1slowAP1

Hello Everyone!

I've recently purchased a 2003 AP1 & am looking for a bit more of an aggressive tire set-up as my first mod. Tire rack has VERY limited availability when it comes to 225/50/16 & 245/45/16, leaving me with only drag radials for some reason?

I'm definitely looking to stay on the stock AP1 rims & had come across the TOYO Proxes R888R, however they don't seem to be the best option for a daily driver.

Does anyone have any experience/recommendations for a staggered 225/245 setup on stock AP1 rims?

Much appreciated!

Manga_Spawn

Just stick with the OEM sizes but look at extreme performance category. You can get Bridgestone re-71r's which are extremely sticky. RS4's, AD08r's etc etc. All of these will be notably more sticky than stock and while they will wear faster be fine for street driving so long as you don't need to drive in heavy rain or other bad weather.

DavidNJ

Unfortunately, tires in 16" and really also 17" sizes are becoming rarer and rarer. Especially performance tires.

For non-race street tires, the best choices are probably the Dunlop Direzza ZIII, Hankook Ventus R-S4, new Bridgestone Potenza S007A, Continental ExtremeContact Sport, and all season Michelin Pilot Sport A/S3+. All are relatively recent performance tires and without back-to-back tests, all will feel ok on the street.

Starting off, the best tire would be the Michelin Pilot Sport P4S. It isn't available in your sizes.

If you need all-season, the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S3+ is your choice. It also has by far the highest treadwear rating (500). Not the least expensive to buy, but will be less expensive over the long haul. https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests...r.jsp?ttid=230

The others are listed in performance order. The RE71r is probably too noisy as a daily driver. The Dunlop and Hankook are TW 200 and considered competition ready. Neither is cutting edge for competition, both beat by the RE71r. TireRack tests (https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests...y.jsp?ttid=234) seems to be the better of the two in ride, noise, handling, and all aspects of performance. On the performance side, the RE71r would be better, but not really for the street.

The S007A is a step down in performance, a step better in ride and noise, TW 240. https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests...y.jsp?ttid=239 The Continental is better riding and quieter at another drop in performance. TW 340. https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests...y.jsp?ttid=223

I don't consider the S2000 a winter car and would probably go with the S007A. But you would probably be very happy with any of them.

rrounds

How about these
https://www.onlinetires.com/products...335/56353.html

Rod

DavidNJ

They are antiques. It was a much earlier time, performance has advanced by leaps and bounds since then. Also, the RE11A worked better on lighter cars like the S2000, the RE11 wasn't a good fit performance wise.

It is relatively expensive.

And finally, it isn't the OEM size. They should fit, but I don't see any other brand having those sizes available. The 245/45-16 seems to be primarily a track day tire size these days.

Remember, sticking with OEM rims is already a street only decision. You aren't looking for the ultimate in performance. There is only about a $100-$120 difference between a set of the least expensive available to a set of the best. That is the most effective way to improve the performance of the car other than fixing actually broken components. And it is a cost that is probably spread out over years.

You are basically deciding between the ZIII at $560/set and the S007A at $490/set. The Bridgestone will last a little longer, be quieter. The Dunlops will handle a bit better.

If you drive in colder weather, it is the Pilot A/S3+, $570/set. They are quieter, smoother riding, last longer and handle ok. Not high performance, way better than most street cars have.

The other alternative is to splurge on a set of 17" rims. If you get tires and rims together, the seller can ship them installed and balanced. My wife drives an older E-class; this Spring we will buy 17" rims for it because acceptable 16" tires are no longer available.

ZDan

I ran 225/50-16 and 245/45-16 on the stock wheels for time trials competition in a "showroom stock" class that required stock size and offset wheels.
1. It looks terrible. 225s are quite pooched on 6.5" wheels and combined with the rear tires being shorter than the fronts they gave the car a "big fronts/little rears" look.
2. It wasn't any faster than running the same tires in OEM 205/55-16 front 225/50-16 rear

Run OEM sizes on the OEM 16" wheels. There's actually a TON of selection for just about any usage. If by "aggressive" you mean monster grip at the expense of any cold-weather usage, you have 7 Extreme Performance tires to choose on Tire Rack's website:
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireS...earDiameter=16

Chuck S

Get a MAX performance summer tire. These are under $500 for the set: Continental ExtremeContact Sport. They're good in the rain too.

-- Chuck

1slowAP1

Thanks to everyone for the super useful information!

I'll be sticking with stock sizes & going with the S007A.

Super impressed with the quick & concise replies.

You guys rock!

DavidNJ

Many owners in this position change to 17* rims...an extra $700-$1000+. There are better choices in 17", but really, in 2018, an owner would really need to jump to 18" to get a full selection of brands and sizes.

That said, I had a 2000 S2000 (the first one delivered to my local dealership and a 2004 (delivered in the snow of January 2004). At the time, the first think I noticed was the 2004 was less fun. It didn't rev to 9000. It wasn't as tail happy. It may have shifted ever so slightly better but ran out of 2nd gear earlier. It did have a glass rear window! I hated cleaning the plastic window inside the car and it wasn't clear.

Net, an AP1 on OEM wheels with one of the few decent tires should be lots of fun. But changing to 17" or 18" wheels is also an alternative.

rpg51

I agree with Chuck. I run these on my 16" wheels now and they are more than you will ever need for the street. They are great tires and very good in the wet as well.

OP states his car is a DD. I question the wisdom of using an extreme performance summer tire for a street car. Max performance tires give you more than you will ever need on the street for grip, they tend to give a better ride, quieter, and longer lived. Watch this little video re the Bridgestone offerings with description of the new S0007-- https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Potenza+S 007A&frontTire=055YR6S007AXL&rearTire=25YR6S007A&v ehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&autoMake=Honda& autoYear=2002&autoModel=S2000&autoModClar=#testRes ults.

OP - if you ever get a hankering for a set of BBS JDM 16" forged wheels let me know. I have a spare set that I am going to sell this season. Very light wheels. Enjoy your car!