Pirelli tires

Crippler · 02-10-2002, 09:11 PM

Just looking for your opinions and experiences with Pirelli tires. I looked in old posts and did not find much, but I would like to hear some more up to date info anyways. Thanks

wolfrpi · 02-10-2002, 10:29 PM

Pirelli - junk IMHO. I've had P6 (Saab 900 Turbo), P7 (911SC), P7000 (Saab convertible). They all got hard and turned to crap. The ride gets bad and they loose their compliance after a few thousand miles in my experiences. Same goes for the Bridgestone RE-730s that I had on my 951 (ask lord grommit about those beauts). Best tire IMO is the Michelin Pilot and Michelin's in general seem to be very high quality.

PorscheG96 · 02-10-2002, 11:10 PM

I agree, Pirellis are over-priced and poor in quality. They grip very well when new, but given two or three thousand miles they've already lost their roundness and produce lots of vibrations. They wear terribly fast and if you drive them hard you'll notice that they chunk and lose grip without any warning. I've used P6, P600, P700-Z, and P-Zeros.

Obin Robinson · 02-11-2002, 09:39 AM

Pirelli = CRAP CRAP CRAP! I have them on the 944 right now and they SUCK. I put them on the 924 and regretted it. I put them on my crappy Nissan and regretted it. I have a dozen friends that have used them on BMWs, Acuras, Hondas, Toyotas, Audis, Porsches, etc... and they all said the same thing:

"best tire i'll never buy again."

They are great if you like driving around indoors, or on perfectly DRY roads with NO dirt, gravel, dust, etc. If the humidity is above zero then you're left sailing off the road because the tiniest bit of moisture causes them to lose grip. If I got a million dollars worth of Pirellis for free... I'd donate them to the race track to use in the tire wall. NEVER will i spend more than zero dollars and zero cents putting Pirellis on any car I'll ever own.

They wear out so fast that I have NEVER EVER known anyone that drove Pirellis to within 80% of the rated treadwear distance. This isn't just for sports cars either. I had them on my Nissan and I used to hydroplane so much that when it rained, i had markers and reference points of where to point the car because I knew I'd be hydroplaning and I didn't want to slide off the road. Don't believe me? Ask my wife, my friends Jason, Scott, and Shawn.

In short... they suck. Bigtime suck. The only thing that sucks more than Pirelli tires is a black hole... but I've hears that astronomers with Pirelli tires will even dispute that.

obin

Crippler · 02-11-2002, 10:09 AM

Whoa! They sound pretty bad. I have Yoko AVS's right now but they wore out really fast and they didn't have much grip in the wet. On the plus side in the dry they were awesome and never hydro-planned.
I have heard alot of good things about their new tires. I don't know if they are any better than older ones, but has anybody had a set of Pirelli's and actually liked them? They come on some new porsches from the factory, so they can't be that bad or can they?

PorscheG96 · 02-11-2002, 10:47 AM

I think Yokohamas are the best. I've been using AVS for years, everyone I know who's used the A-520 and Paradas love those too, and my A-032R's are monsters. They're inexpensive so at least you're not blowing 250-300 dollars per tire AND having them wear out fast [ie. Michelin, Pirelli, Bridgestone].

Pillow · 02-11-2002, 01:20 PM

the best tire for the $ these days is the Kumho Ecsta 712, but it is not for snow.

Actually Michelins will be the exclusive brand of Porsche in the next few years. They are just starting the switch over. Appartenly Porsche rare cars have been using Michelin the last couple years as well.

I agree that Pirelli is over rated... I have had loads of poor Pirellis P500, P6, P400, P600, and P44s. Granted the old P44s were actually good, but they are long gone.

Now I stick with Kumho, Bridgestone, or Michelin if I feel rich.

Sergio · 02-11-2002, 02:22 PM

"In short... they suck. Bigtime suck. The only thing that sucks more than Pirelli tires is a black hole... but I've hears that astronomers with Pirelli tires will even dispute that. "

The funniest thing I have read on here in a while.....

HAHAH! thanks Obin...

kenny · 02-11-2002, 03:49 PM

I gotta chime in here with a qualification that as a poor boy raised in a agrarian economy, and only recently finding my personal net worth high enough to justify a performance automobile, I'm not yet had to purchase very low profile tires.

Out of the last three sets of Michelins I've bought I've had to have two of the removed from my car.

Both due to excessive vibration (first was an M&S rated touring tire) and the second (just recently), were $95 ea. tires for my minivan (Semetry). The last set were deamed defective and I replaced them with Pirelli P3000's -- no trouble in about 6000 mi so far. The Pirelli's were cheaper by a third, they ride smoother, and quieter. Of course I'm trying to keep it under 1g around the corners for the minivan.

