I've got about 8900 on my 03 and I actually checked the tread today...still got enough left according to lincolns head - though they are getting close to the threshold on the outer tread of the tire. Any suggestions on best way to gauge if you need new tires? I VTEC every time I drive and have been in the bad habit of hitting triple digits every day too...I also take the car out to the hills here and Austin and ride those twisties

The fronts aren't even close to needing replacement

 

Yes it is because of the compound but I think a lot of it depends on the road surfaces you drive on as well. My first set of SO2's lasted me to around 25,000 Kms. They were getting smooth (and illegal) but certainly not bald.

Spirited driving on occassion but I've never done burnouts, auto-x, track or abused the car in any other fashion. However hard cornering and acceleration from a standstill will use rubber.

If you want a tyre with longer wear (harder compound) then you sacrifice some performance (grip). Finding the balance that suits you is the trick. Maybe SO3's?

BTW you will rarely (if ever) hear a squeal from an SO2. They are too soft for that.

 

i'm always confused by these posts of 7-8k ... mine is a daily driver in san diego, and i am just now about to replace the rears at over 16k. i take at least one hard drive a week, vtec at least 5 times a day, and exit every highway QUICKLY. i've never launched, but have spun the rears several times while doing u-turns. as others have said, S02s are soft, and you will burn through them fastest when cornering and spinning your tires. if i were to qualify my driving style, i would say aggressive ... so how come i have over 16k?

is there a possibility that there is reasonable variation in their production?

epi

 

I too, was lucky to get 10K out of my first set of rears. I have been getting 8-12K out of rears using either S02's or S03's. My latest set of front S03's are freaking indestructible... right up until I caught a nail last week...

My driving style? I don't do quarter mile runs, clutch dumps, etc. I like the car best when it's in VTEC and I like to move swiftly through corners.

I know a factor for me is the composition of asphalt in S. Fl: we get lots and lots of shell rock in the mix, which makes for a very rough and equally destructive texture. Tears tires up!

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by epnfrn
i'm always confused by these posts of 7-8k ... mine is a daily driver in san diego, and i am just now about to replace the rears at over 16k.

 

I went 8k on my tires before changing them out... So it must not be coincidence.

 

My tires went 9,500 miles of HARD driving and a track day, and they have about 5% tread left on the outsides, and are completely worn on the insides... I have a new set waiting for spring time.

 

I recommend care after 10,000 miles. My original equipment S0-2's had reached 15,000 miles, and had about 4/32 of an inch, even perhaps a bit more left on the rear tires; the front tires were more like 6+/32. I was confident that there were a few thousand miles left on the rear tires. An unpleasant tail wagging experience driving through standing water during a rainstorm at [legal] highway speeds led me to change my mind in a hurry. When the tread gets a bit low, even though more than enough to cover Mr. Lincoln's head, the ability of the tires to channel off rain water diminishes greatly. Your physical safety is worth far more than a slight extension of the replacement mileage on those tires.

 

Over 18,000 miles on my rears and they're good for another 2 or three thousand at least. I have a feeling that there is a HUGE difference between driving styles here. Just one clutch drop can take hundreds of miles off the rears.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Muz
Yes it is because of the compound but I think a lot of it depends on the road surfaces you drive on as well. My first set of SO2's lasted me to around 25,000 Kms. They were getting smooth (and illegal) but certainly not bald.