Tire Rack sponsors a lot of events where running their sticker is required.

It isn't mine though. I view my S2000 as a street/autocross car. The S2000 in more or less stock form is about as fast a sports car that you can flog on the street...a little too fast to flog at times. My wife likes autocrossing with the Philadephia region. I prefer racing in competitive classes where the rules cap the costs and there is always a turnout of 10-25 potentially competitive cars, separated by driver skills, tuning, and maybe a little on budget (e.g. fresh tires, more frequent engine maintenance, etc.). I also like classes that are safe, where the top speeds aren't extreme. I have absolutely no desire to experience a 150mph crash. a 90mph crash is bad enough!

The difference between 215/245, 225/255, or 255 square on the street is minimal as long as a 255 front tire doesn't rub. The difference between doing it with 17" rims or 18" rims basically affects tire availability, appearance, and brake clearance if the car as aftermarket brakes. IMHO aftermarket brakes are an appearance item for the street, and can't really deliver the feel they should on the track because the OEM pedals are mounted to a firewall made out of silly puddy.

Lots of people go to wheels with less positive offset (+35 or +22 instead of OEM +55 in front) for appearance. However, that adversely increases the scrub radius.

If you stick with OEM 16" wheels, which is a reasonable thing to do, the top options would appear to be the Conti Extreme Contact, Firestone Firehawk, or Michelin PS A/S 3+ for the street and the RE71r if you wanted to sacrifice some street manners for sharper handling an and higher performance. I wonder how much they really give up the larger 17" tires in an autocross, especially a local autocross rather than a national event or regional series with 30 top cars in the class. My guess is not much and the 00-03 gearing with the 2L gives a higher speed in 2nd before hitting the rev limiter. Anyone would be fine staying with 16" on one of these tires. Not as good as the 215/245-17 P4S, but easily good enough. Spend the extra money on a new set of OEM or Bilstein PSS shocks.

As for brakes, the feel comes from the engagement and release characteristics of the pad along with their coefficient of friction in the heat range they are operating at and in the tires' response to longitudinal braking forces. Basically, pads and tires; aftermarket calipers and rotors won't have a dramatic, if any, impact on feel.

 

One reason is brakes keep getting larger, so larger wheels needed for clearance. Its partly for appearance, but also because cars keep getting heavier. There are Ferrari's now that weigh over 4k pounds. Compare the weight of throwback cars with the originals. Camaro, Challenger, etc. We took a big step backwards in an important spec that directly relates to fun behind the wheel, but nobody cars because the cars generate big numbers.

Big engine, big brakes, big tires will generate big numbers, despite big weight.

 

And not for the better.
I dare say most s2k owners do not drive on tracks or autocross. For the silent majority, this notion that huge wheels and tires make the car more fun to drive on the street is complete nonsense. The opposite is true. Oversize wheels and tires take the life out of the car.

 

Please don't use racially charged political language when discussing your views on car tires.

 

I would agree. The OEM sizes (at the time) were a pretty good fit for the car.

If the S2000 were a new design in 2019, it would have to go to at least an 18" diameter rim to have a good selection of performance tires. But they might not be wider. The current Miata comes with 205/45-17 tires; the FT86, closer in weight and size, has 215/45-17 or 215-/0-18. The somewhat heavier and more powerful Supra uses 255/275 tires, a bit but not much wider. However, they are on 19" rims, reflecting current tire availability.

So yes, OEM sizes, at least for width, whether AP1 or AP2, should be fine for street use. And having an AP2 (since 2004) and having had the first AP1 delivered to my dealer, it could be argued that the AP1's narrower tires, higher rev limit, and slightly more tail-happy character are more fun on the street.

 

Big wheels, big brakes, big waste? I remember seeing that on a magazine cover when i was young and thank goodness it always stuck with me.