Any firsthand experience w/Pirelli?

[gizzsdad]

I am really liking the looks of the Pirelli PZero Nero M&S, and they are getting some great reviews on Tire Rack. My local dealer, who I have a lot of respect for, refuses to even work on them. He evidently had a hard time getting some balanced a number of years ago, and decided they were ALL ****. My guess is he got a bad tire or two, which can happen to any manufacturer, and is just stubborn enough to never try them again. Any experience, pro or con would be appreciated. Thanks, Mike

 

[Win]

Pirelli has been OEM on every Jaguar I have bought. They always seemed very good for OEM tires. I have bought several sets of Pirelli's in the aftermarket, mostly P6000's and P8000's and never had any issues with any of them. I have never had one with any type of a balance or other quality problem.

 

[ccdhowell]

I've owned two sets of Pirelli tires, including the current set on my Land Rover. I really love Pirelli tires. Wear has not always been great, but when a tire tracks as truely and responds to the road like Pirelli tires, I'll keep buying. 'course mine are Scorpion AT tires, not the Nero.

 

[Old Mustang Guy]

That tire came on my 06 Mustang GT. I'm pleased with them. Handling is very good for an all season tire. I notice that I can go for a long time without having to add air.

 

[rjundi]

For an ultra-high performance all-season an incredible tire in wet/dry. Its on par with some summer tires. Its the all-season tire of choice for WRX owners. If it matter snow traction is passable in snow but compromised for superior wet/dry traction.

 

[Scimmia]

I've got P-Zero Nero M+S's on my car right now that came OEM off of an 05 Mustang. So far, I love them, but they may not last long if I keep having this much fun with them.

 

[UncleS2]

Nowhere near as sexy as Pirelli P-Zeros, but I have had an excellent experience. *Several* years ago Mom's big 94 Mercury Grand Marquis needed a new set of shoes, and I just happened to spot a real bargain price in the paper on Pirelli P400 blems. They only had two sizes, but one of 'em was the right size! I called, hot-footed it to Longview 30 miles away, & had a set put on her car. A full set of Pirelli P400 whitewalls, mounted & balanced, plus front end aligned, all out the door for a ridiculously low price- I think about $230 including tax & all. Before I delivered the car back to Mom, I thought the car definitely drove better, but didn't push anything. Next time I drove it she had put seveal hundred miles on the new tires, the slick new finish was worn off- and *Wow*! That car has never driven as well on anything else, before or since. Cornered, tracked, & gripped in the rain unbelievably well for that big barge with the jello suspension. The only downside: they wore out fast, lasted a little over 20,000 miles. She's had that car for 10 yrs now. She drives it so little these days that when the current house brand tires get thin, I may well put another set of Pirelli P400's on it. They should last her at least 3 years, maybe 4 years.

 

[gizzsdad]

Thanks guys! All very helpful responses. Mike

 

[Finklejag]

I had Pirelli Rosso's come oem on my SAAB 9-3. They lasted all of 20K. This was a big problem with the 03-04 9-3's. Pirelli were buying the tires back because of the high wear rate. I then bought some Nero M/S's for the car. They had great dry/wet grip, but they wore too fast also. This is the reason I won't be buying Pirelli tires in the future.

 

[Dominic]

Instead of the pirelli's I spent $40 less per tire and went with Avon M550 A/S tires. They perform very well, I love them, and if they only last 30,000 miles I won't cry because the cost was far less.

 

[Fatboymoe]

I have them on my 05 Mustang GT. Good tires but leave a lot to desired at the drag strip. When I wear them out, they will be replaced with Goodyear F-1's. I don't need the M&S rating.

 

[TomJones76]

Nice article on them in police applications here: http://www.hendonpub.com/publications/policefleetmanager/onlinespecialreport.asp The article leaves me wanting to put some on my Sable, at least in summer, maybe with some Blizzaks in the winter. Of course, if I get the raise that would let me do that, I'd probably sell the Sable, but.....

 

[TomJones76]

Here's a quote that left me scratching my head: "While the narrower belt angle of the Pirelli tire makes it more responsive at highway speeds, Ford engineers don’t want the tire to be too responsive at top speeds. For this reason, they prefer a slightly slower responding tire on the Ford CVPI. "

 

[wantin150]

I will take a guess at the reason. Officers often drive at speeds in excess of 100 while talking on the police radio (pursuit or just calling in a stop, etc)and or doing things which only allow for one handed steering. If a tire is too responsive at high speeds, the vehicle would tend to actually respond at speeds with very minor steering wheel input. Most tires have a certain slip angle which must be exceeded before the tire (wheel) actually begins to direct a car in a certain direction. Greater slip angles allow for more "error" so to speak and are more forgiving with minor adjustments. Make sense? I'm sure Capriracer can shed more light. On a side note, I was once told that the reason that my Crown Vic maxed at 120 mph was because the tires were not rated beyond that (I called his ignorance as the cars are equipped with V rated to 149.) I asked another one and was told that "Ford engineers found an unsatisfactory vibration in the drive shaft at 127 mph so they limited the speed to 120.". This only seemed to affect the 1999 model as the 2000 topped around 140. I smell something here...

 

[CapriRacer]

quote:

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Originally posted by wantin150: ....Make sense? I'm sure Capriracer can shed more light.....

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I read the whole article and it sounds like ** from a marketing guy. The whole article seems to deal with "sales resistance" items - the type of objections a Pirelli salesman would encounter trying to make a sale. I suspect that the writer went to a "Ride and Drive" and felt obligated to write something nice. (plus the writer will have editors who want text to fill the magazine) Personally, I think the item in the earlier post is just one of those "smoke and mirrors" things and not really a technical statement.

 

[TomJones76]

quote:

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Originally posted by wantin150: SNIP On a side note, I was once told that the reason that my Crown Vic maxed at 120 mph was because the tires were not rated beyond that (I called his ignorance as the cars are equipped with V rated to 149.) I asked another one and was told that "Ford engineers found an unsatisfactory vibration in the drive shaft at 127 mph so they limited the speed to 120.". This only seemed to affect the 1999 model as the 2000 topped around 140. I smell something here...

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From memory I acquired following a Crown Vic site, the CV Police Interceptor in at least some years had a different drive shaft (aluminum) from the base model (I got no clue what that was made from). It sounds like the guy MIGHT have been telling you the truth.

 

[wantin150]

TomJones76, Interesting. I appreciate the follow up info. I always thought it suspect to limit the performance (within reason of course) of a pursuit vehicle.

 

[ewetho]

I have worked on them in my Ford dealership and they are very nice. Balanced very good and road force variation is in keeping with high end manufacturing. Had to patch one and no problems there either. Good stuff all around. If they fit the bill would recommend them as a QUALITY tire all day long and my dad's Focus has P6000 and they are VERY quiet and handle well too.

 

[Audity]

I've had P Zero Nero M+S's on my S4 for about a year. I did quite a bit of research before choosing, and I'm very happy with them. (per Dominic, the folks who have the Avons seem to like them a lot too - my final choice came down to these two). Considering that they are all-season tires, they are quiet, and dry traction is good. They inspire a lot of confidence in the wet, and have gotten me through one southern New England winter with no problems (~20k miles of highway and secondary-road driving). I'd buy them again.

 

[totttalled]

I like their calendars.