I was caught in a downburst yesterday on the freeway and suddenly my ride got a little TOO exciting. The rears are pretty much done after 11K. The fronts still look good.

Based on what limited reading I have done here so far, it looks like the Kumho 712's in 245/45 will be a good replacement for my needs, mainly: less expensive and should hopefully last a bit longer.

Any real concerns with keeping the front tires for now? I would expect a slightly greater tendency to oversteer on entry. Accurate?

I dont drive like a nut very much, but I'd like to know what to expect when opportunity and mood strike.

TIA,
Gerald

 

A lot of people will say "if you don't drive that hard, you'll never know the difference" - but I'm a firm believer in having matching tires front/rear.

So either replace the entire set, or just get new rear S-02's.

I find the S-02's to be great tires in the rain. I've never had these traction problems people speak of. Obviously if you run them bald, you'll have issues like you described.

 

I sgree with koala. If you are looking for good but less expensive replscements for the SO2 OEM s check out the yoko AVS ES100's also. S few folks like those better than the Kumho's

 

Thanks for the replies.

The main thing (for me) is to spend less money on tires for what is mostly a cruising around with the top down toy. I commute to work when the weather is nice. If I had a shitty day I take the back roads home and enjoy some curves and fresh air. If I want to drive really hard, the only place (in my mind) to do it is on the track.

I'm not worried about having matching tires all the way around. It doesn't come from the factory that way, you know... I've been driving long enough to be able to adapt to new handling characteristics as long as they are not super pronounced. I.e. the first time I take the cloverleaf at my typical brisk (not bat out of hell) speeds, I don't want to suddenly loop it when I lift and turn in due to a poor tire choice.

I get the feeling from reading here that, off the track, there isn't that major of a difference between the two tires, and so am just looking for some confirmation.

Gerald

ps: I never had any issues in the rain before, either. But I don't drive the car in the rain very much, and the last time, there was a lot more tread back there. Yesterday it was hydroplaning at the low end of traffic speeds on the freeway when it was raining hard. I had to pull over to avoid becoming an obstacle.

 

I meant matching in the sense of same make and model, not size.

Our tires are staggered for a reason!

 

Just replaced the rear OEM's with the S-03's Pole Position. With 12,000 on my MY2000 I didn't replace the front tires. Think I can make it to spring since I park it during the winter. Noticed an immediate improvement in handling.

 

Here are a couple of posts for you to consider:

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.php?...threadid=136246

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.php?...threadid=137644
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.php?...threadid=133510
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.php?...threadid=135212

There are many more just search for diffenrt brands your interested in