rpg51

This experience driving with these good AS 16 inch tires has me all confused and wondering if I should ditch this 17inch wheels I have completely. I have a set of excellent condition ap2 v3 wheels and a set of 17 inch s2k spec Volk ce28s (refinished). I have a set of brand new never driven Conti 17 inch tires. Maybe I should sell all that stuff and go with some good 16 inch wheels and maybe a new set of conti 16 inch max performance tires. I could use the oem wheels and AS tires for the shoulder seasons (early spring and late fall) and for winter storage.

Where can I look at, and source, a set of ap1 JDM BBS wheels? I am considering going that route. Can you find them new? Or is it a matter of finding a used set?

Anyone have specific ideas about good forged 16 inch wheels that I should consider other than the JDM BBS wheels?

Manga_Spawn

Ever heard of this amazing website called google? Take the OEM 16 specs and search for matching specs but 16's. Pretty sure most if not all of the JDM wheel companies make 16's. For the JDM 16's wheels they pop up for sale on ebay, the classifieds and yahoo japan. You can use a service like RHDjapan or bidjdm. I would be shocked if they were available new from Honda and even if they were I don't think you'd like the price.

That all being said there is a reason Honda went to 17's. There is more tire choices and the added width and shorter sidewall provides more grip and less sidewall deflection. The V3's are also very heavy (I believe the heaviest of the OEM 17's) so you could be feeling the difference a lighter wheel and tire combo provides.

GuthNW

This old video features JDM model S2000s: both the AP1 and "AP1 Facelift" (2004+) cars featured the F20C engine. The video touches upon the impacts of swapping the16" and 17" wheels between cars with their respective chassis configurations. The footage on swapping wheels is buried in the middle of the video (at around 8:15). Video:

darcyw

keep your eyes peeled as they come up on s2ki and ebay from time to time.

to add, I love the nimble feel of my OEM 16's at the dragon.
darcy
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rpg51

Google? No, whats that? My friends at s2ki are waaaay better than any interweb google device could ever be!

The thing is, #1, I am beginning to think that the shorter sidewall and added width also have negative impacts for the street only driver which are more significant than I previously realized. And #2, I have zero need or desire for more grip. So the performance "benefits" of the 17" wheels, which are no doubt significant to folks who are driving on the track, are honestly not a factor for me. The video above is completely focused on track performance and so I can't draw any conclusions about the impact of the wheel and tire options for a street only drive like myself. It is interesting though that the move to 17" tires on the ap1 in the video is reported as doing little to change performance on the track for the better. But, that video has the feel of a marketing pitch.

You are right though - I am not yet sure what is causing the improved liveliness I am feeling. As you say, it could well be related just to the lighter weight. I went from a pretty heavy and wide set up, (ap2 v3 wheels and 215/245 S04 tires), to a fairly light set up, (OEM ap1 wheels and narrower - probably softer - good AS tires). The weight reduction could explain it. Maybe its the tire dimension and softer sidewalls? Too many variables to draw any conclusions.

I have a set of 17" Volk CE28s with Conti tires that I have not yet used. That is a pretty light set up - but stiffer and wider. Maybe I'll throw those on the car tonight and see what they feel like. My hypothesis is that part of what I am feeling, probably the slightly less harsh ride part, is related to the taller and no doubt softer sidewalls of the 16" AS tires.

I do agree that there are more choices, both for tires and for wheels, in the 17" sizes. That is a factor. So far, despite the comments above, I am honestly not finding a lot of lightweight 16 inch wheels that I like out there on the interweb google machine. The best outcome for me would be to achieve this light and nimble feel, (also a bit less harsh), only in a 17 inch set up.

I'll try these Volks and report my subjective impressions for whatever they are worth - probably very little.

DanielB

200 treadwear and lower tires in 16" size are already limited. But you said you're not interested in more grip, so there are several TW340 tires in 16" sizes that have good grip for the street. The Conti is one, and Firestone, Yokohama, Bridgestone, Michelin BF Goodrich all have offerings too. I expect to have reasonable choices for my 16" rims for at least the next few years. Hard to predict what will happen farther out than that.

One more thing to think about - if you do need to use the S2000 in the rain, a narrower tire, all else equal, is less likely to aquaplane as it has less water to pump out of the way. I'm guessing this will matter to you as you chose an AS. But if you only drive fair weather, then forget about it - but then for your next set of tires you might want to go with a non-AS.

rpg51

I don't drive in the rain intentionally. But, every now and then I'll find myself surprised by the weather and I have had the experience in this car of hydroplaning. It was my own fault - going too fast with cruise control on the highway with old, oem, tires. Dumb. Scared the c*** out of me. But, I learned an important lesson and there was no harm done.

rpg51

I installed my Volks CE28 wheels and Conti 225/45 and 255/40 tires this evening and went out for a short ride. The short version is I am going to be keeping this set up on the car. I like it. This set up is quick and lively, and the ride is smooth, not harsh.

This set up saves about 5Lbs per corner compared to the ap1 OEM wheels and AS tires, and just about the same savings compared to the ap2 v3 wheels and S-04 tires. I weighed them all on my digital scale.

I'm not going to move to 16 inch.

EDIT: I've put a few hundred miles on the tires. I'm very happy wtth this set up. It does give the steering a slightly heavier feel than the 16" OEM set up with AS tires. Not a bad thing, maybe even a good thing. Also, the handling is a bit sharper and the ride is a tad stiffer. So, if I were going on a long weekend with my wife, I might put the 16 inch set up on mostly to make it a bit more comfortable for her. But for 90% of my personal driving - I prefer this set up (17" Volk S2k specs and Conti Extreme Contact Sports, 225/255). At least for now!

EDIT #2: So after some more time on this 225/255 set up my assessment is changing yet again. It is a very good set up. But, I'm thinking now that a narrower front tire wold be more "lively" by which I mean lighter steering. There are trade offs here and eventually I will end up in a place that I like for my style of driving. These choices do definitely make a different in the feel of the car.

rpg51

I should comment on this. In the process of messing around with this whole issue I weighed my ap2 V3 wheels and tires (215/245 S04) and my OEM 16" wheels and tires (BF Goodrich g-force Comp2 A/S, 205/225). Surprisingly, they weigh almost exactly the same. Both fronts weigh 42 Lbs. The rears are 43.8 Lbs. for the 16" OEM and 45 Lbs. for the 17" ap2 v3. I would call that a negligible difference when you are considering the wheel and tire combo.

The Volk ce28 wheels (powdercoated) with the 225/255 conti's, are lighter. They weigh in at 36 Lbs. in the front and 39.6 Lbs. in the rear. So the weight saving (unsprung) is a tad more than 5 Lbs. per corner.

If I ran 215s in front I would save another 2 Lbs on each front corner. 245s in rear would save another 1 Lb. on each rear corner. Something to consider next time.

I realize these weights would change with different tires.

s2ka

215/245 will give a more nimble feeling. The oem re050 fronts were listed as 215 but they're really more like 205 if you measure them. Narrow fronts = nimble, the wider you go the more bloated the steering feels. I've run a lot of sets of wheels/tires, nothing feels more nimble than the oem S-02 in 16" and the oem re050 in 17". Not the most grip, but the most enjoyable steering feeling.