Hi - sorry to intrude on a North American site, but I was told you have the best advice on wintry conditions.

I live in Scotland, and while we do not have snow lying for prolonged periods it does appear without warning, especially on drives up into the Highlands which I cannot avoid.

My S2000 is the 2002 (new September ) model which I am happy so far with in the wet ( I just slow down ), but I think snow will be another matter.

We do not seem to have the choice of winter tires over here that you have, and I was considering the possibility of snow chains which I could put on when encountering snow lying on the road - is this a sensible idea, or not ?

If not a good idea, can you use winter tyres that fit on the OEM wheels on tarmac ok for just the worst few winter months ?

I would be grateful for any advice.

Thanks

Euan

 

First off, I seem to recall the owner's manual (or maybe the Helm manual) saying that it is not recommended to use chains of any kind on the OEM tires/wheels. However, I have seen these sort of rubber or plastic tires chain things on a Japanese Honda website. I tried to get these but they are only authorized for sale in Japan.
I don't know what kind of snow tire brands are available to you over there, but just make certain that you get "dedicated" snow tires NOT just all season radials. THE OEM SO2's ARE QUITE USELESS ON ANY DEPTH OF SNOW! Put in any sort of incline, even a mild one, and they are completely useless.
In N. America, we have quite a good selection of snow tires. The most prevalent are the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-22. It is a good combination of snow traction and dry road performance while giving a credible wear lifespan. If these are not available, it is my understanding that the Hakkapalita Nokian brand is also quite outstanding. And yes, snow tires fit nicely on the OEM wheels. Get them in the same sizes as are written on the sidewalls of your OEM tires. Naturally, if you've been keeping up with the tire forum, when you put any non-OEM tire on the back in the "225" size, your tread width will be slightly less than stock. This is just fine for winter use. The front 205's are more consistent with other tire brands on the market.
I decided to get cheaper wheels for my winter tires so I can keep the OEM wheels away from the winter muck.
Failing to find any of the ones I've mentioned, look for a snow tire that has good tread depth and bigger than normal lugs. Also look for generous ice "siping". Also feel the rubber to know that it is very soft. Deep tread will bite into the snow. Big lugs will help the snow clear the tire. The more ice sipes, the better the grip on ice. Soft rubber compound will maintain the tires pliability when the road surface gets cold.

 

I'm currently using the Michelin Pilot Alpine tires in OEM sizes. These tires are not as good as the Bridgestone LM-22 in snow. However, the limiting factor is not the snow capability of the tires, but the ground clearance of the S2000. Any winter tire will give you all the snow traction that the S2000 can handle. If you're planing to drive it in snow, hope the streets you drive on will have no more than 2 inches (5 cm) of snow. Any more than that and you may find yourself plowing through some snow drifts with your bumper (with difficulty). So what I look for in my winter tire is dry traction, wet (rain) traction, and noise level. The Michelins meet all 3 of them with flying colors.

 

As you can see in the picture below, I drive through snow that is typically 5-6" deep and sometimes, when going in and out of parking lots, the snow can be 8-12" deep. It is not a problem. The car can drive fine through such snow. The grill opening gets completely filled and blocked with snow on these occasions. This too, is not a problem as the air cleaner can get its air from other places. If you are concerned about the rad being blocked, don't be. 1st, the rad still works fine. If need be, it keeps cool from the snow that's in front of it. 2nd, if it should need to draw air (assuming that it can get that hot in winter conditions) it too, can pull air from other openings PLUS, it is able to draw some air through the snow itself. It's no different than if you fell into a snow bank while skiing. You can still breath through the snow even if your face is buried.


And see this pic? I went driving in that. Actually, it was quite fun.

 

xviper: thanks for you information: I'm going to be using my OEM wheels with Blizzak LM-22's in stock sizes, I think the marginally narrower rear tire (due to the oddly wide stock S-02) will probley improve snow traction based upon increased PSI for the contact patch.

Cheers

 

Xviper, dshea

Many thanks for all your advice

I have done a bit of research on the net, and while I may not be able to get the Blizzaks in the UK, there appear to be plenty of other winter tyres available in the right size

I am only worried about driving on hard packed snow, as it only very rarely gets deeper here than a couple of inches ( as long as you keep between the ditches!)

Very impressed by the pics of your S in the snow -

Respect !

 

"hard packed snow" ---- that being the case, I have seen some adverts from a snow tire company (I think it was the Hakkas) that had a new type of ice stud. These studs were somehow "spring loaded" such that when there was no ice, the stud pushed back into the tread. When there was ice, the stud exerted just enough pressure to poke into the ice and give you needed traction. This might be perfect for you (hard packed snow and ice) in terms of preserving your roads and preserving your studs when they aren't really needed. See if you can get these.

 

xviper, I've got a Mountie friend in Calgary that rides his BMW motorcycle all winter up there with studs on it. You guys are gluttons for punishment.

 

We are a bunch of nutcases up here. I've heard of many people riding their M/C all winter. One fella said he was P-O'd because there was a winter when there was 2 days he had to leave the bike at home.

 

Pretty much every tire shop I know will stud a winter tire for you, if you wish. The tires must be approved for studding (most have little holes in which to insert the studs). As for an overall winter tire, some are definitely better than others, but ANY winter tire (not an all-season tire, but a true winter tire) is good enough if you don't have serious snow (ie, more than 6", typically).

As for hard-packed snow, studs will make little to no difference. Hard-packed snow is actually quite good for driving on when you have regular winter tires - lots of fun and relatively predictable. Slush is the worst in which to drive and light snow or packed snow is typically the best.