S2000 Under The Hood S2000 Technical and Mechanical discussions.

Tire/wheel question for the experts

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Old 11-10-2001, 10:13 AM
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OK, so what would be the performance differences between 7.5" front / 9" rear and 7" front / 8.5" rear? Presumably for people who've gone to forced induction, getting more rubber to the ground in the back is a consideration, but for the rest of us? What would be the ideal tire sizes for each of those combinations?

And what about tires? Besides the list that kuni posted, are there any other decent choices? Are the Porsche OEM SO-2s available in any of those 17" sizes?
Old 11-10-2001, 10:18 AM
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I have toyo proxes ra-1 on my stock wheels. I plan to put yoko a032r's on my ssr integral gt1 17" rims for the rainy track season.

tire size calculators have been posted a few times in the past. try searching.
Old 11-10-2001, 10:48 AM
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Another wheel option:

from this post from R&DMotorsports:

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.php?...?threadid=34784

Volk CE28N 17" weighs in at under 13lbs in a 17x7.5 config, lighter than the TE37. Here are the details:

17x7.5 5-114.3 50mm
17x9.0 5-114.3 63mm
Old 11-10-2001, 11:57 AM
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All of the discussion is fine but we are splitting hairs. If the 17" wheel is less weight then the OE wheel you should be fine. Also the aftermarket wheels may even have better weight distribution than the OE wheel. I am not that bright to figure that out.
As far as the tires go every tire will have different tread and section widths within the same size tire. What I have seen most has been either 205/50R17 or 225/45R17 front and 245/40R17 or 255/40R17 rear.
Try to get the best handling you can with the lightest wheel but don't rule out the looks and function of the wheel. I just don't know how many people will be able to tell the difference in handling of the car even if the wheels do weigh up to 5 lbs. difference per wheel.
I have done tire and wheel test on cars with heavier wheels and unless they are a lot heavier you just can't tell.
The SSR wheels will be lighter than the OE wheels and they are forged.
I hope this helps some.

Jim 800-428-8355-364
Old 11-10-2001, 12:20 PM
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Originally posted by Tedster
kuni,

as for specific wheels, I agree that there are few good choices available with reasonable offsets for the S2000. I was hoping to influence the discussion going on re: Joustmeister 17" wheels that the Bulletproof guys are working on. They say that they'll be in the 12 pound range...
i too would like to see that come to fruition. however, after dealing with a few wheel manufacturers, i must say that the prospects are tough indeed (financially), and hopefully ben can pull it off. we're hoping to introduce our own line of 17/18 inch wheels (19" only so far) next year, but the incredible costs of having custom offset wheels is still something we need to deal with.

anyone interested in investing in a promising startup company? LOL
Old 11-10-2001, 12:48 PM
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by Tedster
[B]Another wheel option:
Old 11-10-2001, 12:53 PM
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Originally posted by RT
Those wheels will work perfect with:
205/50-17
255/40-17
and you will be retaining the correct stagger ratio
Thanks.

So now to find decent tires available in those sizes...

Jim? Kuni?
Old 11-10-2001, 01:21 PM
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Pirelli P ZERO/ BFG g-Force T/A / Bridgestone S-02 (my choice after this weekend)

205/50/17
255/40/17
Old 11-11-2001, 04:24 PM
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Originally posted by mingster
i too would like to see that come to fruition. however, after dealing with a few wheel manufacturers, i must say that the prospects are tough indeed (financially), and hopefully ben can pull it off. we're hoping to introduce our own line of 17/18 inch wheels (19" only so far) next year, but the incredible costs of having custom offset wheels is still something we need to deal with.

anyone interested in investing in a promising startup company? LOL
Sorry, I'll be lucky if I can get away with spending for one set of 17" wheels and tires plus coilovers for myself.

Hmmm... But an investment, wonder if I could get away with that... Especially if the "dividend" was paid in wheels.

Good luck, and keep us posted on your progress.
Old 11-12-2001, 01:35 PM
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As far as tires go it would depend on what you are looking for. If you are looking for the best dry traction it would be the BF Goodrich G Force KD at 190.00 per tire front and 258.00 per tire rear. You may also want to look at the S03 Pole Position 149.00 and 210.00 or the Yokohama AVS Sport at 159.00 and 201.00.
If I can help let me know.
Thank you

Jim 800-428-8355-364


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