rpg51

I have an ap1, 2002. I have been driving it with ap2 v3 17 inch wheel since about a month after I bought it last year. Last week I put my oem wheels with new G-Force Comp2 A/S tires. I have to say, I think I may prefer this set up over the 17inch wheels and max performance summer tires. The ride is less harsh. For my lively country road street driving these A/S tires seem perfectly fine. Also, I notice that the new Conti Extremecontact Sport max performance summer tires are available in s2k 16 inch sizing. Something to consider.

Are there any high quality 16 inch forged wheels out there for the s2k? I may switch to 16 inch but I am not a huge fan of the look of the OEM ap1 wheels.

Manga_Spawn

Plenty of high quality 16's out there. Pretty sure spoon made set specific to the S2000.

darcyw

all day long, OEM JDM 16 inch forged rims- very light and ultra cool in the proper offset.

​​​​​​​darcy

rpg51

D'Arcy - where can I source them?

RedCelica

Bama Dave is running a square set of ap1 wheels on his ap2 and says he loves them. He's a strange bird tho (Love you B!)

DanielB

I regularly switch between AP2V1 with 225/255 for track and AP1 with 205/225 and I too prefer the AP1 setup for the street. It's hard to define exactly what's different and be sure it's not my imagination, but the car feels a bit more nimble on the smaller tires with a bit more feedback through the wheel. There is less grip at the limit, but even with the AP1 setup there's plenty of grip for the street. I try to save driving beyond that for the track.

When mounting the wheels, there's a noticeable difference in weight and now that I'm upgrading to 17x9 square, there will be even more unsprung weight up front. But I'm working hard to find a track solution that let's me keep the stock calipers so I don't have to give up the AP1 wheels (I'll be starting a new thread soon when I receive the parts and can install on the car).

rpg51

If I make this change I am going to want a staggered set up - similar to stock. What I notice with these 16 inch AS tires mounted is a slightly less harsh ride and similar cornering to the 17" set up I was using. Maybe a little bit more lively feel. I am 100% street. Like you, I don't find myself at or near the limit when driving in a lively fashion on the street. These 16 inch high quality AS tires have PLENTY of grip for my purposes. To be honest, I am beginning to question the need or benefit of running max performance summer tires for my type of driving which is what I have been using in the past.

I'm unsure whether the softer ride I notice now is caused by the smaller 16" wheels, or the AS tires I'm using now? Maybe a 16" max performance summer tire like the Conti Extreme contact would be slightly stiffer ride than these AS tires?

Is any one using the new Conti Extremecontact Sport 16 inch tires on oem wheels? I notice the treadwidth in the rear is a tad narrower than oem treadwidth. Is that a concern for lively street driving? I doubt it, but not sure. The 17" version of these tires is getting excellent reviews.

Jah2000

A lot of modern and current cars come with 18", 19" and 20" these days ...so to me, 17" looks small too nowadays and not too different than 16"

I dig my 16" Ap1 wheels... makes the car look classic... and "vintage" hahaha

808_runwarrior

OP, I've been wanting to run a square AP2V3 set up on my car. If you decide to get rid of your set, I'm interested. Please let me know. Thanks.

zeroptzero

I've run ap2v3, ap2v2, ap1 USDM, and AP1 JDM BBS rims on my 2002. I even ran the ap2 rims with 255 rears. I too prefer 16 inch rims, unlike you I always liked the look of the USDM ap1 rims, though I've settled on Ap1 JDM BBS rims due to them being forged and very lightweight (12-13 lbs)

I agree that the car feels more nimble with 16 inch rims, less weight from the center of the rim, and this helps braking as well as acceleration and turn-in. The ride is smoother due to the taller sidewall, not everyone may want that but I like it. The ap2v3 rims were the heaviest and I could feel it, the 255 rear tires were overkill and just added to the extra weight so that was my least favourite. Yes the oem 16-inch rims are more narrow which many people complain about, but the smaller tire adds to the reduced weight on top of the rim savings.