N0 tyres - any favourites?
Discussion
P-Zeros are probably adequate for nice dry summer conditions, but compared to other brands in the wet / cold / year round use they do seem to attract a significant amount of criticism.
I've personally aquaplaned all over the motorway with new P-Zeroes which never happened to me in far worse conditions on worn Michelins.
I've personally aquaplaned all over the motorway with new P-Zeroes which never happened to me in far worse conditions on worn Michelins.
Any judgement of tyres really relies on where they are in their lifecycle - and that doesn’t mean tread depth.
I do think a handful of people on here have subscribed to a groundswell of ‘anti-Pirelli’ sentiment, that others have followed, and it isn’t justified.
Pirellis always perform quite well in the independent tyre tests. And Porsche, and all the other prestige sports car manufacturers, would not be fitting them as OE unless they were an excellent tyre, suited to their products.
Michelin’s do get favourable PR here, although I’ve had good and not so good experiences. I do have the 4S on a BMW, and agree, they are very good choice.
But, I also like the Goodyear F1s, for their compliant and quieter ride characteristics, and would happily select these for regular road use.
I do think a handful of people on here have subscribed to a groundswell of ‘anti-Pirelli’ sentiment, that others have followed, and it isn’t justified.
Pirellis always perform quite well in the independent tyre tests. And Porsche, and all the other prestige sports car manufacturers, would not be fitting them as OE unless they were an excellent tyre, suited to their products.
Michelin’s do get favourable PR here, although I’ve had good and not so good experiences. I do have the 4S on a BMW, and agree, they are very good choice.
But, I also like the Goodyear F1s, for their compliant and quieter ride characteristics, and would happily select these for regular road use.
I have shared elsewhere the photos of my faulty PZeros & F1 A2s, and the admission from Pirelli and Goodyear their tyres were defective, with suitable financial recompense. In the latter case Oponeo denied any likely fault but I had the tyres sent to Goodyear UK and they accepted they were faulty. Excellent customer service from both firms I must add, no arguments at all.
I had been an F1 A2 fan for six years prior to my 981's MOT near failure on dangerous tyres. Only by agreeing to have them changed immediately (and gingerly driving to the tyre retailer) did it pass. Strictly unlawful for the MOT testing station but was I going to argue? Perhaps I should have as a failure would have added clout to my claim, but the tyres damned themselves anyhow.
Both these brands, and Bridgstone, are now off my shopping list forever.
I had been an F1 A2 fan for six years prior to my 981's MOT near failure on dangerous tyres. Only by agreeing to have them changed immediately (and gingerly driving to the tyre retailer) did it pass. Strictly unlawful for the MOT testing station but was I going to argue? Perhaps I should have as a failure would have added clout to my claim, but the tyres damned themselves anyhow.
Both these brands, and Bridgstone, are now off my shopping list forever.
Only recent experience; part-worn OEM
p-zeros on 981 Boxster S.
When first driven December to February at sub-5°C, I didn’t trust them and wanted to change them straight away.
Now that it’s 5°+, the handling of the Boxster is sublime and close to idiot-proof.
I will probably wear the p-zeros out more, now, before replacing. But not going down to the limit as I’m forewarned about their surface water performance.
p-zeros on 981 Boxster S.
When first driven December to February at sub-5°C, I didn’t trust them and wanted to change them straight away.
Now that it’s 5°+, the handling of the Boxster is sublime and close to idiot-proof.
I will probably wear the p-zeros out more, now, before replacing. But not going down to the limit as I’m forewarned about their surface water performance.
I purchased a 981CS in September on PZeros in good condition on 20 inch wheels. I got a couple of months driving it before I had to leave for work overseas.
It was fairly warm most of the time (rarely sub 10), and in the dry they were great. In the damp, they were also fine; or perhaps even the inherent balance and handling characteristics of the car made it easy with lessened grip, although learning the new (to me) car I was fairly judicious.
On one day I was caught in a decent downpour with standing water on the road and it was an eye-opener. I wasn’t going quickly (winding country roads) but on more than one occasion it wanted to do something I’d term ‘adventurous’.
It seems a shame to change them out so early in their lifespan, but to me (given wonderful British weather) it just isn’t worth the risk. I suspect I’ll have PS4S put on at the end of summer. They seem to attract a lot of praise for their wet-weather characteristics, and if they’re even better than the PZs in the dry then bonus.
A friend has a 981 Boxter which rarely sees the wet, but he has Eagle F1s on there and he said the same as a poster above that they seem best for ride quality and noise.
If you’re finding it ‘crashy’ then personally I would try lowering the pressures slightly. I’ve tried it on other cars but not on my Cayman, and a little does go a long way.
It was fairly warm most of the time (rarely sub 10), and in the dry they were great. In the damp, they were also fine; or perhaps even the inherent balance and handling characteristics of the car made it easy with lessened grip, although learning the new (to me) car I was fairly judicious.
On one day I was caught in a decent downpour with standing water on the road and it was an eye-opener. I wasn’t going quickly (winding country roads) but on more than one occasion it wanted to do something I’d term ‘adventurous’.
It seems a shame to change them out so early in their lifespan, but to me (given wonderful British weather) it just isn’t worth the risk. I suspect I’ll have PS4S put on at the end of summer. They seem to attract a lot of praise for their wet-weather characteristics, and if they’re even better than the PZs in the dry then bonus.
