328 tyre choice

Non original tires don't matter at all in a concours provided they are of the original size.

I run Michelins on everything. Outstanding tires.

 

It depends on how your going to drive it, if its just for show, it does not matter .

Thank you

 

I’m running Bridgestone RE71R’s on mine right now. Great tires, sticky and pretty quiet. There’s actually an updated version coming out soon called RE71RS’s which are a bit stickier and last a bit longer and that’ll be my next set.

 

Unfortunately here in Australia we aren’t spoilt with many options for the rear 225/50/16 size tyres..
I fitted Michelin cup pilots to my car last year but it was a struggle finding them..

 

I recently installed a set of BF Goodrich Indy 500's on my 328 and am very pleased with them.

 

I run "Michelin Pilot Sport Exalto PE2" on my '89 GTB; they are "more or less" period correct: the second run of french 328s (more or less all the cars with convex wheels after March 1988) were delivered new with a very rare tyre, the Michelin MXX (Not the TRX, which was millimetric; the MXX was in inches) for which manufacturing has long been stopped, so the "Pilot Sport Exalto PE2" is more or less in lineage with the original tyre, which are NLA.

Note that the "Pilot Sport Exalto PE2" is not certifed by Michelin for the 328s; the cars are now second hand and too few in numbers for Michelin to certify the tyre for an old sports car, BUT they are in the correct dimensions and speed index, and are Porsche certified ("NO" index).
Great tyre.

My '89 GTS, being a german car originally, was delivered new with Goodyears, which are NLA, so it is on Michelins also.
I make a point to change the tyres every six or seven years, whatever their mileage.

Rgds

 

I don't think so; the appreciations here and there are very good, it seems well liked and well considered. As for its look, the thread doesn't look too "modern" or "out of place" for a 35 year old sports car. Provided you can find it easily in the correct dimensions and speed index (which seems to be the case on this side of the Channel), it would probably make an excellent choice. It is approved by a number of manufacturers of high-performance cars. And it is not very expensive, either...probably a very good choice.
(Anyway, most recent tyres in the correct dimensions and speed indexes are vastly better than what would be the original tyres on these cars, by the way...)

Rgds

 

I'm also running Michelin Pilot Sport Exalto PE2's. I have found them very good.
Originally I replaced just the back two tyres with them. On the front were an older set of P Zero's. The car was very skittish and it felt like the front end wanted to steer on its own accord. At 50+ MPH on anything but super smooth roads it was actually hard to steer.
I fitted Michelin Pilot Sport Exalto PE2's to the front as well. The problem completely went away and the car is now a pleasure to drive.

 

A point that Neofer made that is worth noting is that ANY tire made today that meets the size/speed range of the OEM tire is a much better tire than what came on the car originally.

That was the major factor in my decision to install the Firestones, which are less expensive than some other brands. I have no issue at all with paying for more expensive tires but in the case of my '89 328, the Firestones provide more performance than the original Goodyears and since I am not concerned about a tire tread looking "period correct," it was a good choice, IMO. Plus the Firestone dealer is one mile from the house!

 

This.

Pick a tire that fits. If you only drive in warm weather, get an extreme performance summer. You will barely believe it is a street tire.

 

Agreed. When I bought my QV in 2013, I had installed the 16" set of Michelin Pilot Sport A/S3 - a high performance all season tire. It has better grip and handling than anything available back in 1984, and could also handle a cool frosty morning in the mountains better than a performance summer tire, giving me a longer driving season. I'm having those switched tomorrow to the newer Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4, for the same reasons. Even better dry road performance, even better cold temperature performance. I don't drive the car hard enough to need a max or extreme performance category tire!

Gordon

 

If you want originality then you can't go past the tyre that Ferrari put on the car from new as a cost option... the OEM Pirelli P7.

I have them on my car and am over the moon with how they look and perform.

The only catch is they are not cheap

Here's more information on them from the UK supplier and yes, that's my '89 328 GTS in the photos !!

https://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/classic-car-tyres/ferrari/328.html

 

Having P ZEROS on your car along with a completely different set is not a good idea, the car will not handle correctly.

Thank you

 

P Zeros' were never designed for the 328 chassis anyway.
Much better choices out there.

