"Grab Paddle" (grabpaddle)
08/22/2014 at 13:03 • Filed to: PIRELLI, FAIL, PORSCHE, TRACK, BOXSTER
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"Grab Paddle" (grabpaddle)
08/22/2014 at 13:03 • Filed to: PIRELLI, FAIL, PORSCHE, TRACK, BOXSTER | 1
| 10 |
The day I bought my car I was ecstatic with the prospect of a perfect sports car, but I had only one worry and seeing how the F1 season was going, it was a warranted worry.
The car came with a set of Pirelli P-Zeros, and from my childhood I can remember the sexy ads with a woman's back resembling a road with the tagline, "Power is nothing without control." And I always thought of the P-Zero as this exotic tire that was more powerful than any brand offered on a sedan. Michelin? That was the big fat marshmallow looking brand. Little did I know in my youth.
The first time I got on track with these P-Zero's I was skeptical. I had recently traded in an older Boxster S with Michelin PSS' that I absolutely loved, tons of grip, reliable, quiet, and most of all, predictable. By that I mean, when I'm mid corner and getting on the gas I know how the tire will act and I know how to get the most out of it. Not so with the P-Zero.
The P-Zero on track is like a wild man who's your best friend. You always think you know him until he snaps, and that is the case with these tires. Now, I can't speak to the higher end P-Zero's, the basically slick Trofeo's that come on the Z28, but these are nothing special. Going into a banked left-hander at Lime Rock Park, turn 3 to be exact, turn in, little throttle at the apex then snap! Car rotates, off throttle, correct, back on throttle. Even my previous Bridgestone's were better, more predictable.
The point being, you see those cracks between the still plenty of tread left? These tires have 15000 miles and only two years on them and the entire tire, all of them, all the way around are completely cracked, dry rotted to hell. And because of these Italian coffee table coasters, I cannot attend my track day. Oh well. I wanted some new Michelin's anyway. Still sucks I won't be attending my track day because of this.
Boo Pirelli. Boo.
For Sweden
> Grab Paddle
08/22/2014 at 13:08 |
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Maybe you shouldn't have made Vinny angry.
macanamera
> Grab Paddle
08/22/2014 at 13:14 |
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The truest thing I will say today:
1. Buy Pilot Super Sports
2. Never look back
Pirellis and Contis suck ass. Crap tires.
jlmounce
> Grab Paddle
08/22/2014 at 13:24 |
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The P-Zero's I had on my 11 and 12 Mustangs I found almost the complete opposite. On track I felt for a street tire that they held fairly well and had a linear approach to their envelope. That is of course and apples to oranges comparison as tires will act differently on different cars and with different drivers.
If you're more of an on/off style driver, you may find that street tires in general on track may perform similarly. It's a function of how radials tend to work. Shock them and they snap out of adhesion. In that regard a bias-ply slick would probably do you wonders on a track. I'd think something like a Hoosier A6.
Arben72
> Grab Paddle
08/22/2014 at 13:35 |
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My pzeros have no cracks in them after 2 1/2 years and 20k miles. They're worn and extremely loud, but not cracked. I won't be buying them after this set as they're not worth the price. They're extremely predictable on my ///m though, I never had an issue with communication on them. I'll probably end up going with either mss or Bridgestone s04s as they both have their advantages.
norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
> macanamera
08/22/2014 at 13:43 |
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Conti does make pretty good racing tires though.
dinobot666
> Grab Paddle
08/22/2014 at 13:55 |
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Sounds like a typical OEM performance tire. They hardly ever last longer than 20k miles, and high performance summer tires rarely have mileage ratings.
CoolhandLuke
> macanamera
08/22/2014 at 14:24 |
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100% this. Well said.
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CoolhandLuke
> jlmounce
08/22/2014 at 14:27 |
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I had the same on my '13 Boss. The Pirellis were ok until they were heat cycled a few times then they were pretty much gripless. Were I into drifting they'd be ok I suppose as the rears could be perpetually spun and fairly easily controlled. Not good for lap times though. Hoosiers are the bomb but you gotta have a budget to burn through a set of those every track weekend.
jdrgoat - Ponticrack?
> Grab Paddle
08/22/2014 at 20:48 |
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How long ago was the manufacture date? Four digit code (WWYY) on the sidewall. (Example: 3212 = 32nd week of 2012.)
Also, may I recommend the Bridgestone Potenza RE-11. I am enjoying the set I have.
davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> macanamera
08/23/2014 at 20:20 |
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Word.