Cali - Tires advice | FerrariChat

Cali - Tires advice

Discussion in 'California/Portofino/Roma' started by MDEL, May 14, 2016.

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  1. MDEL

    MDEL F1 Rookie
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    My 2010 Cali has changed the back tires two months ago and has Bridgestone Potenza 285/35ZR20 (100Y). Now I urgently need to change the front tires as well because they are very dried and I don't now what's best to do so need good advice. The current front tires are Bridgestone Potenza 245/35ZR20 (91Y) and my question is; shall I buy the same tire reference I have or shall I change to a more recent type of tire like for instance the Bridgestone Potenza S001 ?
     
  2. 4th_gear

    4th_gear F1 Rookie

    Jan 18, 2013
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    I'm not sure which Potenza model you now have on your car but the tires on all 4 corners should be of the same model because the tread is designed to perform as a set of 4 identical treads. You could easily degrade the handling of the car by mixing tire treads/compounds, even if they are from the same tire family.

    I suggest you contact the local head office of Bridgestone and ask the resident technical expert(s) for advice. I have done that with other tire manufacturers in the past and they were always very happy to offer technical advice.
     
  3. MDEL

    MDEL F1 Rookie
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    Michael, thank you very much for the advice..............
     
  4. MDEL

    MDEL F1 Rookie
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    I forgot to mention that the Potenza model of tires is 050AMZ.
     
  5. MalibuGuy

    MalibuGuy F1 Veteran

    Sep 18, 2007
    5,280
    A much better tire overall dry and wet is the Michelin Pilot Super Sports.

    I would upgrade either front set followed by rears, or all four corners at once.
     
  6. MDEL

    MDEL F1 Rookie
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    Thank you for the advice.......
     
  7. tomc

    tomc Two Time F1 World Champ

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    Mario... I'll second MPSS. I changed from Bridgestone Potenza RE050A to MPSS on my 997.2S last spring and it's like a whole new car...T
     
  8. Need4Spd

    Need4Spd F1 Veteran

    Feb 24, 2007
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    My '11 Cali was shod with P-Zeros from the factory. When they were worn, I swapped all four for the Pilot Super Sports. The Michelins were better in every way. Quieter, rode better, gripped better, wet and dry. They even wore better, and had lots of tread left on them when I sold the car.
     
  9. MDEL

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    Because everyone seems to agree that the Michelins Pilot Super Sports are far superior to the Bridgestone Potenza I'm seriously thinking about changing the four tires to the Michelins. The climate where I live is very mild all year and it doesn't rain very much but, the other day, we had some thunder storms with heavy rain and I was really scared with the behavior of the Bridgestone Potenza tires so they don't inspire me any confidence at all. Therefore the decision to do something about the tires before it's too late.

    For my 2010 Cali with 20" wheel rims Michelin recommends the Pilot Super Sports tires below. Can anyone please confirm if they are the most recommendable or if exist alternatives.

    Front- 245/35 R20 95 ZR(Y)
    Rear- 285/35 R20 104 ZR(Y)

    Thank you in advance
     
  10. tomc

    tomc Two Time F1 World Champ

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    ^ Those specs are exactly what I see on tirerack.com if you enter 2010 Cali...T
     
  11. JasTex

    JasTex Karting

    Feb 21, 2016
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    I agree that Michelin Pilot Super Sport are much better than the Pirelli P Zero, from my own experience. Better grip in damp/wet conditions and the tread lasts MUCH longer. Was real pleased that my CaliT was fitted with Michelin when she arrived from the factory.
     
  12. ctome3

    ctome3 Karting

    Aug 19, 2014
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    Agreed on Michelin Pilot Super Sport. Just like JasTex, I was very pleasantly surprised when the dealer informed me that the factory had shipped the car with Michelins rather than Pirellis.

    My brother-in-law had a pair of shoes that he would describe (the grip) as "if Spider-Man wore shoes, he would choose these." Well, if Spider-Man drove a car, he'd equip it with Michelin Pilot Super Sports. :)
     
  13. MDEL

    MDEL F1 Rookie
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    MalibuGuy, Tom, Jason, Tom E, you all recommend Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires so I can't go wrong. Tomorrow I'm going to order the tires and believe me I'll be a much more confident and happy driver after I have them installed in my Cali. The Bridgestones Potenza 050A really frightened me the other day in the rain and I wasn't speeding.

    Thank you very much for your advice and help.
     
  14. MDEL

    MDEL F1 Rookie
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    I've ordered the Michelin Super Sport tires below and will have them installed next week.

    Front- 245/35 R20 95 ZR(Y)
    Rear- 285/35 R20 104 ZR(Y)

    I'm very curious to see how the ride compares to the present Bridgestone's Potenza 50A.

    I'll give you my opinion after putting some miles.
     
