tire recommendation

David – There are several threads about tires. The most recent one is just a few lines below this thread: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/456-550-575/405582-dumb-question-tires.html

I had P Zeros on my 575M and my Maserati and they didn’t last very long. On the 575M I changed them every 4 000 to 5 000 km (most of my driving is on twisty roads and not on the highway).
Now I have Michelin Pilot Super Sports (PSS) on my 575M and they last much longer (more than 10 000 km now and still some rubber left). On the Maserati I have Michelin PS3 which is not as excellent as the PSS but still a lot better than P Zeros regarding longevity.

I the PSS are available in your size I would go with these. Else I would look for PS3.

Markus

 

Michelin still aren't offering the 295/35-18 Super Sports that we need for the stock rear wheels on the 550's. The largest they go for the 18" wheel is 285/35.

Their market seems to be the 19 and 20 inch sizes. Here's the distribution by size from the Tire Rack website:

17" wheels, 7 sizes
18" wheels, 19 sizes
19" wheels, 26 sizes
20" wheels, 30 sizes
21" wheels, 6 sizes
22" wheels, 2 sizes

 

David- Trouble is most of us know which tires are best for handling and braking, but only a minimal idea of wear based on one high performance tire vs another and their wear rating.

Go to tirerack.com and either select Ferrari 550 or tire sizes 255/40 18 and 295/35 18 and see what pops up. If wear is your primary concern, go for the one with the highest longevity rating. The Continentals will probably be high on the list and we have some happy owners with Contis.

 

I have no idea how they will wear, but my Michelin Super Sports are far superior to the Pirelli P Zeros. Taz, my speedo reads correct now with 1.1" greater diameter in the rear. They look just as fat, but do have more freeboard. Since I cracked a rim a couple of years ago, I don't think that it's all that bad.

 

Dave- What size are you running back there, 345/30 19? 1" is about a 4% increase for the speedometer, so yours was closer than most of them are.

 

If you want a lighter constructed and QUIETER tire, try the Nitto INVOs. I have a set on my 456M - with the 18" Barchetta wheels - and they are very excellent for touring. Wet traction is nothing to brag about, but at 6K miles, they are just beginning to show some wear at the outside edges of the tire.

I tried these, BTW, because I always run Nittos on my modded pickup trucks. Their Terra Grappler is the quietest AT tire in the world by a mile. It's nearly as dramatic with the INVO versus the P-Zero (Which is stupidly heavy duty for a touring car).

Cheers,

George

 

I'm one of the owners with Contis on my 550.

ExtremeContact™ DW

They have a very high wear rating, and with your kind of driving you will get both greater mileage and great handling.


cheers,

Bill
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Bill- Those are a bargain even if they wore out quickly, which it looks like they will not with a 340 wear rating.

 

BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDW-2

Yeah, the reviews here and on Tire Rack say things like "loud," "sounds like a truck," "sounds like a locomotive," and "I have a headache." But I have them on my 550 and 951. They're great street and track tires on the 550 with over 1,000 miles on the track. Michelin Pilot Sports fell apart on the track after 800 miles. I have over 30,000 miles on the 951 with them. They still got a ways to go before I have to change them on both cars.

I don't think they're loud. Mufflers are loud. How can tires sound like a locomotive?

Anyway, I recommend them.
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Yes, the 345/30/19s. My speedo used to read about 10% over. GPS now agrees with the speedo. My car got slower, but I'll be racking up fewer miles on the odometer.

 

Dave- The odometers are actually very accurate, but the speedometers are not. But you will be driving further for a lower odometer reading with the larger tires. I still remember Mario Andretti doing top speed tests in a 550 on a 7 mile track and reaching 194 mph, but the speedometer was indicating 207 mph. That was about a 7% error.

 

I have these on my Range Rover sport.

With you're driving they will last forever.

I have 10k miles and they don't show any wear.

Also handle pretty good, Not like the ExtremeContact DW !

As you can see they have a 540 wear rating.
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cheers,

Bill
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I'm also looking for new tires for my 456M. It seems like the only two models available in Europe for that size (255/45/17 and 285/40/17) are the PZeros (which I have on at the moment) and the Bridgestones Expedia S01.....is that posssible? No Michelins and Contis in Europe?

