Our car has Pirelli PZeros which seem to work quite nicely....as far as I can tell at least. Traction is good in most circumstances. They currently have 7000km and might last until 10K...the car really eats rubber (and fuel) I'm wondering if other owners have any experiences with other tires? Are PZeros the best option? Thanks in advance, Carlo
Does Michelin make its PS2 in the appropriate sizes? I went from the Pirellis to the PS2s on my 575 w/ 19" modulars and could not be happier. I know a lot of people want to boycott Michelin because of the snafu at the Indy F1 race, but I have found Michelin to make a superior tire to Pirelli. My PS2s are quieter, track straighter, and just feel better than the Pirelli's did. I don't know about the wear characteristics, though. Haven't had them long enough.
Yes, I heard similar comments regarding Michelins from an F430 owner. I think they're available in 599 sizes (20/35/245 and 20/35/305). I'll have to phone our tire shop to confirm this. One thing that's for certain is that Bridgestones are a definite no. We had them on the 997 4S and they were very noisy and didn't offer any particularly good grip. Do any 599 owners have any experience with Michelins??
From what i understand the current Pirelli P-zero tires that are on most ferrari's and maserati's wear very badly, i've put a lot of PS2's on my customers cars and all are very happy. They do make a 245/35/20 and 305/35/20 but the rear is a new tire so i think its not yet available in all markets, but in Europe it should be out.
Look here and all your questions will be answered. Pick the size you want. Taz TerryPhillips http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Sizes.jsp?make=Michelin&model=Pilot+Sport+PS2
The price are VERY good on that site!! There is no way you can find those kind of tires with those kind of prices in Europe. On that site the Michellin rear tires are $303. On an equivalent Italian site (which offers excellent prices) the rears are 480 Euros (almost $700) I'll phone our tire shop later and see if they can do any better. At this point I'm tempted by the Michelins. I didn't expect so many pro-Michelin comments. I was looking at the car's tires yesterday and the rears are getting worn quickly but the front tires still look pretty good. That means that she's probably going to have another set of Pirelli rears as the front tires are still good. The next time (as it will be time to change front & rear tires) we'll see how the Michelins are like. Are other owners changing the front tires for every 2 rear changes? Is it a common/recommendable thing to do?
Treadwear rating for PZ rears (Italian made) is 60. Treadwear rating for fronts & Michelins is 220. Front Pirellis made in Germany. Car was designed with PZero, PZero designed for it. Yep, rears aren't cheap. Only thing between your butt and pavement is the tire. I love PS2,s but I'm not looking for ride. use my car very hard, and it is hard to keep rear end planted even with gumballs on it. I have used PS2's on other Ferraris, they are great, ride nice, wear well. But truly at limit, they may not handle this thing. If you never max out the car, they're fine, but if you do, I'd use the PZ's. I figure 2/1 r/f replacement. Such is cost of the car. We don't need to do belt services, and tires a lot cheaper than that. I usually have 2/1 r/f replacement anyway, putting 600ps through one axle does that. I have PS2's now on a 4wd car, and they're wearing equally, car driven very hard also. I have had a few belt failures with PS2's, had 2 with set on 4wd car in less than 200mi. That soon is manufacturing defect. So I'm really uncomfortable with them for now. 3cm bulges at bead at 100mph certainly do that to you. Haven't had that happen in years, last time was set of gummy Dunlops, 3/4 failed at 100mph, 2.5 cm bulges. Haven't bought them since. YMMV. BTW, been buying from Tire Rack since 1977. Service is impeccable, always has been. I always end up calling their old 800 #, now a jobber/manufacturer line, as I know it by heart. They've even gotten factory engineers to chat with me about tire issues when they couldn't answer questions (rare, but I need info sometimes only the engineers know). Don't know if they do EU delivery, but would be worth it if duty/shipping less than price difference. At least you can leverage dealer at home.
Thank you for your input Sfumato. So the 599 was designed with the Pirellis? I didn't know that. Very interesting. Given the car's power, I would say that grip is more important than ride. If the Pzeros offer more safety on the limit than that's what counts as far as I'm concerned. Neither me or my father are road racers when driving the 599, but you never know when the extra grip might come in handy. It's interesting how there are so many diverging opinions regarding tires. I will definitely investigate that as prices are very interesting indeed.
i think PS2's are the best tire.period. on the limit and no holds barred they are better. pure performance. all that bs about what the car was designed on is just that, bsMARKETING. i have experimented with all, and every ferrari and porsche and bmw i have is on ps2's and it has made a significant performance difference.
Well, thanks for that well supported rant. As I said, I have had PS2's on my Maranellos (they were great, better than PZ Rossos and SO2's), my Z8, my W12, others. I had belt failure on 2/4 of the set on the W12. 234 miles. At 100+. Replacements fine at several thousand miles. But I've NEVER had that happen on a Michelin of any kind in 30+ years using them. EVER. So PS2's are great tires, but I don't completely trust them now, or at least production standards. I pretty much only use Michelin, Pirelli, and occasionally Bridgestone or Yokes on street cars. Been using Michelin since the X/XWX, and Pirelli as long (CN36). Have had comp versions from both. Tire development with car does make a difference, it isn't "marketing BS". If you had any clue about tire engineering, you'd know that. The treadwear rating of 60 on the rear PZ's on 599 make them basically a Corsa http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.jsp?make=Pirelli&model=PZero+Corsa+System&tirePageLocQty=. Fronts are 220, as are all others so far in the new PZ line. Ferrari didn't change tire with the HGTE version either. That isn't marketing. Treadwear ratings best explained elsewhere (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=48), but PS2's are 220. Pilot Cup's are 80 http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.jsp?make=Michelin&model=Pilot+Sport+Cup&tirePageLocQty=. Go look at tread and sidewall construction, and whether rayon, nylon, or steel, how many of each. Every damn one makes a difference in handling, ride, and breakaway. If you can't tell us which does what, then your marketing comment is BS. Glad you like your PS2's. If they're the best for you, swell. But there isn't a "best tire".
a) i dont believe any of these tires are developed for a specific car, it is marketing. thus, Porsche magically shows up with Pirelli's on its GT3 this year and now Michelin will be standard on the next F-cars.... b) i love my Michelin PS2's although the new Pirelii Corsa on the scud is a close 2nd c) numbers and ratings mean little, what matters on a street tire to me is feedback, and ride quality. no one is driving a tire to its limits on the street. gimme a break. d) i dont really give a ****, and i was just trying to help a brother out, because the fact is that the 599 ""feels"" much better to me on PS2's than on the stock Pirelli's IMO.....
Some of us could give a crap about ride quality. You mention it constantly, wanted to mod your 599 suspension for a better ride. If you looked at the sidewall construction of a PS2, it is very different than a PZ, and for 30+ years, Michelins have ALWAYS been more compliant and soft riding due to softer sidewalls with more rayon, less nylon usually. You knew that I'm sure. Your conjecture that a softer ride handles better is naive, but whatever. And some of us drive places where the limit isn't far away, and a 300mi drive may encounter a dozen cars. Helping out and being dogmatic over PS2's are 2 different things. Even in 458 thread. The PS2 is an old tire, it's due for replacement. Where better to show replacement off than a new Ferrari. BTW, the Corsas on a Scud have exactly the same construction as a 599 PZ.
