You see these run on porsches and Lamborgini's etc. How do they run on our car?

For Pirelli I'm specifically referring to the P-zero's.

Andy

 

This is IMO, of course:

In the process of using different sport-sedan class tires on my 325i, I've had Continentals whose belts delaminated (3 tires out of 4!) and Pirellis that were total garbage in the wet. Maybe I'm a reactionary about these things, but these tires were totally unacceptable to me and they gave me a piss-poor opinion of the companies that sell them. I won't buy either brand again until I see some impartial reviews that tell me they have something superior (not merely equal) to the competition. I haven't seen any.

I'm also not amused by the OEM S-02s' treacherous performance in the wet when more than half worn, and will definitely replace them with something else. I'm currently thinking about S-03s or comparable ultra-high performance tires from Michelin, Yokohama, Dunlop, or Goodrich. But I have until late fall to make up my mind and I'm waiting for more information about how they work on the S2000.

 

Tox, I dont know what kinda pirelli you had that is "crappy" in the wet. I've used Pirelli P4000 super touring and P7000 Super Sport on my civic and integra. They are by far the best tires I have had in the price range. In the snow, going uphill to work in the winter in 99, I just turn my steering wheels left and right and left the gear in 1st, tapping the gas pedal around 5000rpm ..... I "S-turned" all the way up the hill ...... that was just my P4000, which performs like shit when compared to my P7000 SS.

I havent got the chance to drive on the top of the line Pirelli tires, so I dont know how they perform ...... but if Ferrari Challenge uses the P-Zeros, they should be decent high performance tires.

PS: the guy that sold me the tires who used to be a tester for Dunlop, Pirelli and Goodyear said, Michelin's top of the line Pilot Series beats Pirelli in all aspect ..... maybe i will go for those when my s02's retire ..

Hope you find the ones you like the best

 

Continentals SUCK! Okay I don't exactly have ownership experience with them. But if you go to bimmer boards they all complain about them. And if you're planning to use them on the S2K you will lose a lot of performance.

 

They were P6000s, 205 x 15 as I remember. While I don't doubt that Pirelli has done better with other tires, I just can't forgive them for 20K miles of white-knuckle driving in the rain (while being passed by soccer moms in Caravans). After all, it's not like buying gas or something that gets used up quickly; you're stuck with your tires for their useful life (or in the case of my Pirellis, until I got sick of them and threw them away half-used).

After that, I won't trust Pirelli again soon.

And thanks for the good wishes -- I'm hoping a consensus will emerge here, but so far it hasn't. I'm leaning toward the Michelins now due to (you guessed it) nothing but positive results on the BMW.

 

I have to say the Pirelli 7000 SS are horrible. The compound must involve brick in it. They are OK in the rain (better than the stock S0-2s) but in the dry, the back just doesn't feel planted. My BMW friends with the tires complain just as well. It may not matter since you aren't really looking at them, but it's enough to keep me away from all Pirellis. I hear the design of the P7000s is at least 15 years old.

As for Continentals, I drove my brother's M3 when they were his stock tires. They seemed just decent.

For the price of the Pirellis I would go with Pilot Sports or S0-3s. For less money, my brother loves his new Kuhmos (I think I'm going to try them next), and I've heard good things about Toyos (although they might wear a bit fast).

All IMHO.

 

jws626,

my coworker uses kumho on his tiburon, and its just as bad as integra's factory michelins. he is throwing them away ...... 205/40/17 rice boy size. maybe their racing tires are good .... but i havent had any experience with those, so cant say much about them.

pirelli do have harder compound, their sidewall is really strong, handling wise, i think the 7000ss was very nice in all conditions. but a friend of mine drives a 99 accord, already put 70,000 miles on it (back and forth between MD and IA for school.) He had the 7000ss, and now is using toyos, he thinks it breaks away in a more progressive manner than the 7000ss. we saw his incar racing videos with the toyo and the 7000ss, toyos allowed him to slide, the 7000ss broke loose when his car dips into the same corner. and it had a better tread wear .... i'll ask him wut type of toyo he has.

if pirelli sucks, what kinda tires you think perform better ..... maybe i should try them out ........

 

The Pirellis are horrible indeed. They are most notable for their tread splitting which makes it look like the tire dry rotted. If it wasn't for their PZero's, the company wouldn't be notable as a tire manufacturer. Thus, if you aren't going to purchase PZero's, then dont do it. But if you are going to compare other Pirelli tires with the company as a whole and not taking into consideration the PZero as a tire in itself, then you need to reconsider your opinion - as in open road racing, the rules for 180+ (I believe is the class), you can ONLY run on the PZero's.

 

Pirelli PZero Rossos ... Can't remember which colored label it is, either Red or Yellow label type is pretty good and they go standard on heaps of continential sports cars. I believe getting front directionals and rear assymentrico are the best setup recommendations by Pirelli.

 

Previous owner put Pirelli P7000SS on my S2K...IMHO they are about as sticky as teflon tape and as loud as mud tires. I am replacing them this week.