Looking for some tires to run in the winter. I like the S03 because its got great wet handling and good dry handling too. So will the tire be too thin???

I am going to use Azenis in the dry, but for now I want to use the S03. Any help appreciated. I guess this would apply to all 15 by 7 rims using the S03

TIA

 

the SO3 is in no way a winter tire, but yes it will fit.

 

I live in an area with heavy rain. Compared to Azenis, which hydroplane everywhere these should be good in the rain, right?

I don't want to put it on the rim if it's going to bulge or stretch the sidewall. That is my main concern. So yes it will fit, but is it safe?

 

depends on where you live. they are absolutely useless in anything colder than rain.

 

I live in Northern Cali.....just rain, but lots of it. Our freeways suck *** too. Huge puddles everywhere. Some more than a couple inches in depth.

<-----hydroplaned on the stock RE's and on Azenis and don't want to rely on good luck.

 

195's are a little small for 15x7 - I would go with the 205/50 S-03's instead. They are amazing rain tires, but they pretty much suck when the temperature dips below 40 degrees or so... (wet or dry). If you live in a mild climate, and the temp stays in the 50's or so, you should be fine. I my S03's, but I'll be mounting up the steelies and snow tires soon

 

grrrr......205/50 So3= 120 a piece

that little extra width = 50 dollars per tire??? What a ******* rip off.

 

I don't know.... my 195/50's fit great on 15x6's. I'm not so sure they are going to fit on 7" rims.

That... and if you get any snow, forget S03's. Get SP 5000's or something like that. They get no traction on packed snow and are not a good option for sub 30 degree weather, dry or wet.

 

Always 60 and above here. Just the rain that is the problem. No snow, ice, or any other adverse condition. Just rain, and plenty of it.

 

If you can find a reasonably priced 205/50, i'd go that route.

I could snap a pic of my 195/50 S-03's on 15x6 rims... you could just for yourself. I just wouldn't recommend it, unless of course someone has done it?

 

Yeah I was thinking it'd be too skinny. Other choices with decent rain handling according to tire rack would be Kumho MX, AVS Es100, Supra 712, ......these are all in the 70 dollar range. I was hoping to get the best of both worlds. If I was going to pay 120 for the 205/15 S03....I might as well put S03's on my 16" rims instead. Then leave some DOT legal Hoosiers on the 15's???

 

195/50/15 S03's will be fine on 15x7 wheels. They are wider than most 205's made. Heck, I've seen the narrower 195/50/15 Kumho 712's on 7" wheels with no problems.

The sidewall will be a little stretched, but that's not a problem at all. Actually, a stretched sidewall is much better than one that bulges out (rim too small for wheel) like most people run with 205 Azenis on 6" wheels.

Stretched sidewall = improved handling response, period. But, there was some discussion if a 195 tire has enough load capacity for the heavy Integra. Something to think about.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Todd00 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Stretched sidewall = improved handling response, period. But, there was some discussion if a 195 tire has enough load capacity for the heavy Integra. Something to think about.</TD></TR></TABLE>

The load rating is not sufficient (at least compared to the recommended load ratings listed for the DC2-R). But.... this is not an issue at all unless you are on a track, IMO. I doubt the load rating would come into play unless under extreme braking AND cornering.

 

The load rating is also assuming full occupancy, correct? They assume that there are back seat passengers and that the car weighs what it did from the factory, right?

In that case I have no worries. The car is a two seater. The only weight adder would be the roll bar, but that is evened out by having lightweight seats, no spare, no backseats, lighter header and exhaust.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jdmspoonitr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The load rating is also assuming full occupancy, correct? They assume that there are back seat passengers and that the car weighs what it did from the factory, right?

In that case I have no worries. The car is a two seater. The only weight adder would be the roll bar, but that is evened out by having lightweight seats, no spare, no backseats, lighter header and exhaust.</TD></TR></TABLE>

The load rating only comes into play with hard HARD breaking and cornering, i.e., on a track. At least as far as lighter cars like integras that aren't loaded totally full with heavy peoples.

I wouldn't worry about it for street duty.

 

A few more points to consider:

1. Most tire manufacturer websites (and the Tire Rack) show the approved rim width for each size of each model tire. For example, Bridgestone's specs for the 195/50-15 show that 7" is okay. The tires may look stretched, but they should fit.

2. Remember, narrower tires are better on wet pavement. So if you're looking for a rain tire, the 195 will be a better idea than the 205.