Granted, these are not performance tires as such, but just a point to say that not everything Pirelli makes is crap and Michelin makes some stinkers as well -- this is really a tire by tire thing. Though I might buy a high performance Michelin, I'd never buy another set for any of my regular cars (IMHO the last good regular Michelin was the XZX -- didn't even need to be balanced practically). I've ran P300's and P3000's, and P400's (If I remember right -- I don't replace them that often) and have had no problems with them. I also had some Yoklohamas that stuck like glue but they last so short that it took some of the fun out of it!

I think I will try the Kumho's when It comes time if I can get them in the standard 951 sizes -- There have been some good posts on them. I'm thinking the Pirelli's and the Michelins are overated (esp. for the money).

shaftk215 · 02-11-2002, 04:49 PM

I've got P6000s (215/60/15)on my car right now. I've had them for about 4000 miles with no problems. I replaced these as soon as i got the car, and I have no expierience with any other tires to offer a comparison. From what i know, they're a great tire. I've never had a problem in wet weather. In fact, i cruised through the entire state of Geogia on Route 75 going 100 in the pouring rain without one slip.

They were expensive though, $115 a tire, including mounting and balencing.

Someone mentioned that they lose their round quickly. Which might be why i've got the steering wheel shudder. Something i'll look into.

jnkyrd944 · 02-11-2002, 08:22 PM

hey shaft215,

i got the same tires, and now i have a steering wheel vibration thats getting progressivly worse.
And mine suck in the rain. sometimes i have to start in 2nd gear.

turtle944 · 02-12-2002, 04:56 AM

I think my P6000's grip great in the rain. They have a 1+" aqua channel down the middle, and an agressive S structure to shead the water from the channel. Also, 12k on them, no rounding, although I am running stock camber.

I do love the michelin Pilots on my Jetta 1.8T though! 48,000 miles and still feel great.

kenny · 02-12-2002, 05:03 AM

water on the road drops the coefficient of friction considerably. Also, I haven't been in a 944 that doesn't do a little steering wheel shutter unless the road is very smooth (lots of feedback). It is just the way it is as far as I know (I've ridden in maybe 6 different 944's) -- not to say your P6000's aren't contributing to the problem.

My dad was in the tire business for 30 years and really liked Michelins and thought Dunlap had trouble making a round tire. He'd be shocked to know the Koreans were making a pretty good tire and that I've had such terrible luck with the Michelins he loved! Mostly I think we just drift from one piece O' Crap to the next -- and they wonder were all the brand loyalty has gone!

Deeks · 02-12-2002, 05:21 AM

Goodyear Eagle F1's ----- AWESOME grip in wet and dry !!!
compared to my Pirelli P6000 's anyway......

Obin Robinson · 02-12-2002, 05:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jnkyrd944
hey shaft215,

i got the same tires, and now i have a steering wheel vibration thats getting progressivly worse.
And mine suck in the rain. sometimes i have to start in 2nd gear.

add me to the list of people with Pirelli tires that make the steering wheel shudder.

obin

Pillow · 02-12-2002, 06:58 AM

The people with steering vibrations might want to consider having the tires high speed balanced on the car. This essentially balances the tire with the wheel and brake rotor assembly. Took the wobble out of my 911 immediately.

High end shops (like Butler in Atlanta) can do this easily.

Good Luck,

podman · 02-12-2002, 04:40 PM

IMHO the biggest problem with all these tires are the drivers!Why dont you all try some nice Firestone products if you want real problems.Putting Z-rated tires on anything other than a turbo is a waste of money and rubber,obviously makes the owner feel his car is faster than it really is!

wolfrpi · 02-12-2002, 05:19 PM

From my personal experience, the higher the speed rating the stiffer the sidewall (which makes for more predicatable cornering). I mean how many times do you ever exceed 135 (or whatever the V limit is) in your turbo? Try almost never for 90% of us.

PorscheG96 · 02-12-2002, 06:18 PM

Quote:

IMHO the biggest problem with all these tires are the drivers!Why dont you all try some nice Firestone products if you want real problems.Putting Z-rated tires on anything other than a turbo is a waste of money and rubber,obviously makes the owner feel his car is faster than it really is!

I'll start off by saying this: you have NO idea what you're ranting about. A Z-rated tire has a lot more to offer than resistance to failure under high temperatures at speed. The sidewall construction is made up of more plies that are stronger and researched more thoroughly than lower rated tires. Trust me, I'm in the business, why would customers buy even H or V rated tires if the ONLY benefit was knowing the car could go fast without as much risk of tire failure? Because the carcass is constructed DIFFERENTLY and more care/attention are paid to minor details during research and development...summing up, you're getting higher quality.

Blackfoot · Blackfoot's Garage

i'll second the kumho ecsta 712 recommendation. i had them on my vr4 and they made it feel like a new car, handling-wise, much superior to the michelin xgt's that were on there before.