How much better ARE regular P Zero's in damp cold weather

[controlz]

So, I'm on the verge of purchasing my V12 but have a few concerns. When I first test drove one it was bone dry and phenomenal, on the contrary, I went for a final long test drive in the cold, wet weather yesterday and was shocked to say the least

Perhaps the word 'shocked' alone is an understatement, but I'll be using the V12 as an everyday car, and where I live it's damp and wet 80% of the time, and because my commute to work is short, the tyres will never get a chance to warm-up. So, in conclusion, I don't think the Corsa's are viable!

I wouldn't consider myself a mad driver, I don't track my cars, and certainly don't push them to the limit in the dry, so I'd be happy to sacrifice some dry grip in order to have a much better all-weather tyre. For me, the car would be a waste if I'm unable to drive it in all types of weather without having to worry about spinning wheels the whole time. As such, I was wondering how much better the regular P Zero's are, or perhaps there's a Bridgestone/Michelin/Toyo tyre that's even more suitable? (The tyre needs to be suitable for all-year)

P.S - If I do buy the car and change to regular P Zero's, I'll have a set of Corsa's all with 5mm on if anyone is interested?

[AdamV12V]

I drive my V12V to work every day on Corsa's and whilst they are significantly compromised in the cold (note that its the cold that affects performance far more than the wet does), they are not unusable if you just drive with care, attention and a delicate right foot. There are a couple of days a year when the snow is piled up and I choose to walk to work instead, but on the whole I find the corsas are just about up to the job of all year round driving. Lets face it the V12V has so much torque that it would wheel spin almost any tyre in cold & wet so some degree of caution and holding back on the gas pedal is always going to be necessary.

That said Im sure the Soto Zero's are far better in UK winter but as yet I haven't been tempted to go to the expense of a second set of wheels and tyres in the 4 years I have been driving a V12V every day.

Did you drive with the sport button on by any chance? Try turning it off, as you get far more control from the throttle pedal with it off and trust me the car doesn't go any slower, nor does it sound any different if you pull the fuse. Sport button + Corsa + cold = wheelspin.

[controlz]

AdamV12V said:

I drive my V12V to work every day on Corsa's and whilst they are significantly compromised in the cold (note that its the cold that affects performance far more than the wet does), they are not unusable if you just drive with care, attention and a delicate right foot. .

I do agree they aren't unusable, BUT when I've forked out the best part of £90,000 for a car, I want to be able to enjoy it all year, and to me driving incredibly carefully (not dangerously of course) and never being able to put my foot down for 80% of the year seems like a waste. I could probably drive my smart car faster in the damp than the V12 on Corsa's, and it would be more fun too! Hence I need a compromise.

Edited by controlz on Wednesday 9th July 10:20

[Neil1300r]

controlz said:

Hence I need a compromise.

Buy a V8 then!

[V12woollie]

^^^^^ this

Given your weather conditions and daily use the V12V is not the car you should be considering. A V8V is much better suited to daily commutes in inclement weather.

That said, I find the V12V rather entertaining in the cold and wet and I know the limits of the car and the DSC

[controlz]

V12woollie said:

^^^^^ this

Given your weather conditions and daily use the V12V is not the car you should be considering. A V8V is much better suited to daily commutes in inclement weather.

That said, I find the V12V rather entertaining in the cold and wet and I know the limits of the car and the DSC

It may be too late.. I may have actually bought one already

[BravoV8V]

controlz said:

(The tyre needs to be suitable for all-year)

Any summer tyre is going to be compromised during the winter, regardless of whether or not there is laying snow. The changeover temperature is 7degsC.

If you really want to use the car throughout the year, just get a second set of winter tyres. They can obviously be fitted to your existing wheels or if you want a different sized tyre (usually advised for winter tyres), then get a second set of wheels.

[whoami]

controlz said:

It may be too late.. I may have actually bought one already

Which one did you buy?

[jonby]

This is primarily down to personal preference - for me, the zeros are in keeping with the character of the car - truly stunning when everything comes together (weather, traffic, road surface, temperature, etc) and something of a handful when it doesn't

V12V is of course a car to respect in the cold or wet with any tyres - put the throttle down too heavily, too early, in a corner on even marginally damp roads and regardless of the tyres, there will probably be a wobble !

I agree it's temperature but in particular, I find temperature of the tyres rather than of the atmosphere/roads that really makes a difference. Of course zeros aren't much fun in ice ! But on a very cold day, if you can get a little temperature into the tyres (I'm not talking F1 levels here!) it makes a huge huge (positive) difference

EDIT: I mean corsas. So confusing because they are both p zeros, just one also has the corsa designation

Edited by jonby on Wednesday 9th July 16:26

[AdamV12V]

V12woollie said:

^^^^^ this

That said, I find the V12V rather entertaining in the cold and wet and I know the limits of the car and the DSC

Totally agree - once you know what to expect its actually a great deal of fun and very easy and predictable.

controlz said:

It may be too late.. I may have actually bought one already

Finally, congrats! Come on then, spill the beans which one?

[erics]

Good question on the tyres. One that i raised a few times and I am still on corsas! The most unpleasant experience I ever had was coming back from a weekend in the new forest and it was pissing down with rain on the motorway. I would not dare driving above 60 mph as the car felt like it was about to go aquaplaning at any opportunity. Not pleasant.. I was used to bombing up and down the motorway in the cold with my old 996 turbo.

Glad you found a car.. Now the compulsory pics!

[Cockernee]

Lotto had the Girly tyres fitted to his V12V and found significantly better grip in the colder weather than Corsa's. Lotto

[controlz]

Cockernee said:

Lotto had the Girly tyres fitted to his V12V and found significantly better grip in the colder weather than Corsa's. Lotto

Haha! Which ones are the girly tyres? I may have to opt for these!

I appreciate you guys love the Corsa's in the wet, but unfortunately not for me, so any suggestions? Also, as I mentioned, I'll have a set of 4 x Corsas's with 5mm on when I change, not sure if these have any value to people on here looking for a spare set?

[AdamV12V]

controlz said:

Haha! Which ones are the girly tyres? I may have to opt for these!

I appreciate you guys love the Corsa's in the wet, but unfortunately not for me, so any suggestions? Also, as I mentioned, I'll have a set of 4 x Corsas's with 5mm on when I change, not sure if these have any value to people on here looking for a spare set?

I would seriously stick with them until at least autumn as I am sure your opinion will change once you get to know the car more. If you still feel the same way when it starts to get cold then go for it, but for the next 2-3 months at least the corsa's are in their element, and in the meanwhile you will at least have extracted a little more value out of them.

[Minglar]

Hi Controlz

I recently had regular P-Zeros fitted and have found that the car feels much better planted. That may of course be due to the fact that it is on brand new rubber as opposed to anything fundamentally different to the previous tyres. If you search previous threads there has been a significant amount of discussion on this subject and I did a fair bit of reading before I bought the car. Mine is a daily driver and very unlikley to be used on a track. The regular P-Zeros are a sensible compromise and as far as I am aware, are the only other tyres that are recommended by AM.

By the way glad to hear you have finally located a car that meets your requirements. That's very good news indeed. Well done!

Best Regards

Minglar

[Zod]

I wouldn't give up the Corsa's performance for the compromise of P-Zeros in the warmer months, but their performance drops off very quickly as the weather cools, so I run Sottozeros between mid-November and the end of March. The extra cost over the time you have the car is easily balanced by the enhanced driving experience the Corsas give in summer.

[ShrekV12VR]

I swapped from the Corsa's because I just wasn't comfortable with them in the cold and wet. I've just got back from a 2500 mile trip through Spain and France with an Ariel Atom, an M3 and a GT3 and have been more than happy with my choice, there is a lot more feedback on what the tyre is doing for a mere mortal, which for me was more important than ultimate grip. I certainly wouldn't have enjoyed Mont Ventoux after a thunderstorm as much if I'd still had the Corsas. The 11.2 mpg average trip fuel consumption by the time we reached the Col de Turini 1,500 miles in was less welcome though :-)

[controlz]

ShrekV12VR said:

I swapped from the Corsa's because I just wasn't comfortable with them in the cold and wet. I've just got back from a 2500 mile trip through Spain and France with an Ariel Atom, an M3 and a GT3 and have been more than happy with my choice, there is a lot more feedback on what the tyre is doing for a mere mortal, which for me was more important than ultimate grip. I certainly wouldn't have enjoyed Mont Ventoux after a thunderstorm as much if I'd still had the Corsas. The 11.2 mpg average trip fuel consumption by the time we reached the Col de Turini 1,500 miles in was less welcome though :-)

Was it the regular P Zero's you switched to? If so, how did you find the general traction in damp/cold compared to the Corsa's? I'd like to be able to give the throttle a bit of a push in 2nd gear without constantly spinning the wheels in the wet!

[mb1]

I have been using my V12V as a daily drive everyday for 2 years on the Corsas without any problems.
I turned the sport button off in the early days if it was damp and cold, but now it is on almost 99% of the time.
The corsa are part of the character of the car.
Also, check insurance and warranty implications before switching to non-Corsa tyres.
It is a 500+ bhp car with loads of torque and any car of this type will demand some respect and finesse with the right foot.
The V12V is a driver's car first and foremost.

[ShrekV12VR]

controlz said:

Was it the regular P Zero's you switched to? If so, how did you find the general traction in damp/cold compared to the Corsa's? I'd like to be able to give the throttle a bit of a push in 2nd gear without constantly spinning the wheels in the wet!

It was the regular P Zeros I swapped to and I believe these are now a standard fit option on V12's - from Aston's site ...

Aston Martin said:

OPTION TYRE
A new option tyre, jointly developed by Aston Martin and Pirelli is now available for V12 Vantage. The P Zero tyre has less of a dry-bias compared to the P Zero Corsa (fitted as standard) and so is better suited for wet weather conditions improving stopping distance by 8.5%. The Pirelli P Zero tyre was developed for prestige and high-performance vehicles and so is still well suited to the sporting nature of V12 Vantage. Coupe only.

There is definitely better grip in the wet, but I find the V12 capable of breaking traction fairly easily in the dry with a bit of welly, let alone the wet.