Hey y'all. I'm not a racer, but I drive pretty agressively and my rear tires are now completely bald. I've got 12, 600 miles on them. My front tires are still okay, so I'm only going to buy the rears. Should I buy a cheaper brand, or should I stick with the S02's? Also, how much are they? I've got a friend with a Costco card. Can I buy acceptable tires there? Thanks, in advance, for your help.

Dave Mulligan, waiting for Spring in Reno

 

Average mileage on the rears is 6-8k. Average on the fronts is 20k. I chucked them both for AVS Sports in 225/50-16 front and 245/45-16 rears. The rears lasted about 16k and I'm buying another set. I've been real happy with the change. They're comparably priced though.

 

I had the same experience with my rears going at a bit over 10K miles, and I replaced them with OEM S-02s from Tire Rack. (They're the W-rated S-02s you see on their ads.)

I'm now nearing 22K, and I'll be replacing all four tires soon. I'm still a bit on the fence, but leaning toward S-03 PPs. The other possiblity for me would be Dunlop SP-8000s, which would be about $200 cheaper but might give up more grip than I'd like.

I'm also still on the fence about whether to buy the stock size for the rear, or go to 245/45-16s.

 

Well, since you stated that, "I drive pretty agressivly", then I would stick with S02s... you'll not find better traction out there for the S2000 that I know of, unless you go with racing slicks.

If you are willing to back off of the agressivness (and cornering), the go with something else. Tirerack.com has S02s for ~140/160 a piece.

-- Aaron

 

On an earlier thread about tires someone stated the factory S02's were not the same as the production S02's Bridgestone sells. Can anyone actually confirm this? Is the rubber a different compund? Different Tread Pattern, hieght, etc?

 

There are 3 different S-02s available, and they're surprisingly different from each other. The Honda OEM version is the one that's W-rated, and you should make sure that's what you get. Talk to the folks at Tire Rack for confirmation when you buy.

 

S-03's all the way 245/45/16

 

stick to OEM s02 or Michelin Pilot Sport 245/45/16

 

I'd stick w/ the OE S02's.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Wendysman
[B]Hey y'all. I'm not a racer, but I drive pretty agressively and my rear tires are now completely bald. I've got 12, 600 miles on them. My front tires are still okay, so I'm only going to buy the rears. Should I buy a cheaper brand, or should I stick with the S02's?