For almost 10 years I've been swapping to winter tires on my '04 S2000. Tires of choice always have been Blizzaks ordered from Tire Rack. I got rid of my winters last spring (more or less done at all four corners) and I've been wringing out my summer tires here in MI (not smart) and those too are nearly done. However to my surprise I can't seem to find any winter tires at stock sizes (17s) on Tirerack and looking at a few other sites (e.g. Bridgestone site) they're gone there too. What happened? Is it possible to get stock size winter rubber?

I'd prefer to as I have a perfectly good set of AP2v2 OEM winter rims.

Help!

 

Tire Rack has these
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSe...45&diameter=17

I run 245/45-17(rear) all year long on my '06 and have for the last 90k miles. They fit the '06 with no rubbing and they fill up the gap between the fender and tire(looks good)

ROD

 

Just talked to Jim @ Tirerack (THANK YOU!) and will share what he told me, for others' reference. For stock OEM rims, current options guaranteeing proper fitment/diameter are,

dunlop winter sport
front 225/45/17
rear 245/40/17

yokohama ice guard
front 205/50/17
rear 245/40/17

OR, switch to 205/50/17 front, 225/45/17 rear and options open up more incl. the new Blizzak WS80s.

Now, I'm doing homework to decide!

Edit: Ordered WS-80s. Will report back on how they fare in heavy snow--once some falls.

 

You can also run 205/50R17 and 225/45R17. If I can help let me know.

 

I ordered the new Blizzak WS-80s from Jim in the 205 and 225 widths. Install went ok with no issues. The lip of the rims do extend maybe a few mm beyond the outermost part of the rubber but they don't look particularly skinny from a distance. As to the Blizzaks, what can I say. They are very soft, quiet- my s2k has never ridden this softly. They're also spongy. Nothing performance about them but they're winter tires. No snow yet so I can't speak to that. So far so good and thanks again to Jim for making a painful situation (LMs moving to 18" and beyond) work out.

 

I went with the WS-80s in 215/45/17 and 245/45/17. Speedo is slightly off but other than that no biggy. doesnt look bad either with the thicker sidewall.

 

I picked up a set of AP1 wheels and did 205/225 in the 16"s. Narrower and more tire should be better through the winter. Plus I still keep my summers mounted for those nice days here and there.

 

Why stagger? Just use 225/45/17 all around. They're not too wide for the fronts and not too narrow for the backs. And skinny tires work better in snow. And that size is common enough that tires are cheap.

I store my S2000 during winter....but I have owned/driven RWD cars thru winter....including S2000's.

My TSX has 225/45/17 Continental Winter Contact. I like them a lot better than Blizzak WS in terms of control on dry roads and road noise. The blizzak LM line is more stable...but not as good in snow. These Conti's have been my 2nd favorite overall snow tires behind the Michelin X ICE.

You don't need a W-performance/speed rated snow tire, and you don't need a stagger BTW. So search by size to get more options than searching by car.