Thank you all for the comments.

I am off to the guy (in Delaware) that helped me out of a pinch a few years ago while I was on my way to a business meeting in Northern NJ and cut a tire down on I-95 in Maryland (WTF is a roofing nail doing in the middle lane of I-95? ) He has a set of RE-11's waiting for me tomorrow.

Tire Rack tested these tires on a Beemer and got 1G of cornering power out of them on their skid pad. So I think that I will be happy with them over the OEM S-02's. They are also suppose to be better in the wet that the S-02's (which I have never really had that much of an issue with ) compared to what others complain about them.

P.S. If any of you live close to Townsend, DE give this guy some thought. I have now purchased three sets of tires from him over the years and he has me in and out in under an hour (pre-arranged appointment). He will have me out the door for $810.00 total. Remember one has to add the shipping to the TireRack price of $676, plus mounting, balancing, new valve stems, as well as old tire disposal fees to that price. If you want his contact info PM me. Remember, there is NO sales tax in DE.

 

^^^See you tomorrow for our delicious lunch at Helen's Sausage House! ( http://www.helenssausagehouse.com/) BTW, what route are you taking to Townsend? If you're coming across Rt.50/301 from VA, then you will pass right by me. Oh, and the correct pronunciation of Townsend is towns-end (as if each word is pronounced separately)

 

Y'all, i have tried all of the above. FWIW I will swear by Direzza Sport Z1 Star Specs for our car. That's what I run on the street, but they work quite well on the track, too. They are comfortable, quiet, good in the wet, and they wear very well. Not to mention that they are somewhat cheaper than the others. Star specs FTW!

 

Gene treated me to a delicious (well, at least memorable) brunch at Helen's ("Famous") Sausage House. Thanks Gene. (Burp) It really was pretty good for those that like sausage, which I sort of do. Their sausage and egg on a hot dog bun is a must do. Especially since they were featured in Gourmet Magazine at one point. We enjoyed ours in the "Elvis Room". Complete with pictures and 45 RPM records sitting on top of push pins on the walls. This IS the type of place that I was seeking out an missed on my trek across the "heart land" on my 5150 mile road trip to and from the S2KCA S2K Days in Keystone, SD. As I explained to Gene today. When looking for a "Mom & Pop" place to have lunch in Nob Noster, MS my GPS guided me to a place that was out of business and I wound up eating lunch at my first Sonic Drive-in. The mallization of America has been completed.

I really like the RE-11's. I noticed a difference in feel before I even pulled out of their parking lot. I also got a chance to test them in a straight line in the wet when I drove into a wall of water on RT 301. When I got home I took the scenic route on some of the local twisties and I REALLY like them. They are also noticeably quieter with the top up.

Thanks for the in-put everyone.

 

I just got RE11's for my 2004 S200. I had 25K miles on the original factory tires. I had the RE-11 tires shipped from Tire Rack to my local Honda dealer.

I will get to try them out later this month when I drive to Ann Arbor for another Wolverine game.

 

Glad you "enjoyed" your lunch today, Matt. Everyone needs to visit Helen's (or a place like it) at least once in their life! It was nice seeing you and giving you the $.25 tour of our area. Per your e-mail, the new sneaks are apparently living up to your expectations. I'll sure keep these guys in mind once I need new tires, since they are closer to me than the place I have been getting my tires before.

 

I'll be getting a new set of summer tires for my 2004 S and have also decided to get the RE11's. But I'm still trying to decide what sizes to get. The Tire Rack website recommends 215/45/17 Front and 245/40/17 Rear [same as the OEM RE050 tires]. I've seen a number of posts where people have bought the 225/45/17 Front and 255/40/17 Rear sizes instead, presumably to get a contact area closer to the RE050's.

Might I ask what sizes you decided on and why?

 

Dennis, I will remind you that if it is below 50*F to make sure that you put some "heat" in them before trying them out.

 

I bought what Tire Rack recommended (215/45R 17 and 245/40 R17 for the rears). I drive very conservatively and at moderate speeds, so I didn't want to experiment with larger width tires.

 

As a follow up, what tire pressures should I use for the RE-11's? The maximum tire pressure marked on the tire is 50 psi. and I was going to set mine at around 30 psi.

The tire pressure recommended by Honda is for the OEM tires.