Michelin Pilot Sport 4s or BF Goodrich Geforce Comp 2 A/S
 

I have a 2006 AP2 S2000. Bone stock and approx 43k miles. Needed new rear tires. Had Yokohama YK580 previously and continue with those in the front. They're working. They ain't dead yet. Here's my problem. Like an idiot, I trusted a local tire shop when they recommended and sold me some Michelin Primacy MXM4's for the rear. Correct sizes 245/40/R17 91W rated. Problem is once these Primacy's were installed, the back end became an uncontrollable beast. The rear feels skittish and when you go into any real turn, and even at moderate speeds, the back end body roll is nothing short of scary. I seem to have identified the problem coming from the rather smooth curve/transition between the sidewall and the contact patch, which I think is inducing that body roll. More sport tires have a sharper, almost 90 degree transition that doesn't roll into the contact patch the same way.

My mechanic, god bless his soul, wrote up an invoice to help me with my conversations with Michelin and recommended the Pilots or the Continental ExtremeContact Sports. I called Michelin and they are willing to replace the tires with something appropriate. Michelin's recommendations were the Michelin Pilot Sport 4s or or the BF Goodrich Geforce Comp 2 A/S. Does anyone have any experience with either of these? Unless you believe neither of these suggestions are appropriate, and I could suffer from the same scary rear end body roll problems cause by the Primacys, I prefer to keep suggestions and conversation limited to Michelin or BF Goodrich tires, as my warranty / replacement experience should be much smoother staying within the Michelin family.

I did a search of the forums and could not locate a conversation covering my question. I apologize if this has been covered and would appreciate being directed to the posts if they exist.

Thanks,

Matt

It's tough to make a recommendation because it really isn't a good idea to mismatch the tires. The S2000 is especially sensitive in this regard which you have already experienced. If I had to pick between the two options you give, then I'd go BFG since they are at least the same category of all-season as the fronts. Do you need an all-season?

My real recommendation would be a full set of new tires, lots of options depending on your priorities. P4S, ExtremeContactSport, or even Firestone Indy500 would be a huge improvement compared to what you have now.

Thanks. I understand your advice. I will replace the Yoko's up front when it comes time with something that matches what I put on the rear, and sooner if/when funds become available, as I think you are right and the car is somewhat sensitive to mismatches. On the other hand, fronts and rears are already mismatched by design... If this turns out to be an acceptable mismatch, I'll live with it a little longer.

This is a daily driver, with only moderate weekend fun/crazines/smile-inducing twisty attacks, and I'll keep those little experiences limited until I've solved my tire problem. Before buying my car, I found out the hard way, in a friend's AP1, to listen to what the rear end is communicating and pay it lots of attention. That was embarrassing, but I learned to respect this car. I've never felt unsure about the front end in an AP2, and the changes in suspension ironed out much of the twitchy nature of the AP1 rear end. My feeling is that an AP2 will still whip-saw you if you over-correct a sliding rear, but not nearly the same way as the AP1. I think (hope) that I will be ok if I have better tires on the rear, at least for a while.

All season versus sports - I live in the SF bay area. Rain is minimal to non-existent. S will NEVER see snow as the car will never go to Tahoe in the winter. That's for the Volvo suv. Thanks to global warming, I'd be VERY surprised to come across even ice in the Bay, save maybe one or two days a year and/or crossing a bridge. So, no, I don't think I need an all season. Reports of Pilot Sport 4s' wet traction leave me thinking that they will handle California's pathetic excuse for "rain." As for my experience with the Yoko all seasons, they didn't save me from hydroplaning previously when hitting standing water on a shitty section of the freeway. So, no matter what tires I end up running, I will just react the same way with a hydroplane - remain calm and keep 'er steady until the wheels return to the pavement. I think no matter what tires on an S, the light weight and comparatively large tire contact patch is a recipe for water skiing.

Feel free to point out if I'm being a complete idiot somewhere in this line of thinking.

I feel your pain. Quality tires are expensive. I also live in CA and have an 06. Typically, my front tires last twice as long as the rears. I recommend that you bite the bullet and buy a set of 4 of the michelins or contis. Tires make a big difference in handling performance even if you are daily driving your S. I'm currently on a set of michelin PSSs. With a good UK spec alignment you should not have to fear oversteer. Enjoy your drive.

The Michelins Pilot Sports 4s would be a great tire for the 06. Having a complete set would be even better. This car don't like different types of tires if possible. Best of luck with your tire issues.

If you can only replace the rears and have to choose between Michelin or BF Goodrich for a replacement I would go with BFG's BUT since you live in Summer weather year round see if you can get a pair of BF Goodrich g-Force SPORT COMP-2's instead of the A/S variant. This way you can save some money for when you can replace all 4 tires. The Sport COMP-2's are a competent tire. I run them on my daily driver and they provide excellent handling as well as great dry and wet traction.

I too have suffered through the squirmy S2000 handling after replacing my worn Bridgestone RE050's with a set of Continental ExtremeContact DW's. The Continentals ruined the handling of the car (I am now on a set of RE-71R's). The S2000 demands stiff sidewalls. I have not felt the Pilot Sport 4S's sidewalls but I have felt the Michelin Pilot Super Sport's sidewalls and like the DW's they were the consistency of wet pasta. When it's time to replace all 4 tires seek out a tire with stiff sidewalls. If on a budget take a look at the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 in the Ultra High Performance Summer category or you can step up to the Max Performance Summer category with the Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position. Both have stiff sidewalls. Since you are daily driving your S2000 the Extreme Performance Summer category may not have the life span you require but this category of tire has stiff sidewalls. Take a look at the Bridgestone Potenza S007A and the Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R if you are interested in an Extreme Performance Summer tire. Good luck with your tire swap :drive:

I live in Sacramento and I'm on my 7th or 8th set of tires on our '06 S. We have the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 on it now and have 12k miles on them and I think I'll get 25 to 30k out of them. Very good tire and here is the post on the F/S tires
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/wheels-t...500-a-1172849/
I would not go with a A/S tire on the S if you like to have fun on your drives. The F/S 500 is a Ultra High Performance Summer Tire and if you look at the survey on the tirerack its rated number 1 in that category of tires. Just put a set on the rear and when your fronts wear out get a set for the front. I replace my tires when they wear out and that is usually two at a time. Have 145k miles on our S and have never had a problem doing it that way.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...omCompare1=yes
The 225 up front with 255 out back gives you a little more traction than the stock size tires. We drive our S year round and we just got back from a 2600 mile drive and we are taking off for a 1000 mile run in a week or two. Really like the F/S 500 tires and like I said I think I'll get some good miles out of them.

ROD

Thanks all, this has been very helpful.

For my 2006 Honda S2000 AP2 I went with the BFGoodrich G-Force Sport Comp 2 tires. I decided on the OEM sizes, 215/45/17 front and 245/40/17 rear. I've only taken one test drive on them, but the difference was immediately apparent. I'm looking forward to taking a real run after the tires have broken in over a few hundred miles and are safe to feel out some limits. Even though I was a few days past Michelin's 30 day no questions exchange period, they honored the warranty and found a shop willing to do the exchange / upgrade so I didn't have to go back to the "bad" shop. (Yes, BF Goodrich is owned by Michelin).

My S is back and better than I ever experienced before. I'm a happy boy.

I'm glad everything worked out with the exchange and that you were able to replace all 4 tires. The BFG Sport Comp 2 is a great tire. The set I have on my daily driven Fit are just about spent and I will picking up another set soon. The only other tire in the Ultra High Performance Summer category that I would purchase is the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 but unfortunately they are not available in the size I need. Enjoy your car! :drive: