[W4 EPH]

Hi ...

Does anyone rate the new Pirelli P ZERO tyres.....??

Lots of owners go for Michelins etc but not much info on Non-runflat Pirelli's....

I saw some on a new Jag and as looks goes they certainly look the part with a new design .....

Any thoughts ???

[Ennoch]

Originally Posted by W4 EPH

Hi ...

Does anyone rate the new Pirelli P ZERO tyres.....??

Lots of owners go for Michelins etc but not much info on Non-runflat Pirelli's....

I saw some on a new Jag and as looks goes they certainly look the part with a new design .....

Any thoughts ???

I realise this is a bit anecdotal but I have never had a performance Pirelli tyre that's able to beat the likes of Michelin or Good Year. In contrast I love their winter Sottozero's! This is in Scotland where even summer conditions rarely get above 20c (and plenty of rain), and winters rarely below -10c (and plenty of, erm, rain, and slushy snow) so if you regularly drive on 30c+ roads then obviously there may be a difference in how you feel. Pirelli's have always just felt a bit greasy and struggled to feel like they're keying into the tarmac.

[Desertnate]

Originally Posted by Ennoch

I realise this is a bit anecdotal but I have never had a performance Pirelli tyre that's able to beat the likes of Michelin or Good Year. In contrast I love their winter Sottozero's! This is in Scotland where even summer conditions rarely get above 20c (and plenty of rain), and winters rarely below -10c (and plenty of, erm, rain, and slushy snow) so if you regularly drive on 30c+ roads then obviously there may be a difference in how you feel. Pirelli's have always just felt a bit greasy and struggled to feel like they're keying into the tarmac.

I've only run Pirelli's once on a different car and had a similar experience. They didn't wear all that great and got REALLY loud with 50% wear.

I found mine to grip OK in the dry, but they were not very good in the rain. Not only did they not evacuate water as well as others, but they rubber compound itself didn't seem to grip wet pavement very well at all. That probably bothered me more than anything else.

[J555]

I guess the reasons are the reputation of the brand within, say, last decade and the possibility that nobody understands their product range.

At least I don't know anybody, who understands that Italian mess. I remember the times when there was PZero in UHP segment. Then, they started with PZero, PZero Rosso, PZero Nero, PZero Nero GT, etc. Different generations mixed together without clear marking, different designs/compounds/specific models for different automakers. And the story continues, they have the mess still, do sell different tires/generations with the same model name (also case of P7). Pirelli still produce the very outdated tires certified for different carmakers and there is a good chance to buy old design/compound with new DOT... marked as PZero. Mid 2016, they introduced the "PZ4" tire - I have no clue, how to even recognize it. This tire comes in two versions (Luxury Saloon/Sports Car), but the version is not clearly marked on the sidewall; even worse, it has (again!) the "PZero" there. While Pirelli rarely appears in comparison tests, I haven't seen one to clearly identify, what version was subject to the test. Neither any information, whether they have updated the tire within the last 4 years or not...

Still, I think their products are getting better again - I've got good impressions from both PZ4 and the latest P7 Cinturato, the tests are positive and my tire shop considers PZ4 a great tire, too. However, with their reputation and prices, I see no reason to buy them. At least in my country, where the PZ4's are 10-20% more expensive than CSC6, GY Supersports, or even Michelin PS4S

btw, along with Bridgestone RE050A, the PZero Rosso were worst-performing wet UHP tires in my life.

Maybe somebody knows the background, I'd be interested in explanation.