P-Zero tyre cracks

[huytonman]

Hi Guys, my 991 is from 2012 and is just under three years old with 7k miles. The car hasn't been tracked etc and the tyres have >6mm tread all around. I have just noticed that all P-Zero tyres are covered in surface cracks, the sort of thing that you get with old tyres when the compound goes hard - has anybody seen the same thing? I've dropped a note to Pirelli and will call the OPC where I bought the car from two months ago and wondered if anybody thinks this is a quality problem with the tyres?
thanks
Keith

[Storm996]

What is the DOT manufacturing date on the tyres? The last numbers on the long code after DOT

[ManFromDelmonte]

I believe the tyres themselves will have a 'build date' or equivalent code on, google for details. It could be that the tyres are older than you think. Other than that it would be interesting to see what Pirelli say.

[huytonman]

Good question, fronts are week 17 2012 and rears week 16 2012 so consistent with the first registration of the car.
thanks Keith

[huytonman]

Good question, fronts are week 17 2012 and rears week 16 2012 so consistent with the first registration of the car.
thanks Keith

[Trev450]

Near as to three years old exactly then. Certainly not an expected life span for a tyre.

[gsewell]

Had the same on my Continentals at 4 years old. So I spent the day at Bruntingthorpe with Don Palmer to send them out in glory.

[DasChin]

I would take it back to the OPC if under warranty and demand new tyres. they should not be doing this after three years and that much mileage.

could be a faulty batch.

done the right thing by speaking to Pirelli as they can comment. try and get sth in writing from them if you can to show the OPC as am sure the OPC will try to duck out of it.

Edited by DasChin on Monday 20th April 19:32

[cd1957]

HI most car tyres from 3 years old have started to age crack on most of the cars i see in for service, Bridgestone are the worst and Pirelli close second.I have had Pirelli with cracks almost the way around in the grooves.

Chris

[rbh]

My car is just over 2 years old with 10K miles, running P_Zero and has both radial and circumferential cracking.

[Ian_UK1]

gsewell said:

Had the same on my Continentals at 4 years old. So I spent the day at Bruntingthorpe with Don Palmer to send them out in glory.

This ^^^^ Nail on head. Perfect Solution. Totally gets rid of crap, damaged tyres whilst making you a much better driver in the process - highly recommended a hundred times over. Don's driving days (at Bruntingthorpe, with its sandpaper runway) are a supremely-effective and fun way to utterly annihilate a set of (even brand new) tyres. A new set of PS2s on my 997S didn't even last the whole day!

[cslwannabe]

Had PZeros on our XF - experienced a rear tyre blowout (sidewall) for no obvious reason plus the fronts were worn out at 16k miles and already cracking on a car that wasn't even one year old. Also if the car had stood for more than a couple of hours it was like driving with unbalanced wheels as the front tyres appeared to flatspot, albeit temporarily, yet dunlops and falkens didn't do this on the same car. Enough to put me off Pirelli for good.

[great2cyou]

Apparently P-Zeros must not be used at temperatures under 7 degrees c.

Summer tyres only, so you need a set of winters as well.

"Pirelli's warranty does not cover tires that develop compound cracking due to use in ambient temperatures below 45° Fahrenheit (7° Celsius), so the P Zero, like all summer tires, is not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice."

[Porsche911R]

P-Zeros are the sttest tyres know to man imo, goes to show N spec is a laugh when you can buy a tyre 1/2 the price which is better than a "P-Zero"

Michelin do seem to have the best tyres bar none, which is backed up by EVERY super car seems to have them

also makes the 111 OPC check pointless !!! that should not go out from a OPC !!

but that's £1k profit gone if they fit new tyres !

[Thorny]

I had this on my 991 I bought recently, this was the response from OPC:

"I have checked with one of the technicians, this particular technician is also an Approved MOT Tester, looking at the picture he is comfortable that the car is safe to drive as it would not be an MOT failure, it would only be an MOT failure if any of the cord or ply was exposed, for interest I have just looked at another car being worked on by another Technician in the workshop, this also has Pirelli tyres and there is evidence of similar cracking to the tyre.

As I am sure you are aware a tyre may crack with age, for your information the Porsche recommended age is 6 years for Summer tyres."

[kbooker]

As already stated, very common on P Zero's...dreadful tyre, kill them off and replace with MPSS

[smudger911]

Thorny said:

I had this on my 991 I bought recently, this was the response from OPC:

"I have checked with one of the technicians, this particular technician is also an Approved MOT Tester, looking at the picture he is comfortable that the car is safe to drive as it would not be an MOT failure, it would only be an MOT failure if any of the cord or ply was exposed, for interest I have just looked at another car being worked on by another Technician in the workshop, this also has Pirelli tyres and there is evidence of similar cracking to the tyre.

As I am sure you are aware a tyre may crack with age, for your information the Porsche recommended age is 6 years for Summer tyres."

I wonder what Pirelli's response would be?
FWIW and something so critical on a performance car I would take the other advice and replace. A slow puncture or worse at speed could end up very expensive...

[dkatwa]

Ian_UK1 said:

A new set of PS2s on my 997S didn't even last the whole day!

How did you get home?!