Do I need to replace both front tyres due to a puncture?

[SimR]

My tyres (Pirelli PZero's) on my 981 are complete screw/nail magnets - This is the 6th puncture I've had now in under two years!

So far I've been able to get them repaired (I know that strictly speaking these tyres aren't supposed to be repaired but I'm not going crazy in it). However, I'm pretty sure the front offside has already had two repairs, so I don't think they do it a 3rd time, which means I'm going to have to replace the damn tyre.

So, do I need to replace both? I've done a little over 10,000 miles so there's plenty of wear left in them, but obviously a new one is going to have a slightly bigger diameter than the part worn one. As I mentioned, I'm not spanking the car all the time (save the odd bit of fun on B-roads and dual carriageways!).

I hope the answer is 'no' as at £200 a pop it's going to be expensive - not to mention I'll have another puncture within 4 months (that's my current average!).

[SimR]

pete.g said:

They should be around £160-170 per tyre (I'm assuming 20"s). You don't have to pay the OPC price.

At 10,000 miles the remaining tyre is at least half worn and you're always going to have a situation where there is uneven wear from now on (unless you drive in a circle with the less worn tyre on the outside!).

The cheapest I've found them for is £184 fitted via Mytyres.co.uk (Pirelli PZero 35/40 ZR19 (92Y) with rim protection ridge). I wouldn't even bother to ask the OPC!

If you (or anyone) knows of a cheaper place to get them I'm all ears. :-)

[SimR]

supertouring said:

I would replace both but keep the good one.

If you then get a puncture in the future, then you can put the good one back on.

Good call - I'll just have to free up some space in my garage!

[SimR]

Mad March Taffy said:

Tyreleader

http://www.tyreleader.co.uk/car-tyres/pirelli/pzer...

Under £150 for the tyre - not sure of fitting/delivery etc

Thanks for that - by the looks of it I don't think they have the rim protection though (they normally have 'FSL' somewhere) so that's probably why they're a bit cheaper. For an extra £20 per tyre I think it's probably worth having as I'd hate to kerb the alloys!

[SimR]

Mad March Taffy said:

Err - they look like the same tyres to me... Can't see Pirelli making two different types in this size and load rating

I was thinking along the same lines so I've emailed them to double check - I'll post the reply in case it helps anyone else out.

[SimR]

mikefocke said:

You would have to in Germany.

In the US, I posted this:

So you have a blowout or a non-repairable flat. And you have 3 perfectly good tires. What to do?

The general rule of thumb is "At least same tread depth and same tread design on an axle". So what is "same depth"? With 70% of original tread depth or more it is safe to replace just one tire. Get much below that and you are violating the "same depth" rule and it starts to get dangerous because you are creating different traction on each side of the car and a different ability to evacuate water away from the contact patch.

By keeping the tread depth nearly the same and the tread pattern the same, you are maximizing the effectiveness of anti-slip brakes and Porsche's Stability Management (PSM).

If you do get just one tire, watch the wear on the older tire and don't let it wear down to where it has no tread depth just because you are trying to get maximum use out of the replacement tire. Remember tread depth differences can cause accidents.

Accidents hurt ...your pocketbook ... your insurance rating ... your health...someone else

Yep - I hear you.

I've ordered one for now but am going to be advised by my local tyre fitters. If they think it might be dodgy once they've seen the other tyre then I'll get another quick smart.

I just can't fathom how I'm getting so many damn screws in my tyres - it appears the area around me must be one big building site!

[SimR]

Klippie said:

Before ordering from Tyreleader or any online tyre retailer confirm the date of manufacture of the tyres you will receive as they can be several years old...cheap for a reason.

Sadly it's a bit late for that this time, but good to know for future reference. Assuming they're stored correctly (not in sunlight etc.) that shouldn't be too much of a problem though should it? And couldn't you run into the same problem from any place you get the tyres from?

[SimR]

I checked with Gigatyres (who are also mytyres.co.uk confusingly!), and they said their tyres are all less than two years old so I'm guessing that's okay? I'm not sure a local tyre place would be any better would it?

[SimR]

As always thanks for all the advice. Given everything mentioned above, I'm going to go with my local tyre repair place which means £210 per tyre (fitted), but they're brand new from Pirelli, and also they've been spot on with the tyre repairs over the last 2 years so I figure they deserve my custom, even if it is a bit more pricey.

I just hope I have a run of good luck now and don't have any more damn punctures for a while (ideally never!!).

[SimR]

Orangecurry said:

I would ask them to reward your good custom, by meeting you halfway? It never hurts to ask. Everybody happy.

I completely agree that it never hurts to ask, and I did try that. They've always been really straight with me, so I asked for their best price, I then asked again if they could do any better to help me out, but they stuck with the £210 fitted saying that really was the best they could do.

[SimR]

Wow - who knew a simple question could end up in so much heated debate?! It makes for interesting reading though.

For what it's worth, thanks to the early advice on here, I decided to replace both fronts via my local place, they order direct from the manufacturer so will be as new as you can get. I decided on the N rated OEM fits (cue more arguing or tutting or tutting on here!).

Amazingly though when they had a look at the tyre in question and took the screw out, the little bd hadn't made it all the way through, so the fronts live to fight another day!!