Tire ?

what do you think about pirelli pzero rosso asimmetrico tires? 325 ci vert lowered some light engine mods

If you don't track your car, then who really cares?

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...metrico-page-6

With this Pirelli's seventh-place finish, we come now to the first of the midpack tires, which never excelled, but neither did they fall on their faces.

The Pirelli did flub two tests, which is why it lands farthest down in this group. In the dry-lateral-grip test, the Pirelli tied for second to last, and it finished seventh in the dry-braking test. Otherwise, it staked out the middle ground: not offending our enthusiast sensibilities but not knocking our socks off, either.

The Pirelli didn't move us to fill our notebooks with comments. Geswein noted there was "nothing particularly strong or weak" in its performance. We did notice it was easy to drive in the wet because it smoothly straddled the transition zone between sliding and gripping. When some tires-the Kumhos come to mind-begin to slide on wet surfaces, they really slide, but that wasn't the case with the Pirellis.

A week after our testing, Pirelli called to say there's a different version of the Asimmetrico that would have performed better. This version is noted by a hard-to-see "MO" that's embossed on the sidewall (it stands for "Mercedes spec," identifying the line of cars it was designed for), and it uses a different compound than the one we tested.

thats is from 2005 my borther we are in 2012 you dont think its the same. from 05

Originally Posted by Blackcherry01

thats is from 2005 my borther we are in 2012 you dont think its the same. from 05

If it placed 7th in '05 it's probably 10th now.

Originally Posted by Blackcherry01

thats is from 2005 my borther we are in 2012 you dont think its the same. from 05

It's not a fine wine. They don't get better with age.

Tire forum.

Originally Posted by Blackcherry01

thats is from 2005 my borther we are in 2012 you dont think its the same. from 05

Tires change not particularly often. Your tire is still the same tire they're talking about there. If they change the tire type, they usually give it a new name or some sort of numeric designation (e.g. 2, 3, etc.)

Go to tirerack.com and see all the user reviews in the different categories and the commentary by owners of the tires rated.

I checked those tires based on a staggered 18" set-up. Pirellis Zero Rosso Asimmetricos were $774 on tirerack. Two more highly rated tires were the Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Positions @ $858 a set and the Michelin Pilot Super Sports @ $952 a set. If I had the extra $80, I would much rather have the Bridgestones. If I had the another $100 to boot, then I would seriously consider the Michelins.

I have extensive experience running T, Y and Z rateds in all three brands. Pirellis are sweet until they get a few miles on them, then they roar like hell and wear out fast The Bridgestones will be the quietest and the Michelins will last a bit longer - both handle hard driving and wet traction fine.

We run Michelin Pilot PS2s on my wife's Cayman @ $1236 a set. Love them! Porsche now puts Contis on their new cars - they cost about $100.00 less per set - we will stay with the Michelins.

Originally Posted by vandyboy

We run Michelin Pilot PS2s on my wife's Cayman @ $1236 a set. Love them! Porsche now puts Contis on their new cars - they cost about $100.00 less per set - we will stay with the Michelins.

Have had two sets of PS2's on my e46, but when I went to the Pilot Super Sports it was a revelation. Someone would have to twist my arm hard to want anything but the SS's on my car now.

That Cayman must be amazing to drive. I'd have one if I didn't need all the trunk and rear seat space.

Originally Posted by Stinger9

Have had two sets of PS2's on my e46, but when I went to the Pilot Super Sports it was a revelation. Someone would have to twist my arm hard to want anything but the SS's on my car now.

That Cayman must be amazing to drive. I'd have one if I didn't need all the trunk and rear seat space.

You are the second person I know of who had the same result switching from the PS2s to the SSs. The SSs are cheaper and I think have better longevity. I will definitely look into them.

The Cayman is a blast. We drove it from Nashville to Savannah in June with me driving like a maniac, a/c full blast and still getting 30 MPG. Made Macon to Savannah city limits (160 miles) via I-16 in 1:45 with me slowing down a lot for cops (good radar detector.) I am 48 and a minister - I try to be very good on the road since I drve a lot, but I revert back to teenage sensibility when I get in that Porsche (my wife and I were both consultants before I became a minister. She makes her own money and buys what she wants, but we definitely do not drive the Porsche to church, btw).

The Cayman (bought it certified) is paid off in April, but the 3 year warranty expires then. She wants a 911, but I just can't see swinging it - we'd buy used, but would have to buy an older one to get near even money and would not get any warranty. She likes driving my E46 so perhaps she'll get a 1 or 3 series.

Originally Posted by vandyboy

I checked those tires based on a staggered 18" set-up. Pirellis Zero Rosso Asimmetricos were $774 on tirerack. Two more highly rated tires were the Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Positions @ $858 a set and the Michelin Pilot Super Sports @ $952 a set. If I had the extra $80, I would much rather have the Bridgestones. If I had the another $100 to boot, then I would seriously consider the Michelins.

I have extensive experience running T, Y and Z rateds in all three brands. Pirellis are sweet until they get a few miles on them, then they roar like hell and wear out fast The Bridgestones will be the quietest and the Michelins will last a bit longer - both handle hard driving and wet traction fine.

We run Michelin Pilot PS2s on my wife's Cayman @ $1236 a set. Love them! Porsche now puts Contis on their new cars - they cost about $100.00 less per set - we will stay with the Michelins.

