Cthemall123

i was checking out Tire rack for some new rubber for the rear, when i noticed this.
"General Exclaim UHP"

front: $72
Rear: $86

thats a alot cheaper compared to the stock RE050 @ $163 and $190. has anybody actually used these before?

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...g=(Y)&minLoad=S

an online ranking on their page "ranked #1"

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresult...ay.jsp?type=UHP

Hyper-X

My friend's SRT-4 has them currently and like you I was surprised. It was hard to tell how the tire was during acceleration as a modded turbo FWD makes everything break loose, but it was really noticeable under braking triggering the ABS.

He was there when I got my recent S02 replacements (rears) and he remembered how I discussed the importance of strong sidewalls and although I wasn't there to see his tires off the rims, he said the sides were really rigid and tough. Might be worth a look into IMO.

slipper

If you looking for cheap tires, Kumho Ecsta MX's are very highly rated by track guys. Just over $100 for each tire.

jzz30

i wouldnt buy any tire with a treadwear rating above say 250? maybe even 200. if your not going to push it at all then by all means turn the car into a sedan by tire the kumho's are good but RE-01R's are best!

Hyper-X

I've used the OEM S02's exclusively but I'm wondering if I should try other alternatives. Someone suggested for me to try the Eagle F1s but I get mixed comments about them. I don't intend on racing my car at least for a while (in which case I have a sep set of rims with tires anyhow). The only thing I'm certain of is I don't like the feel of the S03s in the rain, I think they're actually worse than the S02s and even they aren't very solid during rain.

Colin

I wrote this back in 2002.......


On our S2000, I've tried 4 different tire combinations (if you count OEM) all on the stock rim and my preferences are below:

1) OE S-02s. Simply the best, grip, steering response all 'perfect' Only drawback is somewhat short rear tire life and price (though tirerack has them on sale now)

2) BFG G-force KDW. (215 front 245 rear) Much softer sidewalls, slower steering response, softer ride. Wet performance is excellent as long as you are going straight! What I mean is, the wide channels resist hydroplaning very well, BUT lateral grip is horrendous! If the road is even slightly damp, there is precious little traction. I think the much hated Michelin's on the RSX are better in damp conditions. Grip in the dry is only average. It appears they are going to last pretty long, bummer for me, I want the OE S-02s again frown.gif

3) Kumho ECSTA Supra 712 (225 front, 245rear) Stiffer sidewalls that the BGF, decent resistance to hydroplaning, poor overall grip. In hindsight, they may have offered better lateral traction than the BFG in damp conditions, but I think the softer sidewall of the BFG allows you to feel the tire slipping easier/sooner. These did get VERY hard as they aged, and were replaced when there was still tread on them because the grip had gotten pretty bad. They probably lasted about 6-8 months including autocrossing.

4) Bridgestone Potenza RE-730 (225 front, 245 rear) These did nothing right! Poor grip in most conditions, soft sidewalls and poor steering response. The only "bright" spot was the fact that they only lasted 3 autocrosses, and 6 months! I say bright spot because I really hated these tires and I was glad to get rid of them.

On a side note, I had Toyo T1-S on my MR-2 Turbo (car before the S2000) and these must rank near the bottom of my tire preference chart. The older T1 (also on the MR2) was a better tire IMO. Toyo's RA1 is their road race tire and even this suffered from very soft sidewalls, requireing a lot of tire pressure to keep them from rolling over. The best tire I ever had on the MR2 was the OE Bridgestone 010, wich is also the stock tire on the Type-R Integra and the NSX. It was the 'father' of the S-02 and in aftermarket form was called the S-01.

Hyper-X

Oh man, I almost forgot about this writeup.

Colin

Yeah, I get tired of writing it over and over so I just paste it nowadays. Bottom line is that you get what you pay for. If General had a 'magic' tire that delivered grip equal to a racing tire, and had the life of a 300 treadwear tire, they wouldn't sell if for >$100.

As for the user rankings, there is a difference between 'good for the price' and "Good" I don't believe for a minute that Hyundai has higher quality than Honda, yet they sometimes score higher in JD Powers. Its just that peoples expectations are different for the two brands. Things that are 'forgiven' in a Hyundai would never pass in a Honda.

Cthemall123

good write up Colin, thanks for the information !