  15. MalibuGuy

    MalibuGuy F1 Veteran

    Sep 18, 2007
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    Please give your feedback.

    I thought the ride and handling and grip was superior.


    Great tire for the Cali. Now I've got them on my 458 spider and love them
     
  16. JasTex

    JasTex Karting

    Feb 21, 2016
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    My Mas started life with Pirelli. In the Texas heat they were fine when it was dry. The problem was when the temperature dropped into the 40 to 50 degree range or when the road was damp/wet. At stop lights, the rear tires would light up and wouldn't stop until you took your foot off the gas. This would even happen on dry roads when I first come out of a car wash place. At 4,900 miles the tires needed to be changed (back AND front). They weren't illegal but getting close. Put these Michelin's on. Road noise reduced, felt like a smoother ride. Cold or damp conditions I found that the tires behaved.....(obviously not winter weather tires)...they have lots more grip. Different car and comparing against Pirelli P Zero, but in my experience the Michelin is a way better tire for driving in any weather that is not sunny and not needing a pavement temperature that would burn your hand if you touched it. In the hot weather the Michelin's are as good as the Pirelli's. Not sure if Bridgestone has similar characteristics as Pirelli but I don't think you can go wrong with Michelin.

    FYI, my garage floor is painted....Pirelli's used to leave black marks on the floor. Got rid of the marks when I changed the tires and it didn't come back with Michelins. Only reason I'm writing this is to demonstrate how the tires were VERY soft. I've heard them referred to as 'gummy' tires.

    Buying Michelin Pilot Super Sports = money well spent IMOH.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  17. DK308

    DK308 F1 Rookie

    Aug 13, 2013
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    Did you order the Ferrari spec MPSS? That's the ones you should use, not the standard tyres as they are quite different in terms of tread width, compound etc.

    Specs are:

    245/35ZR20 (95Y) XL
    K2 Ferrari
    285/35ZR20 (104Y) XL
    K2 Ferrari
     
  18. MDEL

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    Thank you very much for reminding me of the XLK2 important reference extension, the tires have been ordered already and I'll check tomorrow if they are the correct ones.
     
  19. MDEL

    MDEL F1 Rookie
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    Checked tyres today and they were missing the K2 reference so canceled the ordered ones and place a new order for the references above. Thank you again for reminding me.
     
  20. DK308

    DK308 F1 Rookie

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    You're very welcome. A little thing to note is this. There are three K spec tyres available in 245/35R20. K1 is for the FF, K2 is for the Cali T and K3 is for the 488 and Speciale. Just make sure they say "K2" if you want the tyres made for the Cali T that now are also the Cali tyre replacement for the old Michelin Pilot Sport PS2.
     
  21. MDEL

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    This time they were ordered exactly with the K2 reference. They are more expensive and the delivery time passed from 24 hours (without the K2) to 2 weeks (with the K2). Because the weather has been dry I can wait, it's for a good cause.............

    Thanks again
     
  22. MDEL

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    Finally I was able to install the Michelin Pilot Supersport on my Cali and use them. What a difference to the Bridgstone Potenza, the ride is much softer and the grip incredible. I look forward testing the Supersport on the rain sometime in the future but I expect a much better behavior than the Potenza which frightened the hell out me last winter.

    Thank you again to all of you who advised me to change to the Michelins.
     
  23. tomc

    tomc Two Time F1 World Champ

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    I assume this means your Cali is back & healthy? Congratulations!

    Coincidentally, I just had new MPSS installed on my Cali, thanks to the great experience I had with them on my 911, but also thanks to the advice here. They're fabulous. Totally transforms the car...T
     
  24. DK308

    DK308 F1 Rookie

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    #24 DK308, Sep 9, 2016
    Last edited: Sep 9, 2016
    Hold your horses there buddy.

    These tyres are NOT for winter driving. Winter tyres are not only about having the ability to work in snow and ice, the compound is made for cold weather. Like all summer tyres, including your old Bridgestones, the MPSS will lose substantial traction once the temps go below 5-7 degrees C. Cold wet roads below 10 degrees C is definitely not a very pleasant experience in our 458 with MPSS on it. I doubt your Cali will be any different. Also, there may not be snow, but if you hit a spot of icey road in a bend with summer tyres, you're a passenger for the ride there on after. If you want to go winter driving, get a set of 19" Cali wheels, new or used, and mount Michelin PA4 in 245/40R19 front and 285/40R19 rear.
     
  25. MDEL

    MDEL F1 Rookie
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    Thank you for the advice but in the area where I live the temperature very rarely goes below 10ºC. and there is neither ice or snow. The only problem is the rain, specially in winter and sometimes in beginning of spring. Despite of the fact that the Michelins are not winter tires I'm expecting them to be more trustable than the Bridge stones in the rain.
     

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