Interesting tyre info
Interesting tyre info
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doneitnow

Original Poster:

663 posts

178 months

Thursday 25th April 2013
quotequote all
Just looking on the web for new tyres for my cayman and came across this article, found it very interesting as Porsche don't tell you not to drive on them in the winter!

"The Potenza RE050A is a Max Performance Summer tire designed to complement the performance of sports cars, sports coupes and sport sedans. While the Potenza RE050 is used as Original Equipment on the supercharged Mercedes-Benz S55 AMG sedan, a Potenza RE050A Scuderia version is used on the 12-cylinder Enzo Ferrari supercar, and a Run Flat version is used on the BMW Z4 sports cars and 5-Series sedans. The Potenza RE050A was developed to provide good traction along with responsive and predictable dry and wet road handling. It is not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice.

On the outside, the Potenza RE050A features a high grip tread compound molded into an asymmetric tread design. A continuous center rib, large tread blocks and stable shoulder elements provide responsive handling, high-speed stability and traction on dry roads, while circumferential and lateral tread grooves are aimed to pump water out from under the tire's footprint to minimize hydroplaning and aid wet traction. A continuous circumferential rib adjacent to the inside shoulder blocks enhances wear quality to help reduce noise throughout the life of the tire, especially on cars with alignment settings that specify negative camber. Internally, the Potenza RE050A features twin steel belts reinforced by spiral-wrapped nylon to stabilize the tread area and enhance handling, high speed capability and ride quality while minimizing weight. The fabric cord body and hard rubber sidewall filler help blend uniform ride quality with steering response and lateral stability."

Trev450

6,757 posts

202 months

Thursday 25th April 2013
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The same can be said for any summer tyres as their grip starts to drop off significantly below 7 degrees C and are pretty rubbish in snow as most can testify.

FarQue

2,339 posts

228 months

Thursday 25th April 2013
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Kinda obvious really, innit?

doneitnow

Original Poster:

663 posts

178 months

Thursday 25th April 2013
quotequote all
FarQue said:
Kinda obvious really, innit?
Really,"It is not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures".


Ekona

1,684 posts

232 months

Thursday 25th April 2013
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Yup, obvious stuff really.

Next you'll be telling me they say that winter tyres shouldn't be used in the summer. Oh, mercy!

Magic919

14,511 posts

231 months

Thursday 25th April 2013
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Didn't see that coming.

DiscoColin

3,328 posts

244 months

Thursday 25th April 2013
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The Potenza RE050A is also the default factory tyre on most of the BMWs that you see stranded at the side of the road whenever any significant amount of snow comes down... whistle