tetric

old man driver is not excessively fast, but would like to know other owners opinion for best wet tire for unexpected roadway water from sprinklers runoff , rain puddles, etc. know to slow down in the rain and keep deep tread depth, just don't want to wreck new toy.

BlueS2000Boy

Bridgestone Potenza S03's . you will not find a better wet tire.

mas

Toyo Proxes T1-S

Jim@tirerack

I tend to agree with BlueS2000 and the S03 Pole Position. The advantage that tire has is they will keep the same level of wet traction for the life of the tire with the dual layered rubber compound.
Let me know if I can help.
Thank you

Jim 877-522-8473-364

KevinS2K

What is the difference between S02's and S03's? The last time I got tires at 20K, I was told by 3 different tire shops that the S02's were being discontinued. They said the S03's were the recommended replacement. I went with 4 S03's, and have not been disappointed.
Will the S03's last longer? Are they < or > grippier? They feel very similar....

CoralDoc

The OEM Bridgestone SO2 tires are not being discontinued. Perhaps the non-OEM line is.

The SO3 PP is an excellent replacement choice for the OEM SO2, and will give you increased wet grip and greatly improved hydroplaning resistance with slightly less dry grip as compared with the OEM tire. They may last slightly longer than the OPE tires, but not by much.

Kevin - It's too late now, but check the rear tire size that your tire store sold to you. It should be a 245/45/16. Most stores do not understand that the OEM tire (labelled 225/50/16) is actually as wide or wider than 245/45/16 aftermarket replacement tires.

Jim@tirerack

CoralDoc is on the money again.

Jim

Scambo

I'll add my 2 cents worth on the S03s as well. All the comments about them above are on the money. I purchased a set last month from Tirerack and they have been great. Super in the rain and as CoralDoc said just slightly less traction dry. I would recommend them as the tire of choice to anyone except those that live in the desert.

BlueS2000Boy

the s03's are great. if you have a larger wheel such as me i have 18"s the when you get the wider tire you do not notice any loss in grip because of the larger contact patch. all you notice is in the wet the tires are amazing. i have done 90 in the rain (passing someone) on these tires and i felt as if i was only going 20 the car was so stable. stock tires i would have been in a ditch.

CoralDoc

Please do not do this anymore Jonathan. Here in south Florida the roads are not crowned much, drainage is often a problem, and the rain can be extremely heavy, so puddles can develop quickly and in unexpected locations. While SO3s offer superior wet traction and hydroplaning resistance compared to most other tires, they do not make you "invincible". All it takes is some deeper water combined with high speed and you'll spin off into the weeds no matter how well engineered the tires are. You are foolish to go so fast under such conditions.

I stopped for a wreck last Saturday on I 75 eastbound. A Mercedes lost it in a rainstorm and went into the swamp, rolling over 3 times and winding up on it's roof in about 2-3' of water. Fortunately all of the 4 occupants, including 2 children, were properly restrained and were unharmed. It was, to say the least, a little exciting for them to watch the water rising in their vehicle while they were strapped in upside down. It took more than 5 minutes to get them out and if they had been in a smaller, lower vehicle (like an s2000), I suspect they could have drowned. I passed through the same storm a few minutes behind them and had no problems at 55 mph on half-worn SO2s, so speed was an important contributor to their off road excursion.