so, a year and a half later, the S0-3's are toast (rears at least).....

i need new 18" rubber.

i'm looking at the following:

S0-3
T1-S
P-Zero's (dir. up front and ass. out back)
Pilot Sports

i've read tirerack's tire tests and i'm not convinced that their tests are representative of tire performance for the S2000, or roadsters/sportscars in general.

so i'm looking for real world advice.......

i'm kinda leaning towards the P-Zero's - hey, if they are standard on boxster's and other porsches/ferraris (all rear wheel drive and the 456 even has a front-mounted engine, i'm sure they'll be just fine for my little 'ole honda.

any thoughts anyone??

jim, i know you'll recommend the S0-3. but, you have to admit, comparing the tires on a BMW may not give the real impression of how the tire would be on the S2000 - but i welcome any other info. that you may be able to offer....

recently, all the car mags rave about the pirelli's that are standard on the porsche's and ferrari's.....

also, would the pirelli's be model specific for their OE applications (the way the OE S0-2 in 16" is a specific "model" of S0-2 for the S2000) - i'd love to get a set of boxster p-zero's

thanks all!

 

I love my SO-3's; great traction in the dry and wet. I have 5,500 miles on these tires and they're holding up great.

 

How about tires not to get for performance? 712's are great for wear, not good for perf.

With the exception of the P-Zeros, the other three I've heard great things about on all kinds of different cars. As for the T1-S... I think that's what they run in the SCCA/Speed World Cup...

Pilot sports are nice, but my personal feeling is that Mich tires are genereally over priced.

-Shing

 

thanks for the replies (so far)........

i did a search, and i'm not sure that anyone from s2ki.com has actually put p-zeros on an s2000......that's curious in and of itself.

but, does my "reasoning" of comparing it to a boxster (with 18" sport/wheel package) make sense??

along with the ferrari comparisons?

seems "logical" to me that if it "works" on a ferrari/porsche than it should be fine for the S2000............

all being RWD, engine behind front axle, staggered set-up, 50/50 weight, etc......

 

I'm getting 18-in. wheels and tires, I chose Kuhmo because it's all I could afford, but if I had the cash, Toyo T-1S is what I would choose. My dad had P-Zero's on his CLK 430 and he had a good experience with them. If you like the Pirelli's, go for it, but my choice is the Toyo T-1S. Why? I've heard good things from my friend(17" wheels on Miata) and I'm partial to Toyo. I'd stay away from MIchelin Pilot Sports though. Not worth the $$$!

Update: I'm actually going w/Yokohama Parada Spec-2's now, not the Kuhmo's. I still stand by my liking the Toyo's though.

 

i'm just interested b/c of the "very square" shoulder of the p-zero - should out handle the S0-3 based on my experience of previous rounded vs. square tire comparsions over the years.

besides, i don't really care about noise and stuff...........

 

TKG:

I've had Michelin Pilot Sports on my E36 M3 and they were fine. Great overall performance and not too soft (ie. does not wear as quick as SO-2's)

However, Don't even think about driving on the Pilot Sports when there is a bit of snow on the ground- Very Scary

I have the S0-3s on the S2000 now and am happy. When these wear out, I will try the Pirelli P-zeros first since they are available from Tirerack. Then, I might try the Toyo T1-S-These are a bit more money but if price is no object

Louie

 

TKG,
I might be willing to share some info on the pzero's maybe if you were to say get me some measurements of your rear wheel offsets...... just kidding . Anyways 6000 miles later (of mostly aggressive driving) I'm very satisfied with these tires. Now mind you I almost never drive in the rain (unless its on the dragon with some other s2000 owners). On this trip in the rain I was able to keep up with the all the owners with the s02's for the most part but the rear felt a little unstable over standing water. Remember though that I have 285 width tires in the rear and they are almost toast so I imagine that might have something to do with the instability. While I'm sure this tire is probably not as sticky as the s02's they feel a little more confidence inspiring to me at the limits.
Now that i think about it i wish I had time to get the suspension up to the UK specs as they supposedly make the car "easier to drive fast."


If you have any more questions about the tires Ill be more than willing to provide my impressions.

Also if anyone wants photos of the tire wear after 6000 miles i'll try to post some close up pics of the tires but no guarantees......

 

T1-S - not a glue S02 (nothing else is) , easier handling, no weaknesses. Very quiet ride. My teeth don't chatter as much over bumps. More expensive - but more than offset by much longer wearing. I think you need to spend more $ on tires for this car - this is one item not to stop short with. I am sure that S03's are very good - my 2nd choice, then Michelins. Optimally, we need one person that has driven various tires. Also different offsets and sizes of the same tire might cause different results. I wanted my tires/offsets to be as close as possible to original specs. I did, however, go with 17's..

 

ccarnel,

what are the EXACT p-zero's that you have??

did you do the "recommended" set-up - direzionelle (sp?) in front, and assimetrico in the rear??

inquiring minds wanna know!!

thanks.