Pirelli P-Zero Nero Tires on the STS-V

[Bruce Nunnally]

I am hard on tires, and have new ones on the V today. Texas Jim had my last set installed after I stranded the car in Arlington ( http://caddyinfo.ipb...showtopic=39183 ) but I custom ordered the new set from Discount Tire and had them installed today.

The P ZERO NERO™ ALL SEASON provides a winning combination of quiet ride, precise cornering and superior grip in both wet and dry driving conditions. It features a growing list of original equipment fitments and replacement sizes, both in conventional and Run Flat constructions.

The asymmetric all season tread design offers precision handling in all conditions, even at the limit. A solid center rib gives a constant and consistent contact patch with the road, while requiring shorter braking distances and offering quicker acceleration in both dry and wet conditions. Four longitudinal and numerous lateral grooves minimize the risk of aquaplaning when cornering.

Silica compounding offers a superior balance of fuel efficiency and wet road control.

P ZERO NERO™ ALL SEASON has a 45,000 mile limited tread wear warranty (mileage warranty not valid for original equipment).

I prefer to note that the last set lasted from July 2011-Jan 2013. The V has just over 38K miles now.

I kept one front tire on a extra front wheel I purchased for this purpose, for emergency backup.

The combination of sport tires, sport suspension settings, and sporty driving are not friendly for long tire life.

[Texas Jim]

I am hard on tires, and have new ones on the V today. Texas Jim had my last set installed after I stranded the car in Arlington ( http://caddyinfo.ipb...showtopic=39183 ) but I custom ordered the new set from Discount Tire and had them installed today.

The P ZERO NERO™ ALL SEASON provides a winning combination of quiet ride, precise cornering and superior grip in both wet and dry driving conditions. It features a growing list of original equipment fitments and replacement sizes, both in conventional and Run Flat constructions.

The asymmetric all season tread design offers precision handling in all conditions, even at the limit. A solid center rib gives a constant and consistent contact patch with the road, while requiring shorter braking distances and offering quicker acceleration in both dry and wet conditions. Four longitudinal and numerous lateral grooves minimize the risk of aquaplaning when cornering.

Silica compounding offers a superior balance of fuel efficiency and wet road control.

P ZERO NERO™ ALL SEASON has a 45,000 mile limited tread wear warranty (mileage warranty not valid for original equipment).

I prefer to note that the last set lasted from July 2011-Jan 2013. The V has just over 38K miles now.

I kept one front tire on a extra front wheel I purchased for this purpose, for emergency backup.

The combination of sport tires, sport suspension settings, and sporty driving are not friendly for long tire life.

Especially that last part...

[airmike]

Bruce I am really interested to hear what kind of traction you get with those tires. I have them on a 2011 mustang gt and they spin entirely too easy. No other complaints with them, and I realize mustangs just spin easily anyway. At this point I would try a different tire on mine, but it may just be the car. Ford, what can I say, its the wifes , at least she likes it.

[Bruce Nunnally]

The previous tires were worn so the rear was sliding a bit; not enough for stabilitrak to enable but enough to feel; that disappeared with the new tires. The V can easily overpower the tires on launch or 1-2 gear change if desired, but I am trying to keep tread on these for a whole year or more so not spinning them when I can avoid. So far they are quiet and suit for touring tires; we'll see as they wear.

The oem tires for the STS-V were Pirelli's; the V wheels are also Italian, so I am feeling positively international.

[Bruce Nunnally]

More P-zero Nero tires today from Discount Tire. New tires on 2014-03-21 at ~57K miles -- so 19K miles in 15 months.

[Cadillac Jim]

I can remember when 20K miles was good for a set of tires. I think that UTQG wear rating of 100 corresponds to about 20K miles on a 4,000 pound American sedan with a 180 hp V8 and automatic transmission, with a mix of, say, 80% city and 20% highway miles. Ultra high performance summer tires usually have a UTQG wear rating of 170 or 180. Recent ultra high performance all-season tires have UTQG wear ratings of 400, thus enabling cars like the V series to get reasonable mileage on a set of tires.

