Tyres?

[Ann Poole]

475 new to me - need to fit new tyres. Pirelli p zero, nero on at present. Any recommendations fo these or a better alternative??????
Only normal road use - no fancy stuff ( yet!!!???)

[The Swede]

The Pirellis are pretty OK. Especially in the rain. And with winter coming...

[WR 1mposter]

After going round Spa with Fraser I wish I left my Pirelli's on
good tyre for the wet, and will last for 15/20k's

[stijoy]

back to pirelli's then martin

[Robocop]

Mike Wood rates these

MikeWood
Scooby Regular


Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Test track near Warwick
Posts: 1,247
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#9

white

We did a re-evaluation of various tyres last year on the STi with 235/40x18. The 95Y Michelin PS2 came out best at the time but Pirelli have now released the tyre we wanted all along which is a Corsa Assymmetrico specially developed for the STi. I have to say that we felt the T1-R, whilst having some good features, didn't suit the STi particularly well for UK roads.

Mike

Full thread here http://bbs.scoobynet.com/tyres-o6-sti-t ... ight=corsa

[danr55]

there's been countless tyre threads, I think the conclusion is that it depends on personal preference. I thought the pirellis were very good, fraser might be able to advise if the rossos are better than the pzero neros...
personal opinion - stay away from the eagle f1's

[Houdini]

I've thought about this for a little while.

After having had the benefit of travelling with other WR1's round the track on various rubber, and having had the opportunity to sample different tyres on the road I'd have to conclude that tyre selection remains very subjective.

I'm absolutely NOT any expert when it comes to tyres... in fact I've only just learnt how to spell 'ribber' . But I know which ones inspire confidence for me, and I approach tyre selction on the basis of selecting all-rounders that do as much as thay can for as long as they can.

Depending on how you drive your car, and how your car is spec'ed, I believe your tyre choice should be dictated by several factors. These are the ones I use:

Your Budget - there are many cheaper alternatives to recommended tyres. These are pretty OK, and on the road they probably show minimal difference over recommended tyres. But... you're playing with an expensive car whose contact patch with the road is through cheaper tyres whose pedigree is less proven than the machine you are driving. They're not all bad, but if you're going down this route then select them on water dispersal capabilities rather than ultimate grip. At least that way your expensive car may stay intact.

Your Driving Style - are you smooth or tail-happy? Do you want be smooth in both the dry and the wet and maintain your tyres, or sacrifice that combo for drifting capability. Ultimately, I look to the tyres to give that feeling through my bum (ahem!) that let's me know how hard I can push, and for how long. This will be much affected by your brakes (given that we're all on the same WR1 geometry) and standard Brembo brakes will not help you. Get AP's and you'll never look back.

Aesthetics - please don't look at the tread pattern. Instead, feel the tyre shoulder and the tread together. Aim for a strong, firm shoulder every time. You want this to last. Who wants to spend their every waking moment playing around with tyre pressures? Allow the tread to wear evenly, but keep the shoulder high.

Road Noise - in a WR1 this perhaps sounds nonsensical, however if you drive most of the time on the motorway do you want the same tyres that you would use if your WR1 is only used for a rag round B lanes on a sunny weekend? Most of my miles tend to be on the motorway and I need something which doesn't prove tiring to drive long distances or induce a tyre 'drone'.

Track Days - are you going to do any? If not then the stick to what Mike Wood suggests. Pirelli P Zero Nero's are great. Plenty of grip, hard wearing and durable, and not expensive (relatively - but you get what you pay for). If you want to spend some time on the track then a softer tyre with a strong shoulder is what you need to aim for.

Suggestions

Road use only - stick with Pirelli P Zero Nero tyres

Mostly road use with occasional track days - Pirelli P Zero Rosso tyres. Dispersal capability is great. Road noise is kept to a minimum. Quieter than Toyo's and more composed in the wet. They will wear quicker than Nero's, but there's greater grip. Toyo T1R's will give you more confidence in the dry and have better roadholding characteristics, but not in the wet.

Aggressive road use with several track days - Pirelli Corsa tyres. There's just nothing better! However it needs to be borne in mind that these are track tyres for the road, rather than road tyres for the track.

I appreciate that this does look like a Pirelli advert. That's not my intention - just what I like based on the criteria above. However, my P Zero Rosso's did save me from certain carnage in the wet at Spa last week. I'm not sure I would have had the same faith in other tyres in wet.

As I said... it is subjective. I just use the criteria. If you find something that suits you better then that's great. But on this occasion I agree with Mike Wood.

[Gazman2054]

Well said write-off
I have the p zero corser on and there the best tyres i've ever had.
Tons of grip in both wet and dry and there now starting to fitting these as standard on most of the high spec scoobs for japan i believe.
They are a bit pricey though i paid