Pirelli P-Zero Nero 225/50/16
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From: Southampton/Reading
Pirelli P-Zero Nero 225/50/16
So I have had Italian rubber on the back of my car for about a month now, in which time I have done about 1000 mies of mixed motorway and spirited driving in dry and wet conditions. Previous to the P-Zero's I had RE050A but had to change due to the lack of tyres in Europe at the moment.
The P-Zero's have about equal sidewall hardness to the RE050A, they are not quite as hard and there is a little bit of lean on the rear end when cornering hard, but this is quickly sorted with a punch of power on standard pressures. I am sure if I increased the pressure somewhat then they would be just as good as the BS sidewalls, they are pretty stiff already.
In the dry, the tyres are magnificient, they are easy to get heat into and once you have they just stick to the road like the proverbial to the shovel. You never feel as if the rear is going to let go and then when it does start thinking about it, the tyres are progressive and will warn you to be a little bit more sensible through the next corner! I like this in a tyre! I think they are about the same as the Bridgestones in this respect.
In the wet, again the tyres are streets ahead of the RE050A, I always thought the rear would shimmy around and I never had that much confidence in the rear when driving in heavy rain. With the P-Zero's, I have much more confidence that the rear will stick and don't get wheel spin when pulling away spritely anymore, even on wet roads, the car just hunkers down and puts down the power. I do not drive the car fast in the wet, it is too risky, but I have much more confidence that the rear will behave itself with these tyres!
Pirelli are known for using soft rubber to provide the grip, therefore I imagine the wear rate on these tyres is going to be eye watering, but it is a sports car and tyre wear is just one of those things you get for wanting grippy, high performance tyres and personally, something I accept as a given.
The tyres are assymetric.
My current set up is RE050A on the front and these P-Zero's on the back, it seems to compliment the two very well.
Oh, one thing, the running in period takes a long time! It was a good 500 miles until these tyres came to life, during those 500 miles the rear was quite skittish particularly when accelerating hard as I think they were quite greasy. But after 500 miles it was like a lightswitch was flicked and the tyres just switched on. So, if you get these and take the car out thinking oh my goodness what have I done, give it time and they will come to you.
I got my tyres from Event who were excellent as always and applied the S2KUK discount. I would highly recommend them.
I think I am going to stick with the Pirelli tyres for now and see if Bridgestone bring out anything newer than the RE050A in the future and re-assess when these tyres wear out. They are great tyres in all summer conditions however. I have winter tyres for the more tricky months, I doubt these tyres would do to well in Winter, but then again, my XJ8 has P-Zero on it and they coped amazing well in the snow we had last year so they might be alright...
Anyway, hope that gives some of you looking for 16" tyres an alternative to the RE050A!
Graham
The P-Zero's have about equal sidewall hardness to the RE050A, they are not quite as hard and there is a little bit of lean on the rear end when cornering hard, but this is quickly sorted with a punch of power on standard pressures. I am sure if I increased the pressure somewhat then they would be just as good as the BS sidewalls, they are pretty stiff already.
In the dry, the tyres are magnificient, they are easy to get heat into and once you have they just stick to the road like the proverbial to the shovel. You never feel as if the rear is going to let go and then when it does start thinking about it, the tyres are progressive and will warn you to be a little bit more sensible through the next corner! I like this in a tyre! I think they are about the same as the Bridgestones in this respect.
In the wet, again the tyres are streets ahead of the RE050A, I always thought the rear would shimmy around and I never had that much confidence in the rear when driving in heavy rain. With the P-Zero's, I have much more confidence that the rear will stick and don't get wheel spin when pulling away spritely anymore, even on wet roads, the car just hunkers down and puts down the power. I do not drive the car fast in the wet, it is too risky, but I have much more confidence that the rear will behave itself with these tyres!
Pirelli are known for using soft rubber to provide the grip, therefore I imagine the wear rate on these tyres is going to be eye watering, but it is a sports car and tyre wear is just one of those things you get for wanting grippy, high performance tyres and personally, something I accept as a given.
The tyres are assymetric.
My current set up is RE050A on the front and these P-Zero's on the back, it seems to compliment the two very well.
Oh, one thing, the running in period takes a long time! It was a good 500 miles until these tyres came to life, during those 500 miles the rear was quite skittish particularly when accelerating hard as I think they were quite greasy. But after 500 miles it was like a lightswitch was flicked and the tyres just switched on. So, if you get these and take the car out thinking oh my goodness what have I done, give it time and they will come to you.
I got my tyres from Event who were excellent as always and applied the S2KUK discount. I would highly recommend them.
I think I am going to stick with the Pirelli tyres for now and see if Bridgestone bring out anything newer than the RE050A in the future and re-assess when these tyres wear out. They are great tyres in all summer conditions however. I have winter tyres for the more tricky months, I doubt these tyres would do to well in Winter, but then again, my XJ8 has P-Zero on it and they coped amazing well in the snow we had last year so they might be alright...
Anyway, hope that gives some of you looking for 16" tyres an alternative to the RE050A!
Graham
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