to see Tire Rack do a new vs. old test of the S02/S03. It's tough to do back to back because you're replacing worn out tires with less tread depth (good) and heat cycled tread (bad). I know Nick likes the S03s. I'm always hesitant about new tires that look for better rain performance, etc. The SP9000s from Dunlop had lots of advantages over the SP8000s, but dry grip wasn't one of them. It would be nice to get the dual compound tread on the S03s though since the OEM S02s don't seem to have it.

Personally, I think I'm gonna put up with the noise and go A032Rs, since I never see rain either :-)

UL

 

Replaced my S02s with S03s early June. Stook is my daily driver, lots of rain. S03s are much better than S02s for my needs.

 

Anyone concidered "Continental Conti Sport" tyres? They're pretty new but they're already being fitted standard on new 911s as well as RUFF Porsches and Hamman BMWs. Not only that but they were recently compared to S02s (standard). P-Zero Rosso, Michelin Pilot Sport, Falken FK-451 and they beat the competition. They did not measure/test the wear or had any indication on how the tyres behave when they get worn down (either a bit or a lot) so it was all about 'perfromance'. This is what lap times they managed with the same driver, same car just different tyres (235.45/17") running 35psi:

- Dry track the Continental managed 55sec lap time while the S02's were 1.5sec behind and the P-Zero's were another 0.4 sec behind. The slowest tyre produced lap time 6secs of the pace.

- In the wet the Continentals were not as fast. They were about 1.6 sec of the best while the S02s were 0.8 sedc of the best. Again. the slowest tyre was about 5 secs of the pace.

Though, on average (wet and dry), the Continentals were on the top.

Also, reading the 'driver comments', the Continentals were praised for their predictability, grip and consistancy as well as feel. S02s got pretty possitive comments too, but the S02s were 'taily' and produced oversteer even through a fast corner (where no other tyres did so). Though, the oversteer was very controllable and progressive. The Continentals had a little bit more 'push' at the limit but nothing major ... they said they were the most 'balanced' tyre.

ps. The test car had same width tyres front/back, unlike the S2000.

 

I replaced my original rear S02's with S02pp's. They handled ok, but wore out in 7,000 miles! The original's lasted almost 15,000 miles. I just replaced all four tires with S03pp's. I haven't had rain to drive in yet, but the dry traction seems considerably less to me. I'm willing to live with the compromise for the wet performance and hopefully longer tread wear. I have several thousand miles on the s03's and still feel they'll break lose sooner than the S02's. Could be that Mingster's air filter boosted my power so much that the tires just can't keep up.

 

We had a chance to talk with Bridgestone tire reps about the S-02 and S-03 at the Drive and Learn event. The technology of the S-03 is intended to replace the S-02 PP as an all season performance tire. The compounds are harder to start with and designed to resist further hardening until the second layer of compound is further exposed. The S-03 does not have the dry grip of the OEM S-02 and far less contact patch. The sidewalls are somewhat softer so the car will ride smoother but turning response will not be as crisp as the S-02. The S-03 is a superior rain tire due to improvements in both the compounds and tread design.

Overall the S-03 should last longer, provide smoother ride and handle extremely well in the rain. Dry performance is comparable to other rain tires. The S-03 is also available in non-stock sizes for aftermarket wheels.

The OEM S-02 continues to be a better choice for dry handling performance for those with stock size wheels that demand ultimate grip. Wet handling is good until the tire wears then performance deteriorates rapidly, especially after 8000 miles. If you require more grip look to track tires but rain performance is marginal to none.

 

Rev. I would say check your tire pressure. On the tire it recommends 51 PSI. So maybe the installer just filled them up like mine did. My first empressions where similiar to yours. It felt to bouncy and the turn in was very noticable. Then I lowered the PSI to 35 PSI. What a difference it makes. I took a corner today that the S02 tires handled very well and it seemed the S03 held the pavement better. I was very impressed. More of a daily driver then a track racer.

 

Dan, my tire pressures are ok. Installer set them right. I'm not really complaining about the handling, just feels like they break away a little earlier than the s02's. I think they will improve as they wear in a little, also.