Why are my tyres useless
Discussion
Having just read the V12 Vantage thread things may have become a little clearer. I have had the DBS since December and as we all know it has been neither warm or particularly dry. There seems to be some suggestion that the tyres are only good in warm dry conditions. Is this correct? They are Pirelli P Zero's
Edited by AMV8Nick on Thursday 9th February 09:10
How useless is useless?
In anything below 7degC all summer biased tyres are pretty crap and you're trying to pedal 6 litres of torque on a compound that has gone rock hard and no longer works as designed.
PZeros are 3 season I think (hope so as I have just switched to them!) but any grip in this weather requires winter tyres and a very light right foot! Check the age of them as well, they could be getting on a bit.
In anything below 7degC all summer biased tyres are pretty crap and you're trying to pedal 6 litres of torque on a compound that has gone rock hard and no longer works as designed.
PZeros are 3 season I think (hope so as I have just switched to them!) but any grip in this weather requires winter tyres and a very light right foot! Check the age of them as well, they could be getting on a bit.
All tyres react with road temperature. A rule a thumb is that below 8 degrees the compound on the traditional summer tyres hardens up and grip disappears hence the need for winter tyres - even if there is no snow or ice on the road. The DBS as with the V12 Vantage which i drive have 510 horsepower over the rear wheels which basically makes you unable to out accelerate a pizza delivery moped driver when the light turns green during colder mornings. As a result i switched to winter tyres on the 1st November and these transform the car in colder conditions. There is an initial outlay of some 3k but your friendly dealer will probably offer to store the summer wheels during the 5 months over the winter anyway so there is minimum hassle with maximum enjoyment. I cannot fault the Pirelli Soto Zeros they are excellent during the winter and offer grip in abundance. Also a trip into the armco is a lot costlier so i think it is a no-brainer.
yeti said:
How useless is useless?
In anything below 7degC all summer biased tyres are pretty crap and you're trying to pedal 6 litres of torque on a compound that has gone rock hard and no longer works as designed.
PZeros are 3 season I think (hope so as I have just switched to them!) but any grip in this weather requires winter tyres and a very light right foot! Check the age of them as well, they could be getting on a bit.
Hi Yeti,In anything below 7degC all summer biased tyres are pretty crap and you're trying to pedal 6 litres of torque on a compound that has gone rock hard and no longer works as designed.
PZeros are 3 season I think (hope so as I have just switched to them!) but any grip in this weather requires winter tyres and a very light right foot! Check the age of them as well, they could be getting on a bit.
Excuse my ignorance but what does 3 season mean? Car is less than 3 years old and only done 6600 miles. I assume by "this weather" you just mean cold. The roads this morning look dry but still getting wheels to spin in 3rd!!!
clorenzen said:
All tyres react with road temperature. A rule a thumb is that below 8 degrees the compound on the traditional summer tyres hardens up and grip disappears hence the need for winter tyres - even if there is no snow or ice on the road. The DBS as with the V12 Vantage which i drive have 510 horsepower over the rear wheels which basically makes you unable to out accelerate a pizza delivery moped driver when the light turns green during colder mornings. As a result i switched to winter tyres on the 1st November and these transform the car in colder conditions. There is an initial outlay of some 3k but your friendly dealer will probably offer to store the summer wheels during the 5 months over the winter anyway so there is minimum hassle with maximum enjoyment. I cannot fault the Pirelli Soto Zeros they are excellent during the winter and offer grip in abundance. Also a trip into the armco is a lot costlier so i think it is a no-brainer.
Pizza delivery comment 
Thanks for the advice. I will stick to using the RR when the OH doesn't need it for the kids
'3 season' means spring /summer/ autumn just like a sleeping bag 
That's what winter tyres are for, they have different, larger tread blocks which is how they cope in snow, but they key thing is a much softer rubber compound which offers grip below 7-8deg. Normal 3-season tyres are rock hard now and feel like driving in tyres that are 10yrs old when the rubber has gone hard and inflexible. Warm tyres grip better because they're soft. If you can't warm them, you need tyres that are soft from the start.
Obviously winter tyres in summer would only last a thousand miles though, and would be too soft, like track tyres that have 'gone off'.
That's what winter tyres are for, they have different, larger tread blocks which is how they cope in snow, but they key thing is a much softer rubber compound which offers grip below 7-8deg. Normal 3-season tyres are rock hard now and feel like driving in tyres that are 10yrs old when the rubber has gone hard and inflexible. Warm tyres grip better because they're soft. If you can't warm them, you need tyres that are soft from the start.
Obviously winter tyres in summer would only last a thousand miles though, and would be too soft, like track tyres that have 'gone off'.
yup the V12V would be worse than your DBS at this time of year but grippier in the Spring/Summer/Autumn.
corsas
http://www.pirelli.com/tyre/gb/en/car/sheet/pzero_...
regular p-zeros
http://www.pirelli.com/tyre/gb/en/car/sheet/pzero....
corsas
http://www.pirelli.com/tyre/gb/en/car/sheet/pzero_...
regular p-zeros
http://www.pirelli.com/tyre/gb/en/car/sheet/pzero....
I wouldn't say your tyres are useless.
More that 425ft/lbs of torque is useless at this this time of year.
Short of proper winter tyres (pirelli sotto zeroes are recommended as mentioned above) it's only right that your tyres should struggle with this sort of power.
Lets not forget that the DBS has the same torque and considerably more power than the Ferrari F40 ubercar put out (and look at the size of the rear tyres on that!). People underestimate the DBS in a world with 550bhp saloons but it's still a ludicrously powerful car.
More that 425ft/lbs of torque is useless at this this time of year.
Short of proper winter tyres (pirelli sotto zeroes are recommended as mentioned above) it's only right that your tyres should struggle with this sort of power.
Lets not forget that the DBS has the same torque and considerably more power than the Ferrari F40 ubercar put out (and look at the size of the rear tyres on that!). People underestimate the DBS in a world with 550bhp saloons but it's still a ludicrously powerful car.
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