Michelins may be more expensive, but they do come with the Michelin Promise Plan that is hard to beat... 30-Day Satisfaction Guarantee, 3-Year Flat Tire Changing Assistance, and a Limited Mileage Warranty!
http://www.michelinman.com/automotiv...mise-plan.page

Originally Posted by Stinger9

Have had two sets of PS2's on my e46, but when I went to the Pilot Super Sports it was a revelation. Someone would have to twist my arm hard to want anything but the SS's on my car now.

That Cayman must be amazing to drive. I'd have one if I didn't need all the trunk and rear seat space.

Michelin Pilot Super Sports PSS are definitely the king right now. Car and Driver thinks so too by naming them the winner of their Monster's of Grip test:
http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...-sport-page-10

And I am really interested in the new Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3... This could be a game changer for all-season tires!
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=958895

Originally Posted by Blackcherry01

what do you think about pirelli pzero rosso asimmetrico tires? 325 ci vert lowered some light engine mods

How do you plan to drive the vehicle?
What qualities are important to you in a tire?
How many miles do you drive a year?
What are the roads like where you drive?
Will the tires be used in cold/foul weather?

As e4Tsex says, unless you track the car--and a cloth roof 325 is not track car--it is unlikely that you will need the extra margin of dry grip performance that uber-performance tires offer.

At best, the average person might enter that extra margin maybe 1/100 of 1% of the time. To benefit, the driver needs the skill to be able to use that small extra margin without exceeding it. Drivers that regularly finish at the top of the class in auto-x aside, for example, probably do. The rest of us lack the requisite skill.

But the tires you mention (and those the others mention) are, all the time:

• very fast-wearing
• hard riding
• loud
• not as good in the rain as your typical all-season
• awful in every way when it gets cold (as in near 40F)

I live in the snow belt, so roads are smooth only in the season that they are paved. After the first winter.... When I lived in NJ, it was similar. With an average late freeze nearly at Memorial Day here, there are plenty of fair-weather days when the mornings and evenings are near 40F.

Some folks feel the need to have the same tires that the factories mount on their Ferrari, etc. (much higher performance envelope) vehicles... vehicles that are intended to be tracked (although few ever see serious track time). And if that's what you like, fine. Most people, though, find that stepping down a class (or two) provides a better day-to-day match and a significant cost savings, too.

Originally Posted by sunsetcoast

How do you plan to drive the vehicle?
What qualities are important to you in a tire?
How many miles do you drive a year?
What are the roads like where you drive?
Will the tires be used in cold/foul weather?

As e4Tsex says, unless you track the car--and a cloth roof 325 is not track car--it is unlikely that you will need the extra margin of dry grip performance that uber-performance tires offer.

At best, the average person might enter that extra margin maybe 1/100 of 1% of the time. To benefit, the driver needs the skill to be able to use that small extra margin without exceeding it. Drivers that regularly finish at the top of the class in auto-x aside, for example, probably do. The rest of us lack the requisite skill.

But the tires you mention (and those the others mention) are, all the time:

• very fast-wearing
• hard riding
• loud
• not as good in the rain as your typical all-season
• awful in every way when it gets cold (as in near 40F)

I live in the snow belt, so roads are smooth only in the season that they are paved. After the first winter.... When I lived in NJ, it was similar. With an average late freeze nearly at Memorial Day here, there are plenty of fair-weather days when the mornings and evenings are near 40F.

Some folks feel the need to have the same tires that the factories mount on their Ferrari, etc. (much higher performance envelope) vehicles... vehicles that are intended to be tracked (although few ever see serious track time). And if that's what you like, fine. Most people, though, find that stepping down a class (or two) provides a better day-to-day match and a significant cost savings, too.

Good catch, Sunset. I figured since the OP was looking for uber-performance tires he needed them. You are right in saying dropping down a bit - say to the Michelin Pilot or even the MXV - would represent nearly 50% savings and be a much longer lasting tire. Same with dropping down to the Bridgestone Potenza Pole Position 970 - excellent tire, smooth ride, great dry and wet grip and around $100.00 each in my sze (16").

Originally Posted by vandyboy

Good catch, Sunset. I figured since the OP was looking for uber-performance tires he needed them. You are right in saying dropping down a bit - say to the Michelin Pilot or even the MXV - would represent nearly 50% savings and be a much longer lasting tire. Same with dropping down to the Bridgestone Potenza Pole Position 970 - excellent tire, smooth ride, great dry and wet grip and around $100.00 each in my sze (16").

thx

WRT the Car and Driver article, it happened that I owned both the mid-pack Dunlop Sport Maxx and the "lower-rated" Bridgestone RE050A at the same time. Yes, the Dunlops were more aggressive, but the Bridgestones were much more civilized for a daily driver (they were amazingly quiet AND comfortable).

Still, tire technology marches on. Even the best tire from 2005 will be, perhaps, mid-pack today. That said, the e46 chassis is still from vintage 1999-2006. While it runs circles around most of its contemporaries (consider the 2000 Camry or Taurus), the limits of a non-M are modest. I've found that, for summer shoes, the best fit seems to be in the class that includes the Potenza Pole Position 970.

well as far as the cold weather comes my car is kept inside in the winter i have an suv for the snow and really bad weather. i bring the vert out in the spring summer time. but its not a track car. the the parkway is fun at times to let it rip top down. i changed all bushing to poly h&R sport cup seires, tse3 cat back, cold air , shark chip..i just wanted to hear some of your opions. it was recommend to me by a friend who had an e30 all done up with the pzo on it..