550 tires

My 550 came with Pilots. I found them to be kind of mushy on turn-in. At least they felt that way to me. I now have Rosso's on the car and they feel great. I have driven a 550 with Bridgestones and they felt sharper all around than either the Pirelli or Michelins. Just my opinion. Next time I'm trying Bridgestones.

 

Has anybody come accross run-flat tires for the 550 yet? I realize that they will be very stiff tires, but I'm planning a long road trip this Summer and thinking that this might be the way to go.

DrTax

 

I think the new BMW 645 is going to have run flats. Are they Continentals? I'm not sure.

 

I have Pirellis - good grip overall, a tad bit mushy on turn-in, but good feel. Wear is pretty good, they seem to be holding up well. Not the stickiest tire around, but I'd say a good balance. Good rain holding too.

Going to try the Bridgestones next.

--Dan

 

Same here, have PZeros and going for Bridgestone S02s next.

Check also:
http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1810
http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1809

 

I have Bridgestones and have had no experience with the other tires.. neither the Pirellis nor the Michelins. But I love my tires. Won't be tempted to change to anything else.

 

bridgestone has ceased making the S02 tires.

you can still find them here and there, but i'd be concerned how long and where they've been sitting for months or years.

doody.

 

Had Pzeds on old car, were rocks, and didn't stick. S-02's on current car, really nice tire. I love Pilots, have'em on several other cars now, and they are great in rain, actually got more than 15k out of a set a couple times.

Dr. Tax, avoid runflats like the plague. Had'em on Z8 (Bridge RE040's)ROCK hard, didn't stick. Swapped to Pilots, rides great, sticks now.
Get M-Mobility kit from BMW dealer and buy normal tires.
A few Yokes out there are nice too, AVS Sport is OK, will fit Maranellos, OEM on Vanquish.

Lee

BTW Doody, there are production date codes on sidewall. I bought a set of S-02's recently for another car, had recent codes. I'll find ref if ya need it. Not as easy as milk dating, but not bad.

 

Well, I am planning on driving the 550 to PB and back this Summer with the goal of avoiding the superslabs whenever possible. Those rocks in Colorado are pretty darn sharp! They told me at FOH the same thing you said, run-flats on a sports car is a no go. But I was just wondering for touring purposes.

Also, when you get a chance, I'd love to have a lecture on tire dating.

DrTax

 

Bridge S02s are still on the official Bridge catalogue here:
http://www.bridgestone-eu.com/upload/album/AP_208.pdf
When you look for S03s in 295/35/18, the product sheet references S02s.
Had no problem sourcing S01s for my 355 neither, did not check the lot no, don't know if it's possible to decipher the mfg date, but even if they were old, they are just as sticky as the previous batch I used (and stand comparison with PZeros on a track).

 

???

milk dating?



doody.

 

Monday I had four tires put on my 550 by my dealer. When I came to pick up the beast, it had Michelin Pilot Sport tires. Tomorrow I begin a 60-hour 1,000 mile trip on them. I know my dealer will not fail me.

 

Make sure you carry a spacesaver spare, and not just the cans of goop. Otherwise when this happens:
http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4711
You'll be stuck in the middle of nowhere.

I've actually got a full-size spare now - front wheel - so I've got a 50-50 chance of keeping going, and if a rear goes, at least I can limp into the nearest town...

 

Bart: 60 hours to do 1000 miles? Cmon now buddy!

--Dan

 

Back to an old topic ...
My PZeros are reaching EOL. Not keen on paying a premium for Michelins which end up not delivering so I am swinging between Bridge S02s (which are now obsolete but some stock may remain) and S03s, which are now available in std OEM dimensions (255/40-18, 295/35-18) - http://www.bridgestone-eu.com/upload/album/AP_9562.pdf

Are Bridges visibly date coded ? Found nothing obvious on the 355's S01s, except something which looks more like a PN.

 

shark - keep us posted on the 03s. my michelin's are rapidly being consumed (gee, i wonder how?) and i'll be looking later this year.

doody.

 

I just put a set of michelin pilot sports on my 550. They have been to the Bay Area, San Diego, and Las Vegas in the heat. So far so good.

 

I actually mounted a set of S02s.
For some strange reason, S03s were not available in the right dims, rear AND front. S02s were also one of the OEM mounts, and I trust the fact that cars are tuned to somehow fit the OEM tires.

Running the tires in so I can't comment yet on grip, but the car subjectively feels a tad smoother (but not softer). The tires look a bit more roundish than the PZeros, a step back in this area.

Question on tire pressure: the passenger door sticker specs 2.2 bars (32.3 PSI).
The tire specialist recommends that I run 2.5 bars (36.7 PSI) because the S02s are unidirectional and have very rounded edges, otherwise they would wear off on the sides too quickly.
Advice/experience ?

 

I have the Pilot Sports on my 550 (rear tires are new from F-car dealer) and they are OK. Had them on the track for about 20 minutes, got them pretty hot, not too mushy on the the road course and arrow straight on the stretches. I have not had any other tires on mine so I am not in a position to compre them to the Pirellis, although I had the P-zeros on my 348 and they wore down quickly.

 

Hey, where's the Maranello bunch ? The wise guys who know ?

 

Hey ZS:

Factory settings are pretty good start point. I have S-02's on my current car, love'em. If you can access a digital pyrometer, use it to fine tune pressures based on heat buildup across tread. Best way to do it IMHO. Driving styles actually can favor one setup over another. Measure cold @ inside;middle; and outside of each tire, chart, then measure after driving your favorite test road/ track. I usually do couple samples/runs. Hotter on edges responds to more pressure, hotter in center responds to less pressure.

I think Dave can speak with authority on this, since he is a track-whore
I may be full of crap, YMMV

Lee
Another Titanio owner...

 

Thanks. What temp difference/gradient is to be considered meaningfull i.e. indicative of an improper pressure setting ?
What is the optimal temperature working range for such road tires ?

 

Depends...how's that for an answer?

If tire temps pretty uniform after hard drive +/- 5-10 degrees, I guess, then you are OK. If the disparity is larger, then you need to adjust. That;s why I do a few samples/adjust/run, repeat....

Street tires really don't have an optimal temp, other than temperate climates. Cold tires are stiffer. Really not a critical problem, huge tolerances of temps. Overheating a tire thru alignment problems, load, i.e. bankings in corners, weight of car/load too great, etc. is uncommon, but can be fatal.

Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than I can fill in more.

Lee