 

Had these on my M6 and it will definitely be the next pair of shoes on my 575 and 348.
Great value and performance along with a reasonable wear.

 

I have had excellent results with the Hankook Ventus V-12's. Just replaced the rears after approx. 18,000 miles and the fronts still have quite a bit of tread left on them.

These tires are very quiet and quite good in wet weather; both of which are nice characteristics to have in SW Florida. As I recall Car and Driver rated them quite high for handling as well.

Interestingly, when I put them on originally 2.5 years ago the Ferrari dealer recommended against them for whatever reason. Now the dealer recommends, sells and installs them. Go figure.

Oh, and the price on them was excellent at the time I installed them in 2010. Averaged approx $180.00 per tire as I recall. I do believe they have gone up in price since.

 

I'm a big fan of the Michelin Supersports.

The PS2 was one of the best performing tires out there, and the successor Supersports offer better mileage with increased performance capabilities in key areas.

These cars are supposed to be fun, so I like to eek out every last bit of fun the car will dish out. So I'm hands down a Supersport endorser.

I also think that depending on anyone's personal preferences, it's always a good idea to visit Tire Rack's performance data ratings that are based on consumer input and to read their posted consumer reviews. By and large, when several people are saying the same thing, you can imagine your experience to be similar.

Those reviews have always assisted me to zero in what is best for my wants & needs.

 

I have the B F Goodrich on the 550 and don't have a noise complaint. However, I must admit I cringe at the sit of the tread pattern every time I see it. If you really use the car on the track, like Barry, OK, there may be some benefit to the design. For the grand touring this car mainly does they look out of character. I think they have the look of something more suited to a slammed 4 cylinder coupe with a massive rear wing and an enormous sound system.

I should have changed them when I got new rims but they only have a few thousand miles on them. Undoubtedly since I dislike their look they will probably wear like iron.

 

I have them on my Lexus GS. Great wet traction, which is essential in the Pacific Northwest.

 

They'll be good for at least 20,000 miles.

 

Barry, at 2k miles a year I guess I better get used to the look of them. Just goes to show how little else there is to complain about the Maranello.

 

You'll have plenty of time to learn to love the tread pattern, Bob.

But I'm curious why you chose the g-Forces for your Maranello. I bought them for track use. My street wheels have Michelin PS2s on them and I like how they perform, but I like how the g-Forces perform much more.

Barry
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Almost all BFGs make a little noise, but you get great performance for the price. The KDW II does wear pretty well and works great in the wet, but in my experience they generally dont like hard track use.

We always got lots of chunking and shedding when we got them real hot on a track.

We ran about 300whp through them on a FWD platform and had great luck on the street, vehicle had great wet traction and they hooked surprisingly well for a street tire on a FWD setup, also lasted a long time.

On something like a Ferrari I would stick with Bridgestone and Michelin and in a few cases Pirelli.

The Bridgestone RE760 is cheaper than the KDW but has better road manners (what I am currently running and I was pleasantly surprised by the ride quality on such a high performance tire).

If you fudge with the sizes and can find a set of S04s, I have also had great luck with those on performance/luxury vehicles. Tire technology has come such a long way recently that normally in the case of two similarly priced/positioned tires the newer one will be better. Ive swapped from re050s and re050as to S04s and most tell me the S04 it is better in every way, probably because it is new design.

I have less experience with the INVO, but it has all been positive, the vette guys getting away from the run flats love them because they make such a huge difference in ride quality. Ive put a few sets on and people looking for a comfortable/quite high performance tire have been quite pleased, plus they look awesome in a wide size.

 

Actually, the tire guy who turned me on to the Nitto INVO's was a trad 5.0 Mustang guy. He didn't run them in serious competition, but he ran them on his street/course car (The cone runs. I don't even know what they call them anymore. It was Gymkana (sp?) in my day).

Basically, I told him I ran Nittos on my pickups for years because they were supernaturally quiet and smooth, and asked if the INVO's would be good on a Ferrari that can haul ass, but is really a street cruiser/touring car. He thought they'd rock. He was right (I have 9K miles on them now!).

Cheers,

George