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I just got my new Dunlop SP Sport 5000's installed today.
I have not driven them yet, but I will report back with updates.
I decided to go with the 225/50 rears since the tire rack listed measurements were close, 9.1 section, 8.4 tread on the Dunlops, vs the S02's 9.2 and 8.5.
I think the Dunlop fronts are actually a little wider.
Anyway, these are also rated M+S in case Charlotte sees a little snow while I'm at work.
The following pictures are of the Dunlops on my OEM MY2002 wheels next to the S02's on my MY2001 OEM wheels:
It may be too late to add my input here, but after reading your list of choices (and admittedly not muddling through the rest of the thread) I wanted to add my 2 cents. I have had a wide variety of tires on my Audi A4 (Serious performance mods including turbo upgrade, 13" brakes, full suspension, etc.) from the original S02's, S03's, Kumho's, etc. I also have experience of several other tire brands on the Audi. In my opinion the sinle best tire I have ever owned is the BF Goodrich KDW. I know a lot of people aren't talking about this tire yet, but I was privilaged to participate in tire testing at BFG/Michelin's Laurens Proving Grounds back in February. After seeing the tires performance versus others there is no doubt in my mind that this tire is phenomenal. I've been riding on them for about 10 months now, and they've got a good 85% of their tread remaining, and the Audi is a fairly heavy car. The dry traction is better than any of the Bridgestones. Now we don 't get a lot of snow here in Alabama, but we do get a fair amount of rain, and the wet traction is quite phenomenal on these tires. So I would say for your needs the KDW offers a great mix of high performance, treadlife, and wet traction. Also, for snow the KDWS is available (although i'm not sure of fitment for the S2K).
The BF Goodrich series of tires are very good tires that are comparable to our OEM S02's. They also wear at about the same rate as well, which means that we are replacing the rear tires at about 10,000 to 15,000 miles. The Kumho MX tires are also comparable to the BFG's and are getting very good reviews by some of our S2000 drivers.
I think that one of the things that was wanted for daily driving was more mileage from the tires, which we would not get from the aforementioned tires. More performance, but less mileage.
That's where I beg to differ. While the treadwear rating may be similar I have personally gotten as many miles out of my KDW's with 85% tread remaining as I did from my S02's before they were all but bald. Experiences may vary, but that's what i've seen.
I've got the Kumho's on my rear, and they are already bald. Put them on in April. No autocross, no racing, just daily driving around town. I drive agressive but rarely break the rear end loose. I can't recommend them if treadlife is a concern.
They did do better in the rain than the S02's but aren't as sticky when dry.
Originally posted by silroan
That's where I beg to differ. While the treadwear rating may be similar I have personally gotten as many miles out of my KDW's with 85% tread remaining as I did from my S02's before they were all but bald. Experiences may vary, but that's what i've seen.
My experience with the S2000 (not any other car) is that most tires do not last very long on the rear of this car. They may very well last a lot longer on another car, I can't address that.
12-06-2003, 06:20 PM
