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I have 12k on the car now, I bought it at 7k. Ever since I've owned the car, the back has been as slippery as eel snot. I can't tell if it's due to tire wear, cold, or if that's just how the car is supposed to drive.
Here are some pics, sorry, no penny-comparisons for tread depth. Note the icky corner wear. The car was grossly out of alignment when I bought it, I don't know what it's past is.
Do I need to replace my rears? All tires? With S-02s? S-03s?
You can probably get away with replacing the rears only. If you are anywhere from 4/32" to 2/32" tread depth it is time. If you only do the rears I would suggest just matching what you have now.
If I can help let me know.
Thank you
I could be wrong, but I don't believe those are OEM S-02s. The OEM S-02's grooves near the sidewall are NOT equally-spaced as yours appear to be. If this is the case, your S-02s (standard or Pole Position?) actually have a smaller contact patch (assuming they're 225/50R16s) than the OEM S-02...which could contribute to your car's oversteer. Check the thread at the top of this Forum for more details...
Rear OEM S-02 = 225/50R16 92W <-- look for "92W" on sidewall
Front OEM S-02 = 205/55R16 89W <-- look for "89W" on sidewall
To add to the confusion, I believe it was confirmed that the front OEM S-02s have a SMALLER contact patch than non-OEM 205/55R16 S-02s. If you're running non-OEM S-02s in the front as well, this could lead to even more oversteer from stock.
Note the little triangles on the sidewall next to the tread, they are placed where the wear bars are in the tread. If you are down to the wear bars you need to replace. Sometimes these tires are gone and still have a little tread.
Go ahead and get some new ones, you will feel the difference dramatically after a hundred miles or so break in on the new tires.
Originally posted by shiaochiu
my rears are about to go too.. would it be ok to replace it with yoko es100 and leave the s02 in front?
Some people choose to mix tire types and brands front to rear, but it is best for handling balance to use the same type of tire from the same company in matched sets of four.
Note that if you choose to go with non-OEM tires, the preferred sizes are 205/55/16 front and 245/45/16 rear. This is because the OEM tire marked 225/50/16 actually measures wider than a typical 245/45/16 tire.
When do I need to replace my S-02's?
