Rob, it really depends on what you want out of your tires.

For example, I've had Kumho 712s on the car and while the tire lasted much longer, they had no where near the grip the S02s have - but they are much cheaper. Doug (Triple-H) had a good write up on them and the conclusion was that you got somewhere around 70-80% of the performance at 50% of the price of an S02.

When I needed new tires, I did not get the 712s again but went with a Yokohama ES100 - I find them better than the 712s but still not as good as the S02s, but I can live with it as these are my street tires only -I have dedicated tires for hard driving (track/autox).

Doug is looking at another tire that seems to be coming very close to the S02 at a much cheaper price...not sure if he actually has them yet.

^^ Matrix, is Doug looking at that new Goodyear tire that supposedly does everything except make your coffee in the morning? +1 is trying to seduce me into replacing the reo50s with the new Goodyear that he's read about it (btw, he's not fooling me, he just wants me to try them out on the S so he can get them for his vette in the future if they're good). ;) I'd be curious to know how they measure up to the Bridgestone Potenzas. Supposedly they're just as good, wear longer and cost a lot less. I'm very dubious and do not want to put anything on the S except a potenza.

I actually can't remember the manufacturer, but it was not Goodyear :(....I'll point him over here.

I'll be right back, I have to go find link with review.
Thanks for the head's up Marco, work is just out of contol due to trade show season...

Hankook is what I will be going with. *
Clearly not as superior as the S-02, but for the money they seem to be the best lower cost option out there, that can be had in stock 16" sizes; 205/55-16 and 245/45-16


*I have 3 sets of wheels for the My Spa.
1- street: S-02s.
2- dry track: RA-1s
3- rain track & occsasional street: going to be Hankook R-S2

The S-02 is succh a great tire and I drive rather hard, I need and want it for the street, but now with the new set of wheels I need a low cost performance option that can handle some street work, but mostly rain track work.

Read this thread
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=279204

I did a lot of research on Hankook, and what I came away with was a very impressive Korean company that makes a huge variety of competition tires. I believe this crosses over into good performance street tire development, and as a Korean manufacturer they price their products atteractivelyu to try and win market share.

Ventus R-S2 Z212
http://www.hankooktireusa.com/images/uploads/Z212.jpg

Funny, he can't remember Berlina sucks eithor...
:rofl: :stick: :rofl:

I've been very pleased with the Kumho 712's. They certainly don't grip as well as the S02 but they are very predictable and wear much better.

There is always a trade off with tires - the greater the adhesion to the road, the more rubber gets left there.

Rob, lots of folks in New England went with the S0-3s. I thought about them, but after a season autocrossing the SO-2s and comparing my times with folks on SO-3s I decided to stay with the SO-2.

The SO-3 will last longer. It has a higher wear rating and the real world experience of owners confirms the difference. It does have better rain grip, but I think that is demonstrated at the limits. In other words, around town in the rain you are not really going to notice any difference. Maybe if you hit a bump mid corner or something it could matter.

Here is a test of the SO-3 for your consideration.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/bs_s03_rd.jsp

I plan to stick with the SO2.

I must question your alignment though. My rears went 16,000 miles and still had a few thousand left on them when I changed them out. Keep in mind, that included a season of autocrossing before I switched to the Hoosiers. Maybe I am misinterpreting your original post, but do you get only 8 or 10 thousand miles from your rear SO-2s?

These did not work for me at all. They just did not offer the grip I like, the summer I had those on I spent a ton of time correcting for oversteer slides and after a while it just got old. If you don't drive hard they are okay, but if you like the grip of the S-02 the 712s just don't work.

Bill -

8-10-12K on the rears is not uncommon. I'm amazed you got 16 out of a set.

I think a lot of the wear must have to do with the types and condition of the surfaces one drives on as well as how "spirited" the driving.