Time for new AP1 tires for my '03 weekender. Gotta say up front I'm not interested in changing sizes from stocks. I've run SO2's for years, I like them for the most part (nothing to compare to) except I couldn't drive in much of winter here in KC which sucks. I never take my S out in snow/ice but wouldn't mind having the capability in case we were on a trip and got some weather. And 40ºF or below is not advised on the SO2's. The other factor is road trips can also be rough (literally) -- don't get me wrong, I like to wring out my S, but the wife doesn't always like the twisties...and interstates are an invitation to the wrong kind of bump fatigue on the SO2s.

So I'm kinda' torn between getting a UHP A/S or [is there?] something existing or coming soon that splits the difference between that and a solid performing summer set? I LOVE the traction of summer tires. My driving style is spirited, fast and fun corners and cloverleaves. I don't track it...I'd be open to trying it, it sounds fun...but realistically I wouldn't make a practice of it as I have some other hobbies that suck all my spare time (read: cycling).


So I'm looking at:

Conti DWS06 AS
BFG G-force Comp 2 AS
Bridgestone RE970 AS

I'd dig the RE11 but obviously no winter driving, and RE760 and SO4 are likely out also. Grrr. Does anyone with summer tires drive them somewhat confidently in winter? (not snow, just temps in say 20 - 40?) Maybe hopeless, just wanted to ask. I guess I could get a winter set...seems like a lot of hassle though.

Thanks for your thoughts on these, and any others you'd throw into the mix. I've read pretty much all the reviews on TireRack for the AP1.

 

I ran Sumitomo HTRZIII this last season and they've been pretty solid. Decent grip, they've handled the wet OK, and the cold. My area can have winter days of 20-30 degree weather and its been fine on a boosted S. Just have to drive smart when it gets cold. Best part about them is they are CHEAP! They lasted two summer driving seasons with minimal winter driving.

I've been eyeing the Michelin Pilot Super Sports for this year. There is a $70 rebate going on for them right now. Also looking at the Direzza Z102 as an option.

 

Those are good options too. Good to know about the Sumitomos. Yeah those PSS's get some nice writeups...are your wheels AP2 though? I don't think they showed up in my Tire Rack search for AP1.

 

Yeah, I'm AP2

 

I would go with the Conti DWS06 AS Not a lot of miles(885,000 miles) in the survey but they do place no. 1 in the survey. I run the Conti DW on my '06 and on the street I'm very happy with the wear and handling of those tires. I don't do snow in my S, for that I have my Jeep.
One more thing you could do is get a second set of cheap wheels and put winter tires on them.

ROD

 

Yeah it's kind of a tossup b/w the Contis and the BFGs. Both look like great choices for AS. Thanks.

 

I Live in TN and I drive my cars throughout the winter where we see mostly 20-50 degrees throughout the winter. I had the BF Goodrich Comp2 AS and I liked them but they showed a noticeable performance difference from the summer tires I had before them. I went for the BF Sport Comp 2 on my BMW 540i (v8 RWD Sedan) as I was having an issue with the back end getting loose on me in the winter. Once I switched to the Sport Comp 2 my back end issues went away completely. I've got 11,000 miles on them now and they still grip like crazy in all temperatures. I can't tell you that I've tried them on an S2000 but I would highly recommend them for a grippy tire in the winter even though it's a summer tire. Also, they have been about the best wet tire I've ever had. Tons of grip in the rain.

Right now I've got S04's on my S2k and I like the performance but they do have less grip in the cold.

 

Unless anything has changed with the second version, the continental dws has a soft sidewall so I'd stay away from those for a summer set. Though they might make a good winter set assuming you will not actually be driving in the snow and ice.

Between the three, the grippiest would be the RE970 AS and the BFG G-Force Comp 2. However, I personally have almost always had two sets, one UHP A/S for the colder and wetter six months of the season, and an extreme performance set for the warmer and drier months in the summer.

 

I started using the Bridgestone RE750 and then moved to the RE760 when they changed. I live in Tennessee and this is my daily driver and I really like how they grip. I definitely do not take it out if there is the slightest chance of snow.

 

This is exactly what I want to do. I will put my car away once there is a danger of snow but I do drive it in the shoulder seasons and the temps can get down to freezing or a bit below in the AM, (just like the original poster). II have two sets of wheels, the original ap1 16s and a set of ap2 v3. I want to put some decent all seasons on the ap1 wheels for the colder months and I'm considering storing the car on the all seasons thinking they are less likely to develop flat spots.

Does this make any sense to you all?

So which of the all seasons should I be trying for this purpose? Looking for 16s on my ap1. I run Bridgestone s04 PP on the 17s in the warm weather.