I need to replace my tyres on the 348 (it has 355 wheels) I've contacted Pirelli and asked them if they have any PZero Rosso's in stock. According to them, Pirelli no longer do tyres for the 355 and I should'nt use any other Pirelli tyre either as it won't be able to handle the load. Plus, the don't do rosso's anymore. N3 is designated for Porsche and not for Ferrari. I made a joke about getting Bridgestone's instead and she told me I should do that if they do one for Ferrari as Pireeli have nothing for the 355. ?????? So I called up Bridgstone. According to them the only tyre they can recommend is the Potenza S-01. Now I'm confused........the only tyre I can put on from pirelli/bridgstone is the S-01 even though it's an old design??? Plus, the S-01 rears are desgnated as L & R (Left & Right). They both said that other tyres were not capable of the load. Should I really be taking this into account? I have'nt heard of anyone having problems with tyres not specifically designed for the 355.
I think there is a lot of BS involved. Check the load rating on Tirerack and then find a comparable brand. I don't think they 348 is such a specialized purpose built car that you HAVE to run the manufacturer spec tire. I am using Kumho Ecsta and they stick just fine. Kai
Not sure if this helps, But I just put on Bridgestone RE050A Pole positions on my 355 rims for my 348. They come highly recommended by the tirerack reviews and the technicians who work at tirerack and frequent the porsche boards.
tirerack.com http://www.tirerack.com/tires/CompareTireResults.jsp?loadRank=2&search=true&pagelen=20&pagenum=1&pagemark=1&vehicleSearch=true&startIndex=0&autoYear=1995&minLoad=S&frontRatio=40&autoModClar=&frontDiameter=18&rearWidth=265%2F&rearDiameter=18&frontWidth=225%2F&autoMake=Ferrari&rearSortCode=54350&minSpeedRating=V&frontSortCode=53650&autoModel=F355&rearRatio=40&speed_rating=V&speed_rating=Z&speed_rating=W&speed_rating=Y&RunFlat=All I ordered the Asymetrico from them years ago, but I guess they do not carry them anymore. Best of Luck.
I m choosing the only solution for my 355irelli pzéro YELLOW(original specification by Ferrari.Other tires are not in production today...
You should be able to find Michelin PS2s (which handle better than Pirellis in my opinion), or you can find Michelin Pilot Sports (which are not the same as PS2s, and not as good-handling either). Unfortunately my friends, these are the only decent tires that are left for stock 355 rims.
Run 295/35-18 in the rear and besides improving your handling, you'll have plenty of choices when you are ready to buy tires. They fit just fine on the stock rims.
I also have a 348 with 355 wheels and tires. I have Pirelli Asymetricos (rear) and Direzionales (front) - this was the only way to get the stock sizes. Michelin Pilot Sports are a complete set.
Called up Ferrari GB and talked to customer services. Pirelli recommend the following for the 355 (they sent Ferrari a leaflet with this info) Front: Pzero Direzionale (Load rating: 88Y) Rear: PZero Asimmetrico (Load rating: 97Y) The Pirelli website also gives the option for PZero Asimmetrico all round, but this should be ignored for the 355. Also, the N3 compound rating for Porsche is ok for Ferrari.
I experiment with different tires on my cars all the time. My current favorite is the Goodyear F1 GSD3 although I've yet to mount them on the 348 (will be the next set). I think the OEM spec tire is a bit of a sham, even for high performance cars. Otherwise, why do they all compete to supply the tires at dirt cheap prices to the manufacturers, if only to expect returns down the line when owners replace them with the same brand/size/type. One perhaps can argue that the suspension set-up has been optimized for the specific brand. This might be true but most likely only at the extreme limit. How many of us will be taking it to the limit? If you're a hardcore track junkie, you'll be running full slicks or semi-slicks like a Micheline Pilot Sport Cup anyway.
put whatever on there. I run different brands (front to back only) on my 911 and I mash on that sucker. Currently have Yokohama Advan Neova front and Toyo Proxies RA-1 rear. I know I don't have a Ferrari, but I am having a 355 ppi'd right now, and when I replace the tires they will be the Toyo's. Factory spec is a sham!!! Yoke used to make the A-032R which is my all time favorite. Anyone know a source?
This is a horrible idea. In the dry your front end and back end will have different levels of grip. In the wet the problem will be even worse. Your front and and back end will also have different levels of grip under breaking, essentially changing your brake bias. When driving at the limit, trying to catch a potential spin in an emergency situation, or making a panic stop you want all 4 tires behaving the same way.
Search Tire Rack's website, be open to running something a bit larger on the rear; like 275/40/18...all the way up to a 295/35/18 and you will find many choices. Forget what Ferrari originally recommended, the owner's manual was written back in 1994, (13 years ago) and the Pirellis are not that great a tire anymore. My 1997 OM lists the Pirellis, Bridgestone SO2 and Michelin Pilot Sports (not sure which version Pilot Sport but probably one no longer available).
I think the stock 225/40 look perfect on stock front 355 wheels . If you go any bigger your sidewalls wil start to get sucked in and that will look like crap. The larger 295/35 rears are as closest to the stock 265/40 in circumference. I went 285/35 in the rears and 225/40 in the front on my 355. The 'slightly' smaller diameter of the 285 rear will give me just a little more bottom end accelleration !
I walked into that one LOL!! But really the 285/35 looks and fits perfect IMO ! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