3. If you are using other tires for summer anyway, then you can get a tire whose optimal range of operating temperatures is on the cool side - which means you might want to consider an all-season tire. Yes, even if you don't get any snow.

 

if u want a tire tthat's good in the rain, try these

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...1=yes

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jdmspoonitr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">grrrr......205/50 So3= 120 a piece

that little extra width = 50 dollars per tire??? What a ******* rip off.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Where can you get 195 S03's for 70 bucks?? The cheapest I've seen them is 98 bucks a pop?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by RGoose18 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Where can you get 195 S03's for 70 bucks?? The cheapest I've seen them is 98 bucks a pop?</TD></TR></TABLE>

You can't. Any more. That price was available when Tire Rack had them on special, which they no longer are. Now you have to pay $98.

If you want a tire that's really outstanding in rain, pretty decent on dry roads, and doesn't cost a lot, try the Yokohama ES100, which is $56 for 195/55-15 (stock ITR size). Check out the test results on the Tire Rack website...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nsxtasy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

You can't. Any more. That price was available when Tire Rack had them on special, which they no longer are. Now you have to pay $98.

If you want a tire that's really outstanding in rain, pretty decent on dry roads, and doesn't cost a lot, try the Yokohama ES100, which is $56 for 195/55-15 (stock ITR size). Check out the test results on the Tire Rack website...
</TD></TR></TABLE>

also check out the 195-50-15 Goodyear Eagle F1 GS D3: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...GS-D3

$80/tire and rated very similiar to the S-03's. They'll be my next tires whenever my fuggen s-03's die, like 35k miles on those now and they still aren't fuggen dead.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Dave-ROR &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

also check out the 195-50-15 Goodyear Eagle F1 GS D3: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...GS-D3

$80/tire and rated very similiar to the S-03's. They'll be my next tires whenever my fuggen s-03's die, like 35k miles on those now and they still aren't fuggen dead.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I second this option, I have F1's on my car now and they are incredible in the rain. comparable to 010's in the dry too... but not as sticky as Falkens in the dry.

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=560478

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Dave-ROR &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">also check out the 195-50-15 Goodyear Eagle F1 GS D3</TD></TR></TABLE>

That's an excellent tire, too; in fact, its tread pattern looks a lot like the ES100, with tread going diagonally to the sides to shed water. However, it still costs 43 percent more than the ES100 195/55-15. Also, that size is 3.3 percent smaller in outer diameter than the stock size. So your speedometer will read 3.3 percent higher and you will put 3.3 percent more miles on your odometer.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nsxtasy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

That's an excellent tire, too; in fact, its tread pattern looks a lot like the ES100, with tread going diagonally to the sides to shed water. However, it still costs 43 percent more than the ES100 195/55-15. Also, that size is 3.3 percent smaller in outer diameter than the stock size. So your speedometer will read 3.3 percent higher and you will put 3.3 percent more miles on your odometer.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yes it costs more, and is more highly rated in EVERY category. That's like saying a B18C5 costs 500% more than a gen 1 B16A so the B16A is the better motor. (Even if I do like B16a's, out of the box that's just not true).

As for the speedo, he was originally asking about 195-50-15 S-03's, so that point is 100% irrelevent in this discussion imo. And what's the stock speedo off by anyways? probably more than 3.3%

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Dave-ROR &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">he was originally asking about 195-50-15 S-03's, so that point is 100% irrelevent in this discussion imo.</TD></TR></TABLE>

If you're comparing the Goodyear with the S-03, then yes, it's irrelevant. If you're comparing either tire to the Yokohama ES100, then no, it's very relevant.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Dave-ROR &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">what's the stock speedo off by anyways? probably more than 3.3% </TD></TR></TABLE>

No, speedometer error is typically less than 3.3 percent. Granted, there are factors that can affect speedo error - tire wear alone can result in variations up to 2 percent between a new tire and one worn down to the treadwear indicator bars - but by using a non-stock size, you are introducing a 3.3 percent error on top of whatever error might already be there.

If I were choosing a tire for a summer performance street tire, then I might choose the Goodyear or S-03 (but I would be more likely to choose the RE010... which, in fact, I do). But if I were choosing a tire to use only as a winter rain street tire in an area that didn't get snow, then I would probably choose the ES100 (or possibly the Dunlop SP9000, $107) in the stock ITR size, over another tire in a non-stock size.

 

Myself,,, I would lean away from a 195 on a 7 rim, would try to find a 205 or up to 245.
A bit to narrow for a 7 wim 205 - 245 would fit the best and have the best wear too.