chikai

Purchase a brand new set of Conti's DW based on the rave reviews on TireRack. The only few mentions I can find on this forum are ppl saying they are sightly softer than other tires.

I'm coming off of Hankook's V12s, and these DWs ride way softer. I took the car in for an alignment at Truline (those in Seattle know these guys are PROS) and even the service guy said they felt "squishy" on turn-ins. He bumped PSIs up to 38 from 35 for this reason.

Anyone else running DW have this issue?

I'm running 225 F and 255 R on 17x8 / 17x9 wheels.

1nate7

Very well known issue here. Grabbed a quote from a quick search I did:

s2000Junky

Another one bites the dust!

There should be a disclaimer on this forum listing sets of tires that should be excluded for the S2k, since its extremely sensitive to properly constructed tire for proper handling. Id include the v12 on that list, and every other single ply sidewall tire no matter what category its in for starters.

The S2000 no matter what era came with some of the stiffest sidewall tires on the market. Making your selection that much more imperative. There are a couple budget friendly tires in lessor max summer categories that handle decent, but safest bet is to stick to extreme summer category to get the dual ply sidewall construction and maintain a baseline for handling, bet even then there are softer extreme summers, arguably softer then the OEM equipped max summers (S02 vs RS3 for example)so this is where peoples stated experiences are valuable in making more informed decisions. There are better/worse all seasons, but dont expect anything close to stock handling. use at your own risk. This cars chassis wasn't designed around all seasons.

thomsbrain

They are so soft that even on my squishy stock Accord running cold pressures as high as 42 psi, turn-in response and outer-edge wear patterns were noticeably worse with the DW in 245/45/17 than the OEM-sized 205/60/16, 700 treadwear, low rolling resistance all-seasons I run in the winter. And they ride softer than the all-seasons, despite the 45 versus 60 aspect ratio. They're basically made out of warm jello. I ground the edges down to the cords long before the middle, despite over-inflating. While the compound seems fairly grippy, the contact patch is so floppy that they don't generate much grip in the real world.

Probably still an excellent choice for an S2000 that's commuted long distances or road-tripped. It's all a matter of taste.

B serious

DW's are INCREDIBLY soft. We have an 18" set on our sportwagon. So squishy. We have MPSS's on another (similar) car, and its a much better tire overall. Better response, feels like a sporty tire, grips much harder, lasts longer...only downside being that it rides a little harder than the DW.

Bridgestone S04, MPSS's, or Kumho SPT's would be great choices for a non-tracked S2000 that you still would like to feel as good/better than stock.

RedCelica

I can also attest to their softness. Even did a track day on them and they were uninspiring. Great for just a tire to get you around town on, and great in the wet, but for someone looking to use the S2000 as it was intended you simply need a better tire.

ncrx

only run these as a heavy rain, puddling, or cold (+15c degs down to -2c) rain tire for an s2000 i codrive on
235 stretched on 17x9's to help with the soft sidewall, but we still run very low pressures. around 27/28

Works well for us, they're terrible in the dry.

Grilla

Any recommendations for a Max Performance Summer that has stiff sidewalls?

Edit: Leaning towards Michelin PSS now.

Chuck S

You and me are both looking. Darn RE-11As currently on the car are out of production. I keep coming back to the RE-71R and will try to cope with the tread noise.

Anyone: Is a wider tire quieter than a narrow tire? 255mm rear vs 245mm?

-- Chuck

B serious

I would not say that the MPSS has stiff sidewalls. I will definitely say that the response and stability in comparison to a DW is hugely improved.

I would not find the DW suitable for a S2000. But the MPSS works very well.

As mentioned before, Kumho SPT or Bridgestone S04 are other good max performance tire choices...both of which have stiffer sidewalls.

I have no clue what's available in AP1 sizing, but all of the above should be available in some variation of AP2 sizing.