 

Ive used P Zero s, on my 328 with 17 inch wheels, for 21 years, on my 328 , they worked the absolute best, until the Michelins came out. I dont know if Pirelli made their best P ZEROS for 16 inch wheels. I am now running Continental Extreme Contact Patch on all four legs, I now have Compomotive 17 inch rims, which are 8 inch wide in the front, and 9 inch wide in the back (vs 7.5.) 235 45 17 F . 255 45 17 R , I will put these tires up against anything else on the market today. Next round, I will use 245 in the front. My car feels like its going to rip out chunks of asphalt when going around corners at twice or more the suggested velocity. Their tread pattern speaks ALL BUSINESS when it comes to meeting with the road. Im not sure if they make them for 16 inch wheels, you should check into them, oh, by the way, they are priced beyond reasonable .

Thank you

Not unless your using 17s or bigger, then they are top of the line, Ive used them for 21 years, crap mileage, but the stickiest compound thats out there. P ZEROS make the chassis work less hard , the sidewalls are stiff as can be, with 17 s they completely transformed my cars handling, its that simple.

Thank you

 

You might want to watch this video from a genuine tyre expert about fitting tyres like P Zeros to cars like 328's, etc and whether there are actually the best tyre for an older chassis...

 

LIke, I said, I have used P ZEROS for 21 years, I drive my car more aggressively than 90% of the people that own them. My car has 103 K miles, I just finished rebuilding my suspension, which by the way had 99 K miles on it, and was still working so well, that its almost impossible to tell the difference, the biggest difference I felt, was when I replaced my motor mounts. Im saying this, because its based on my 93, 000 miles driven , over 21 years, 17 inch wheels shod with P ZERO asymetrical s are a combination that just about cant be beat, other than the Pilots, and thats from what I have read. I now have 17 inch Compomotives, with Continental Extreme Contact Patch tires. and I have been pleasantly surprised with my cars handling. On my last drive, heading south on the 73s to the 55 s right hand sweeper, I was in 4th gear , and even with a dip in the concrete, the car was glued to the road, at an indicated 105 . I just had my other set of 17 s re sprayed, and I have a brand new set of PZEROs in my shop ready to be mounted when I decide to put them on my car, Im fortunate to have two sets of wheels, and two sets of targas for the car. The 3x8s are the best mass produced cars that Ferrari has ever built, the fact that they handle the way that they do, is a Testament to Ferraris design , and the engineering that went into these cars. I equate the Pirelli P ZEROS to the the Pirelli V3 tires I have on my 3 Ducatis, 2 of which have trellis frames, they stick like glue, but their mileage is lousy, Pirelli makes a great tire, and on my 328 with 17 inch wheels, its just about the best combo I can hope for, and has brought my 10 year old car ( at the time of my purchase ) into the modern world as far as handling is concerned.

Thank you

 

I want my car to handle better than it did when it came out of the factory, therefore 17s with P ZEros , gave me what I was looking for, I dont drive a Countach, I drive a 328, and the P ZEros work fantastic, now in the video, they say the P7 s would work better, that does not take way the fact that my P ZEROS. work well. I would actually try the P7s at some point, to see how my car handles any better or worse. At the time the 3x8s were manufactured, tire tech was behind the capability of these cars, im sure of that.

Thank you

 

I personally like the Kumho brand, the Ecsta series is more than enough tire for street driving on a 328. I just today ordered a set of the PS31, so I'm looking forward to seeing how these ride.

 

funny i had no satisfaction with the ecstas. car was all over the place. even after 4wheel aligning.

switched to bridgestone RE-11's (current mount). can't really rave about them either, although they stopped the tramline.

for some reason, i have been underwhelmed with the tires on this ferrari.

and as guiseppe (my carozzeria) says "they look like tires off a lamborghini tractor." he'd know!

one things for sure, YOU CANNOT compare with other cars and tires you've had. every cars' got its own needs.

tag....you're it!

 

Its all about GRIP ! Not about ride. With that being said, what is it that you want from your Ferrari ? Do you want maximum corner velocity that the chassis and suspension are capable of ? I know I do. I want to feel the limits of what the car can do . I want the widest width / along with the best profile tire I can get on the spindles . I love Pirelli, Continental, and I have heard Michelin are fantastic. I love to feel the resistance of the wheels meeting the road through the steering wheel and the peddles. These 3x8s are , for lack of a better word, the best drivers cars that Ferrari has ever produced, other the the F40, which is the very best , its that simple.( the 355 / 348 are very good drivers as well ) Testarossa as well, other than its pretty wide for some of So Cals narrow canyon sensations.

Thank you

 

I just put new tires on about two months ago. One thing I can say is that due to the Covid thing the tires you choose may not be available. I found that putting an order through TireRack will tell you weather or not you can get them because their results were exactly what I got from the local tire shops as well. I ended up putting on a set of P-Zero Rossos because well, that's what was available. Kind'a expensive but I do really like them so far.