I avoid tire slippage out of habit, but my reason is that you lose performance and control when you lose traction.

[airmike]

Well I am assuming you must like the p-zero tires alright, since you are replacing with same. Mustangs must not be compatible. I still haven't replaced mine.

[Cadillac Jim]

The tighter the suspension, the higher the tire wear rate. A lot of it depends on the surface; I think concrete wears tires faster than asphalt in low speed driving. Ultra-wide tires wear faster in city driving where you are turning a lot. And, the higher the performance level and the higher the speed rating, the faster the tires wear.

All this is a generality. I have always found Michelin radials to have excellent wear, no matter what you do with them. Some ultra-high-performance summer tires have very soft compounds that provide stickiness on dry pavement above all else and wear rapidly no matter what you do.

[Bruce Nunnally]

Tire pressure monitor saved me in traffic this morning. Saw the right rear losing pressure - couple lbs per min and circled back to Discount Tire. 4 new Pirellis today 4/2/2015 and just over a year or 71k-57k = 14k miles. No way to rotate tires on the V so I either need to slow down around corners or keep my annual visits here up.

[airmike]

Obviously you like those tires. Do you have an opinion on the traction? worse/better than originals? Basically I am curious about the launch rather than cornering.

[Bruce Nunnally]

I didn't have the originals that long, and I am not all that sensitive if the car is cornering well, not sliding, etc. I do like these tires, although I would like them better if they went 45K miles like Pirelli suggests they might.

[Cadillac Jim]

The XLR-V has a different set of tire sizes, and The Tire Rack only offers summer and special winter tires in the XLR-V size. What I see on The Tire Rack:

2008 STS-V

Pirell P Zero Nero All Season, Z Rated

Front

255/45-18

2011 production
Serv.Desc 99W
UTQG 400 AA A

Rear

275/40-19

Serv.Desc 101W
UTQG 400 AA A

2006 XLR-V Tires

Pirelli P Zero Rosso Max Performance Summer

Front

235/45-19

Serv.Desc 95W
UTQG: NONE

Rear

255/40-19

Serv.Desc 96W
UTQG: 220 AA A

Winter tires: Pirelli Winter Sottozero Serie II Performance Winter/Snow, ratings similar

On their web page, Pirelli currently offers your rear size in a P Zero Nero but not your front size. They offer P Zero Nero sizes in both front and rear sizes for your car. I suspect that if you match a pair of sizes you will get down to what The Tire Rack offers.

[airmike]

Jim I am not looking for tires, but thanks for the info. (all new run flats) I really just wonder about others experience with those pirelli tires. They came on my wifes mustang and I never liked them. When they got halfway worn, they were extremely loud as well as no traction. Always wondered if it was just the mustang or the tires. One thing I really like about the Tire Rack is reading the reviews. I went to a different tire on it now, but not many miles yet. They may be just as loud when getting worn, we'll see. I would say it had about 20,000 miles on them, but the fronts were not more than 60 percent worn.

[Cadillac Jim]

Deterioration of tire performance can come from a lot of things. In the first several years after I retired when I wasn't driving a lot of miles, I noticed loss of traction from the tires on my ETC after about four years with most makes, more on others (but not on Michelins). Wheel alignment or balance problems can cause poor tire performance as well as uneven tire wear, which can cause poor tire performance even after the alignment is corrected. Tired shocks can cause poor tire performance. Bad suspension components like bushings or stabilizer links are a sleeper, too. Even too little or too much air pressure can cause poor tire performance. Then, there's the surface. The worst traction-degrading thing that is often seen on pavement is painted areas - including crosswalk marks and lane markers. If you ride a motorcycle, you must watch your balance on the pain when it rains.

If your tires have plenty of life but aren't performing well, you might get the performance back by having the tires "trued" and balanced at a good tire shop that has a skimmer, doing a four-wheel alignment, and checking your suspension and shocks.

Note that one of the tires listed shows "2011 production" which may or may not mean that there could be a problem there, particularly if you don't drive a lot of miles and have them several years. I don't have experience with old Pirelli P Zero tires.