My 2003 S2000 with ap2 v1 mags is in need of tires. need recommendations? thoughts?
I would like grip and they got to look nice.

my tire size are :
front - 215/45zr17
rear - 255/40zr17

thanks

 

You'll get a flood of recommendations. Here's mine: I'm running Bridgestone S-04 (max summer) tires in those sizes on my 2006 car (AP2V2 wheels). Look nice. Grip very well. Quiet ride -- at least they don't drown out the exhaust.

-- Chuck

 

 

Two recommendations based on personal experience:

Bridgestone S-04 Pole Position

2nd'ing the Bridgestone S-04 as @Chuck S recommended. Although some places refer them with the additional "Pole Position" attached to the name.

I personally have had wonderful experience with my Bridgestone S-04 Pole Position. GREAT grip for a daily driver, I'm willing to bet they'll be capable for light-duty on the track as well if you wish. But for a street tire, they are awesome.

Few notes, they're quite grippy. You may want to look into how much dirt they kick up and splash onto the sides of your car. I had them on my Mazdaspeed 3 and the brakes are notorious for producing excessively amounts of brake dust. Unfortunately, I can't even tell what's brake dust and what's road dirt. But damn it, they drove good.

Hankook Ventus V12 EVO2

My favorite tire in the "max performance summer" tire category.

Everything it does approaches the level of those Bridgestone S-04 Pole Position tires, but for less money.

If you want something that's a no brainer, doesn't run you a ton of money, go with the Hankook Ventus V12 EVO2. (Whoever named this tire needs to be fired like, yesterday)

 

I'm running the EVO2. It's no Bridgestone RE type tire but it IS very respectable especially for the price. They work well in the rain, too. The somewhat down side is that the sidewalls are not as stiff an some so they don't feel as crisp. Also, you can easily run a 225-45-17 on an AP2 up front, at least you can at stock ride height with OEM wheels.

 

If people are concerned about how they perform in the wet, Hankook Ventus V12 EVO2 are comparable to Bridgestone S-04 Pole Position.

I really recommend the Hankook if you're looking for an outstanding summer tire that checks off many boxes, but don't want a massive dent in your bank account.

Now back onto the Bridgestone S-04 Pole Position, I'll have to check my receipts, but I think I got at least 20,000miles out of them in spirited daily driving. (MS3, FWD, rotated every 5,000 - 7,500 miles)

 

Another point for the Hankook Evo2. Great tire for all around driving. I'd also recommend the Michelin Pilot Sport 4s. My friend runs those on his FRS and he says they are more comfortable and grippier than his old MP Super Sports.

 

I can't afford to test tires so they're on the car for at least two years. I replaced extremely loud extreme performance Dunlap Direzza tires with much quieter extreme performance Bridgestone RE-11A tires. Would have bought more RE-11As but they're discontinued. The Bridgestone RE-71R is a very loud tire so I regressed to max performance S-04 in my current set. They feel as taut as the RE-11As. Yeah, they're suffixed "pole position" but I don't have time to keep typing that.

A glance at the Tire Rack website shows 11 Max or Extreme performance summer tires ranging from $400 to nearly $1000 a set in this size. I suspect I'd not be able to differentiate between any of them in my normal driving other than their noise and the cosmetics of their tread patterns.

-- Chuck

 

The RE11 is back and now called the S007a. It is aimed at the same market as before. More aggressive than the S-04, less than the RE71R. I haven't read any reviews but I heard about them on an M235i and the owner said much better than the pilot super sport he had before.

 

To the OP, how will you drive the car?

If it's fair weather-only, then you could consider some the TW200 tires such as Hankook RS4 or Bridgestone RE71 as they will give you the most grip in a street tire. But none of those tires does well at lower temps (e.g. 45 deg and below). And they are softer so won't last as long as some of the others suggested above.

Is it a daily driver? If so, do you care about how long they will last? What about noise?

What about wet driving? If not, then ignore wet performance and just focus on dry. But if you do drive in the rain and choose a softer tire, expect to replace even sooner as you'll loose grip, especially under braking, as the tread gets shallower. I wear my tires down past the tread bars on the S2000 as it's only driven dry. On my wife's DD, I change them before they get to the tread bars.

You see where I'm going - tire choice always involves some degree of trade-offs. Without knowing what matters most to you it's hard to make recommendations.