Temperature operating window for P-Zeroes?

[sgregory124]

Afternoon all,

Can anyone tell me what the temperature operating window is for Pirelli P-Zeroes please?

My car came with them fitted and in the current wildly changeable temperatures we have here at the moment, I simply do not have any confidence to be able to push on with these tyres. A prime example, yesterday I was navigating a large sweeping junction in Doncaster, turning right and moving at around 30 mph, with no warning, all 4 wheels lost grip and the car proceeded to slide about 4 feet the left. Yes the road was damp, but it was around 12 degrees C at the time....

I know some people think that P-Zeroes are fine in the right temps, but what on earth are they and do I have to wait until the height summer to be able to lean on them?! Oh and yes, I want to change them ASAP to PS4S's, but given the Pirelli's are virtually brand new, I can't justify a grand to do it right now.....

 

[whitenemesis]

In my experience those tyres don't perform at any temperature. Had them on my CLS and got shot of them very quickly. The slightest hint of damp and they lost traction. Changed to Michelin and it was like night and day, gripped well whatever the conditions and remained constant right to 3mm when I renew tyres..

 

[st13phil]

I can't give a definitive answer to the temperature operating window question, but my experience of them on my W212 E63's completely matches what you describe. A combination of damp road surface and lower temperatures (below around 15-16C) made them very unpredictable, and once part worn, downright dangerous. Horrible tyres.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

If you mean ambient temperatures (rather than operating temperatures) then I’d say use PZeroes between May and late September in the UK.

The reason being that rain and wet roads are enough to cool tyres down and prevent them warming up, and April and October can both be wet even if not cold.

What you describe in that specific incident sounds more like fuel on the road rather than cold tyres, as that sounds fairly dramatic rather than progressive.

 

[sgregory124]

Thanks for the answers all. Just cements what I already thought, they need burning with fire and swapping for some tyres that won't try and assist the car in killing me at anything other than walking pace!

 

[AMGeed]

As Phil's experience in Post# 3, I felt the same.
The P Zero's just didn't inspire any confidence in when they would let go.
Part worn they were lethal. Goodyear Asymmetrics improved things no end, but I get the love for the PS4s.

 

[Sparkee]

I swapped the p zeros out after about 500miles after buying my 63, mildly wet road, on a warm ish day and the back just went going round a bend pretty slowly. Not has that issue with the ps4s.

 

[HB]

I found them pretty lethal on the E63 all the time. We got rid of them and only run GY or Michelin on all the cars and found them great in all conditions bar deep winter obviously.

 

[ALFAitalia]

Regardless of my view on PZeros, the official minimum temp for their use is 45f or 7c... thats from Pirellis website.

 

[sgregory124]

Regardless of my view on PZeros, the official minimum temp for their use is 45f or 7c... thats from Pirellis website.

Love their optimism!

 

[sgregory124]

Thought I’d update this thread. Had another incident with the Pirelli’s tonight….

Dry road, all tires at about 27-30C (after having come off 15 mins on a fast A road) - dead straight steering wheel and the whole car slewed to the left under about 80% throttle. Surely the P-zeroes cannot be that bad can they?

I had been hoping to avoid replacing these tires, but they are sapping my confidence rapidly. I had thought with the weather getting (marginally) better, this problem would go away - seems I was wrong!

 

[ALFAitalia]

What was the air temp?...... they don't really work until its in double figures.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Thought I’d update this thread. Had another incident with the Pirelli’s tonight….

Dry road, all tires at about 27-30C (after having come off 15 mins on a fast A road) - dead straight steering wheel and the whole car slewed to the left under about 80% throttle. Surely the P-zeroes cannot be that bad can they?

I had been hoping to avoid replacing these tires, but they are sapping my confidence rapidly. I had thought with the weather getting (marginally) better, this problem would go away - seems I was wrong!

Tonight was fresh so not ideal for Pzeroes. I still have winter tyres on my cars, still too early to swap to high performance summer tyres (for me).

Sideways movement when driving dead straight on dry tarmac sounds like more than just a tyre being outside of its optimum window to me.

Was it definitely not tramlining or following the camber? I find that Pzeroes are far more sensitive to camber and ruts than other tyres.

 

[Richw63]

I can see the consensus is that Pirelli P Zero's aren't trusted but having them on my XJ and now C Class in my everyday driving motorway/local and in all weather's I've never had any problems with them, to make me think I should change them.

 

[markjay]

I did not have Pirelli tyres fitted to my cars for many years now, but if true then this thread makes for some very sad reading.

When the P7 was introduced, it soon became the go-to tyres for all hot hatches in the eighties. Pirelli as a brand easily rivalled Michelin in the performance tyres sector back in the day.

Oh how the mighty have fallen....

 

[sgregory124]

Tonight was fresh so not ideal for Pzeroes. I still have winter tyres on my cars, still too early to swap to high performance summer tyres (for me).

Sideways movement when driving dead straight on dry tarmac sounds like more than just a tyre being outside of its optimum window to me.

Was it definitely not tramlining or following the camber? I find that Pzeroes are far more sensitive to camber and ruts than other tyres.

I get the winter tyres thing, but I simply can't justify another set just to use outside of the 'peak driving' months, particularly as we own another car for winter/really inclement weather use anyway.

It might have been tram lining/camber following, but I do know that all 4 wheels definitely lost grip as I felt them spin up underneath (instead of them digging in and the car getting wayward under suspension load).

Anyway, given I'm not a racing driver by any stretch, I had to get out of it pretty sharpish for fear of ending up in the hedgerow. My personal feeling is that having come from my old car which nearly always had MPS4S's, to this (more powerful) car, the tires are currently the rate limiting step and I'm just not used to them. That being said, they're getting still getting binned as soon as finances allow - trust is now extremely low.

 

[sgregory124]

What was the air temp?...... they don't really work until its in double figures.

8.5C - but the tyres themselves were at 27-30C all round, so warm enough to be in the window.

For cars this powerful, I only have 2 other recent tyre types to compare the Pirelli's to and that's Pilot Super Sports and MPS4S's - with the latter being incredible on my previous C63S, in low temperatures and even in damp or wet conditions. I have ran out of words to describe just how bad the Pirelli's make the car feel.

 

[sgregory124]

I can see the consensus is that Pirelli P Zero's aren't trusted but having them on my XJ and now C Class in my everyday driving motorway/local and in all weather's I've never had any problems with them, to make me think I should change them.

Power levels between your cars and my car are quite different though, with respect.....

 

[Richw63]

Yes I appreciate that.

 

[Richw63]

Power levels between your cars and my car are quite different though, with respect.....

Yes I appreciate that.