I can drive circles around most SUVs in my Civic with snow tires during the winter. Most people think "I have an SUV, I don't need snow tires."

Finally! Someone that understands the concept. (Not to mention that a set of snow tires and wheels is less than the deductible you will shell out if you get in an accident on those summer tires.)

 

case in point... I have to go up a hill on my way home from work. An SUV and a sedan were at the bottom of the hill because they kept sliding back down. I waved to them from my Blizzak equipped S2000 as I proceeded up the hill without issue. Left them there with their mouths hanging open.

 

Would have been cooler with the top down.

 

I have winter tires for my car that gets used in winter. I concur that it just spreads out the wear so in the end its a wash. You just pay more up front.

But I after driving my S through the winter the first season, with a backup vehicle for when it was snowy or icy, I now just park in the garage under a cover until Spring.

If it were me, I'd put the cost of a spare set of wheels, and the winter tires, probably approaching $1k, into a $1k winter beater car (if my budget didn't allow for a better beater). I'd rather drive a $1k pos if I had to, then subject the S to winter conditions again. I don't berate anyone that does drive theirs in the winter, its just not for me.

I would spent a lot of time looking for the right car. You can find something decent that will get you through several seasons, if you look hard enough.

 

The op say's in the first post he has a budget of no more than $400. Not going to get a very good beater for that. I found winter tires for less than $400 that fit the S, it looks like he doesn't have the money for a beater. So he has what he has, I would rather see him on cheap winter tires than all season tires or any summer tire.

ROD

 

I think the OP is asking for tire recommendations. Like others, I have another car for snow so have not tried the S for that. With regard to picking a particular snow tire, the Tirerack reviews are a good source and can help you balance the tradeoffs. In general, the better the tire is in the snow, the shorter its life and also expect some tradeoff in the dry including braking. Where we live in Colorado, we don't get that much snow so I choose tires that err towards dry pavement performance. Also, go narrow. The idea is for the tire to get through the loose snow down to the packed snow below. A narrower tire does better in this regard, but again, will result in degraded dry performance.

The last set we put on my wife's Volvo were Dunlop D3 and they have been a very good tire for our winters. Continental just came out with a new tire WinterContact which we just picked up for our new Audi Allroad. The Tirerack review was very good so we took a gamble as there were no user reviews. Haven't put them on the car yet so can't comment on them in the real world.

 

You can use silicone spray and apply it often AF to try and save the under carriage. You can also get everything coated. And get underbody/underhood washes often. However...underbody/underhood washes can cause bolt thread corrosion for obvious reasons.

Its going to rust. No way around it really. Seems like S2000 chassis parts rust more readily than other cars.

I take a lot of care to wash off my TSX after anti-siezing most of the chassis bolts. I also epoxy and rubber coated everything. It helps. But...you'll still get rust from salt on chassis components.


I have never driven my S2000 in winter (its parked AF from 1st snow thru late spring). I use snow tires on my TSX, however.

I recommend using 225/45/17...as it is a very cost effective size for some reason.

Discounttiredirect or tire rack should definitely have some type of snow tire for $400ish. Continental Winter Si's or General Altimax would be my recommendations for cost effective snow tires. Buy them when there's a sale.

FYI, beater cars pop up on cragislist/FB for $500ish all the time.

 

Since we're budget concious let me throw in that I got my first set of Blizzaks mounted on a set of AP1 wheels for 300 bucks in the Marketplace on this forum.

 

If the budget is only $400, that isn't enough for tires, shipped, mounted and balanced. Even if it is, its more $ in spring, and every season change after, to swap them. You'll eventually need a spare set of wheels.

The best option is probably used snows on wheels, from someone that already realized they don't want to subject their S to winter driving deterioration.

I'd look for 16". Narrower tire size, better in snow as has been mentioned, and likely cheaper to buy used set.

 

I just don't understand why you need to drive an S2000 in the winter? If you have the budget for the car then......

Don't mean to offend anyone but winter should be off limits for this classic or future classic.