I am going to need new rear tires soon, read all the searches but seem a little confused. If I change brands I would have to get a wider, and lower profile tire? The SO2's are ok, but I want more grip around corners, and while upshifting, this may be caused by the lack of tread on them now. I am interested in the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3, but from reading, I would have to change the width and profile of the tire, which also means that I would have to get new front tires, which I do not want to do since they are still in good condition. So all in all, do I have to change the profile and width of the tire if I do not get the SO2's? Thanks.

 

You will not be able to find a rear tire with more grip than an OEM SO2s unless you go to a competition tire. If your tires are anything like mine at the end of their life, they do have reduced grip compared to a new one after being scrubbed in.

If you go to another brand of tire in the rear, most should be used in the 245/45/16 size. Read the thread on "Incorrect rear tire size" to obtain perspectives on the SO3 Pole Position rear width choice.

 

The GSD3 is about 1.3" narrow than the stock S02 in the 16". I would say not a good option. Unless you change the front tires I would match them with the S02 on the rear. If you do go to a different tire I would suggest going to the 245/45R16 to keep the width. As far as which tire would be best that would depend on what you are looking for.
If I can help let me know.

 

FWIW - I just put a new set of Fuzion ZRi tires and went up a size on both front and back (225/45/17 front and 255/40/17 rear).

There were no problems with installation and they fit within the recommended rim size of the MY04 (225/45-17 7-8.5" rims and 255/40-17 8.5-10") however, I am somewhat concerned about oversteer and excessive treadwear from the center, this remains to be seen.

First impressions of the tires is that they feel softer than the RE050's with much less road noise. Handling wise, I haven't been able to get an really good idea of how the handling is affected. I've put approx. 500 miles on the tires so far. It has been wet here for the past few days and I haven't really gotten a chance to compare fairly with the Potenzas. So far I am quite satisfied with the tires, they do seem to be "softer" and I got a chirp out of them coming out of a corner, something I never used to do with the Potenzas, however they seem to be predictable in their performance.

On wet pavement, I lost traction while with WOT shifting into 2nd. and third, and the tires did not seem to be as sure footed as the Potenzas although I felt in control throughout each gear. I am starting to get more confident with the tires and I will follow up with a opinion on dry condition performance once we get some dry weather here.

Price wise it is hard to beat the price of the Fusion's. I paid $548.00 installed including lifetime balancing and Firestone's Mastercare Road hazard warranty. This was less than buying just the rear RE050's.

As the S2000 is a daily driver for me with approx. 18000 miles put on in the last 7 months I thought the Fuzion's would be worth a try to see if sacrificing some performance to get better wear at 1/2 the price is worth it. As the price of the Fuzion's was so good I thought it would be an affordable experiment. Time will tell.

BTW - FWIW, I loved the handling and performance of the RE050's, but just felt that perhaps I could find something that gives me a pretty good performing tire with longer tire life at a lower price.

 

Well after 300 miles of driving I feel I have a better feel for the Fuzion ZRi's. Dry performance initially felt a little too soft for my taste, however, after increasing the tire pressure to 36psi it helped quite a bit with giving it a better feel. I actually found 40psi to work even better, but at 36psi it was a better compromise on handling vs road noise and comfort for the daily commute. The tires are definitely not Potenzas, however they lose grip gracefully and I feel in control at all times while cornering hard and coming out of the turn. It is kind of fun to take it beyond it's limits right now, but time will tell how they will respond with a few more K's on them. On wet pavement as stated earlier is is harder for me to compare as my Potenzas were getting pretty bald and were pretty interesting on wet pavement if you weren't careful and it isn't fair to compare a balding tire with a new one anyway. I do know that when my car was new I was amazed at how the S2000 handled like a slot car. Anyway, the S2K with the Fuzions handles pretty well on wet pavement and, as they are on dry pavement, they are graceful and predictable when they let go.

Overall I am very satisfied with my selection so far. It probably wouldn't be my choice of tire if the S2K was a weekend sled, or if I was autocrossing regularly, but for an everyday commuter that is looking for good value in a tire that still allows you to drive "spirited" without breaking the budget, the Fuzions may be your tire.

Mi dos centavos