rpg51

I just pulled off my max performance conti extreme contact sport tires and summer forged wheels, and I put on my oem wheels that are mounted with BF Goodrich G Force Comp-2 A/S tires. Both sets of tires are the oem sizes for my ap1. The front tires have identical stats - same tread width etc. Both set ups are 16".

I immediately notice that the A/S tires and wheels make the steering feel somewhat lighter. It is still very precise. Truth is I think I might actually prefer the handling on winding country roads and lively street driving using these AS tires. It is surprising how lively and fun the car is with these tires. I'm beginning to wonder whether I should just stick with these A/S tires all the time.

Can anyone explain why these A/S tires make the steering a bit lighter compared to the max performance conti tires? Is it something about the construction of the tires?

Manga_Spawn

dsgerbc

Do your summer forged 16" have the same offset as OEM? If not, you could be feeling the offset change more than anything.

rpg51

Yes, they are identical. No offset difference. My "summer" forged wheels are BBS JDM 16's - they are Honda S2k Japanese market oem wheels with same specs, (except lighter), as the more common US domestic market cast oem ap1 wheels.

My suspicion is that it is something about the tires, not the wheels. Maybe the softer compound of the max performance tires as suggested by Manga_Spawn. But, I wonder for example if tere is a sidewall stiffness difference between the two tires, and could that be part of the cause. Or maybe just the tread pattern? But, whatever the reason, this A/S set up I have now is more fun to drive on the street than the summer tire set up i removed.

As far as grip goes - these A/S tires have all the grip I need for my lively back country road driving. If more grip means heavier steering feel, I would just as soon pass on the more grip.

J35rr

The compound of the a/s should be softer and the summers should be harder I would think. Thats how the a/s maintain grip in colder temps. The summer tires also have more surface area and less flex between the tread blocks, which affects steering feel. I could be wrong but thats my guess... BTW I also use the comp2 a/s on my ap1 wheels for the fall/winter and I do love those tires.

kukudm

For your summer tires, try to pump it up to a higher PSI in the front, that should give you a slightly lighter steering feel as well.

rpg51

Another interesting observation I made yesterday. I own a second S. Its an 03. It has S-02 tires from the prior owner. This car is in storage 95% of the time. It will be pressed in to service when I retire. I gave this 03 some exercise the last two days before I put it back in storage for the winter. I notice that the steering with this car is also somewhat lighter feeling that the conti set up. S-02s are considered a max performance summer tire, like the Contis. The tread pattern is completely different.

Hard to figure. But, it appears that the heavier steering feeling with the Conti's might not be due to the stickier rubber compound.

mcbru

How old are those S02s? If you don't drive the car much, and he didn't drive the car much, I wonder if the rubber has hardened up from age. The initial comment of compound softness relating to the steering feel is likely.

In addition, I bet that the stiffness of the sidewall will impact the steering feel. On a car with stiff sidewalls, turning the wheel results in the rubber friction more directly. With a soft sidewall, turning the wheel is not as directly impacting the friction at the tire. The best analogy i can come up with is, imagine dragging an object over a coarse surface. If you are pulling it with a metal pole, you'll feel the surface. But if you pull it with a string, the vibration won't transfer as much.

EELPIE

I was also going to ask about the age of the S02s. The S02 is a 140 tread wear tire. If more than 5 years old I would think they may have hardened off.

I had this happen with a set of RE01R's I had on my 2003. My car is a weekend car and the tires hardened off before the tread was anywhere near done. They looked fine but had poor traction.

Having learned my lesson I decided not to put extreme performance tires on my car again. I went with Max performance tires. Bridgestone S04s.

I will never lack traction on the street with these tires. I am very pleased with my choice.

Just my observations. Your mileage may vary.

rpg51

It's true. My S-02s on the front are out of date and no doubt hard. I am planning on tossing them as soon as that car get pressed into service when I retire. Right now they are fine for storage, and a once a year exercise session. But, yes, the fact that they are old makes it impossible to compare, you are correct.

I have used S 04 in the past. In my experience they are very similar to the Conti's, or any max performance tire, when it comes to steering feel etc. Good tires. There are other good max perf. tires as well. But these A/S tires I have on now provide a different steering feel and I like it.

I'm not really looking for specific tire advice - more just trying to understand the characteristics of tires that affect steering feel because I am definitely perceiving a difference between the various tires I have used in that regard. Surprisingly, I am really liking these A/S tires when it comes to steering feel. There is a generally negative view of A/S tires here on the forum and I am beginning to think that may be driven mostly by folks who are driving autocross or on the track. There is a tendency for the rest of us to make an assumption that if its good for them, it must be good for us. I don't think that assumption is necessarily true when it comes to tires and wheels. There is a tendency to look for grip. But, these A/S tires I am using have all the grip I will ever need.

The only thing I don't like about them is that they don't look cool. They look like snow tires. Ugly.