Appears the time for replacement is fast approaching. I've got a set of these Pirellis in size 255/60VR17 106V on my Envoy (255/60R17 export vs. 245/65R17 USDM) and they're starting to dry crack in the threads. I've owned countless Pirelli tires in the past - P6 Four Seasons, P4 Four Seasons, Scorpion STR, Scorpion ATR and Scorpion Verde - all of them seem to have the same dry crack problem, regardless of country of origin. The current tires I have are made in the United Kingdom.
For reference, here is what I'm talking about. This is a shot of the Scorpion STR I had on the Mitsubishi (265/70R16 112H) and the cracks ultimately end up with a piece of rubber being torn off:
This particular tire was in service for 3 years (2011 - 2014) and had ~53,000 km (33,125 mi) on it. I've had a few sets of Scoption STR's - made in Brazil and made in Romania - the problem does not appear to be associated with COO. I will say, performance wise, I've never had any complaints about any of the Pirelli's I've owned and they've been every bit as good as claimed and then some - except for the P6 Four Seasons, which sucked in wet conditions. What you see above is my only problem. For reference, my tires are rotated every 3,000 miles (back to front one interval and cross the next) and I avoid directional thread patterns for this very reason. Heat being a major concern, I keep tires no longer than 3 years and only buy tires manufactured in the same year (e.g. I won't buy tires manufactured in 2014 in 2015).
Here's my biggest problem - I'm a very spirited driver and my vehicles are geared up as such; progressive springs, Bilstein shocks/struts, bigger sway bars, braided brake lines, you name it. In most cases, this means I cannot buy the tires I want - unless you're driving a Porsche or a Bentley, most drivers here settle for the cheapest tires money can buy in your average sizes and I have to settle with what's available. If they can't sell it, distributors don't import it. The tire I actually want for this particular application is the Yokohama ADVAN ST V802 (255/60R17 110W), which is not imported in this size. Instead they have the Geolandar H/T-S G051 (255/60R17 106H), which is not what I'm looking for. Not even in the same performance category. My truck is RWD anyway and all-terrain thread patterns are not what I want.
Cooper, unfortunately, doesn't have a tire available in this size - a shame, given they've been my go-to manufacturer for tires of late.
Bridgestone has their Dueler H/P Sport with a 106V rating, which TireRack appears to rate higher than the Yokohama ADVAN ST and the Pirelli Scoprion Zero. Then there's the Michelin Latitude Tour HP, also 106V. These two appear the be the two available options as of now. If anyone has any input on the Bridgestones, or has any other suggestions, I'm all ears. Thanks!
For reference, here is what I'm talking about. This is a shot of the Scorpion STR I had on the Mitsubishi (265/70R16 112H) and the cracks ultimately end up with a piece of rubber being torn off:
This particular tire was in service for 3 years (2011 - 2014) and had ~53,000 km (33,125 mi) on it. I've had a few sets of Scoption STR's - made in Brazil and made in Romania - the problem does not appear to be associated with COO. I will say, performance wise, I've never had any complaints about any of the Pirelli's I've owned and they've been every bit as good as claimed and then some - except for the P6 Four Seasons, which sucked in wet conditions. What you see above is my only problem. For reference, my tires are rotated every 3,000 miles (back to front one interval and cross the next) and I avoid directional thread patterns for this very reason. Heat being a major concern, I keep tires no longer than 3 years and only buy tires manufactured in the same year (e.g. I won't buy tires manufactured in 2014 in 2015).
Here's my biggest problem - I'm a very spirited driver and my vehicles are geared up as such; progressive springs, Bilstein shocks/struts, bigger sway bars, braided brake lines, you name it. In most cases, this means I cannot buy the tires I want - unless you're driving a Porsche or a Bentley, most drivers here settle for the cheapest tires money can buy in your average sizes and I have to settle with what's available. If they can't sell it, distributors don't import it. The tire I actually want for this particular application is the Yokohama ADVAN ST V802 (255/60R17 110W), which is not imported in this size. Instead they have the Geolandar H/T-S G051 (255/60R17 106H), which is not what I'm looking for. Not even in the same performance category. My truck is RWD anyway and all-terrain thread patterns are not what I want.
Cooper, unfortunately, doesn't have a tire available in this size - a shame, given they've been my go-to manufacturer for tires of late.
Bridgestone has their Dueler H/P Sport with a 106V rating, which TireRack appears to rate higher than the Yokohama ADVAN ST and the Pirelli Scoprion Zero. Then there's the Michelin Latitude Tour HP, also 106V. These two appear the be the two available options as of now. If anyone has any input on the Bridgestones, or has any other suggestions, I'm all ears. Thanks!