A friend has a 981 Boxter which rarely sees the wet, but he has Eagle F1s on there and he said the same as a poster above that they seem best for ride quality and noise.
If you’re finding it ‘crashy’ then personally I would try lowering the pressures slightly. I’ve tried it on other cars but not on my Cayman, and a little does go a long way.
Having had GY F1 A2s for 40k miles on the 981 I can confirm I find little difference with the PS4S which replaced them as far as ride quality goes.
When I showed both split front GYs to my tyre retailer (he replaced them with the PS4S) he said "...the only way to trouble free tyres is to fit Michelin."
When I showed both split front GYs to my tyre retailer (he replaced them with the PS4S) he said "...the only way to trouble free tyres is to fit Michelin."
I've got Eagle F1 on the Boxster and they're a good tyre. Fairly firm ride.
I've got PS4S on the Corvette and they're good as well. Quite stiff in the sidewall so you feel the bumps just as much as with the previous runflats.
Neither are cheap but they're definitely worth the money IMO. I need tyres that work in all weathers so have little interest in the "racier" ones.
I've got PS4S on the Corvette and they're good as well. Quite stiff in the sidewall so you feel the bumps just as much as with the previous runflats.
Neither are cheap but they're definitely worth the money IMO. I need tyres that work in all weathers so have little interest in the "racier" ones.
I had (old model N0) P-Zeros on my 981 when I bought it, and they were all cracked, so having read some threads on here (and other forums) about contacting Pirelli for replacements, I did exactly that and was surprised when they sent an engineer out to assess them.
He conceded the (older) fronts were knackered and offered a new pair. I pointed out that the rears which were a year newer also showed signs of cracking, so he eventually offered me 4 new N1 P-Zeros to be fitted locally, which I thought was a pretty good offer, though I was tempted to refuse and ask for cash instead so I could buy P4Ss.
The engineer persuaded me that the new N1 designs were much improved over the N0s and at first they seemed to be, but it was Summer, and so the new tyres weren't really tested in the cold and wet.
When it did finally rain I felt the familiar unsettling vagueness in the car's handling which I had felt on the old N0 Pirellis, to the point I thought there must be something wrong with the car's alignment, but I'm actually pretty sure is just the P-Zeros. I've actually had to slow severely down on a wet motorway for fear of aquaplaning, the handling was that frightening! In cold weather they scrub when parking and make a horrible juddering sound which only goes away when the weather warms up. Mentioned this to Porsche Reading last time I had a service and got the old "They all do that sir!".
Think I'll run the N1 P-Zeros to the end of this summer and then might have to go for P4Ss as the P-Zeros ruin the 981 for me!
I'd be interested to hear if any others have had the same issue on their 981s.
He conceded the (older) fronts were knackered and offered a new pair. I pointed out that the rears which were a year newer also showed signs of cracking, so he eventually offered me 4 new N1 P-Zeros to be fitted locally, which I thought was a pretty good offer, though I was tempted to refuse and ask for cash instead so I could buy P4Ss.
The engineer persuaded me that the new N1 designs were much improved over the N0s and at first they seemed to be, but it was Summer, and so the new tyres weren't really tested in the cold and wet.
When it did finally rain I felt the familiar unsettling vagueness in the car's handling which I had felt on the old N0 Pirellis, to the point I thought there must be something wrong with the car's alignment, but I'm actually pretty sure is just the P-Zeros. I've actually had to slow severely down on a wet motorway for fear of aquaplaning, the handling was that frightening! In cold weather they scrub when parking and make a horrible juddering sound which only goes away when the weather warms up. Mentioned this to Porsche Reading last time I had a service and got the old "They all do that sir!".
Think I'll run the N1 P-Zeros to the end of this summer and then might have to go for P4Ss as the P-Zeros ruin the 981 for me!
I'd be interested to hear if any others have had the same issue on their 981s.
F1025DPP said:
Think I'll run the N1 P-Zeros to the end of this summer and then might have to go for P4Ss as the P-Zeros ruin the 981 for me!
I'd be interested to hear if any others have had the same issue on their 981s.
Changed from P0s to Michelin PS4S's last month. Had no confidence driving the car (981S) in the cold and damp weather. Too many exciting moments!!!I'd be interested to hear if any others have had the same issue on their 981s.
My Son bought a Huracan a few months back. That was on P0s. Had a moment around a roundabout with no throttle. (its on Youtube somewhere). The car has PS4Ss now.
I had p zero tyres on both my gen 1 GTS 991s.
I live in the south of England, so mild winters are the norm. I just cannot understand some of the opinions around these tyres.
I can understand there's a subjective preference for Michelin tyres in terms of ride, feel, etc. But the argument put forward my some that p-zeros are downright dangerous in the wet or cold just wasn't supported by my experience.
Other than obvious hazards - standing water, torrential rain and ice - I never had to makes allowances for the type of tyre. Otherwise Sports +, fine with p-zero.
I live in the south of England, so mild winters are the norm. I just cannot understand some of the opinions around these tyres.
I can understand there's a subjective preference for Michelin tyres in terms of ride, feel, etc. But the argument put forward my some that p-zeros are downright dangerous in the wet or cold just wasn't supported by my experience.
Other than obvious hazards - standing water, torrential rain and ice - I never had to makes allowances for the type of tyre. Otherwise Sports +, fine with p-zero.
Gassing Station | Boxster/Cayman | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff