The time has come (as the walrus said, for Lewis Carroll fans) to replace my well worn tires. I have the optional wheels with 20's in front and back and I can't find any alternatives to the stock Pirelli PZero tires other than the Goodyear F1 GS-D3's. I'm quite happy with the Pirellis but I would like to explore other stickier tires like the Pirelli Corsa's on my CS, which apart from not being listed on any tire sellers sites don't appear to be available in the correct sizes - 245/35 ZR20 front and 305/35 ZR20 rear. Any ideas anyone, and any opinions on the Goodyears?
I had these on my 2000 MB CLK 430. I really love 'em. Sticky as hell, and offer tremendous grip on wet surfaces. I only had one issue, this being with the front set. The MB steering set up tends to ride a little hard on the front lateral edges in turns and the lateral edges wore down prematurely to a point. Once they reach a certain percentage it seems to stop. All things considered, I believe I got about 13k out of the front set and about 10 or 11k on the rears. I drive somewhere between moderate to aggressively. Have you checked the tire rack for your tires?
No Ferrari , but I had a set on my car and loved them. I used the 275 40 17's on the front and 315 35 17's on the back. They are relatively quiet, and stick well in both we and dry conditions. They also have excellent treadwear. I participated in a SCCA driving course, and 2 autocrosses (novice class) with minimal wear. Granted I only had half the power you do, but I think you will be happy with them. Unfortunately hurricane Katrina prevented me from finding out just how long they would have lasted. If you have any specific questions I will be happy to try to answer them for you. Hope this helps.
None of these are available in the right sizes, especially in the rears which are 305/35/20. It's tough to source wide tires I guess...
A I recently read that the rears were developed specifically for the car and are hand made in Pirelli's racing division. They apparently ship with a lower tread depth of 5.5mm to assist stability at higher speeds whilst the fronts retain a more normal 7mm depth to reduce aquaplaning in wet conditions, I've only seen Dunlop Sport Max listed in the same size but would personally think it better to stay with the Pirellis
The Michelin corporate site lists PS2 tires in the correct 599 sizes for front and rear, but none of the national retailers like Tire Rack or Discount Tire have the sizes on their sites. I will follow up with them on Wednesday because the idea of PS2 tires is quite appealing as an alternative to the Pirellis. These tires don't last more than 5,000 miles anyway so if they are no good I will go back to Pirellis soon enough
<gulp!> What is that, like 28c/mile in rubber - yikes! I've always preferred Michelins over Pirellis when given a choice, so I'll be interested to hear if you manage to source the tires...
Actually, swapping full set q 5k is about .36/mile Treadwear rating of rears is 60, made out of gum. No tickee, no laundry Alex, I suspect Corsa Zero in our sizes due soon enough-newest iteration on 430Scud, not old PZero Corsa, a new Zero Corsa. I like PS2's, but their sidewalls are a bit soft for the car. The runflat option is a Bridgestone, probably the crap RE050's on our Superamericas OEM. Run from the Goodyears, a few heat cycles, and they're rock hard. You'd be very disappointed. Swap rears for now with OEM, or do all 4 (I'm getting close), New Corsas prob out soon enough.
Thanks for the cogent response. I was in a Sears tire store today (only tire store open in PHX) fixing a hole in my right rear on the 599 and they tried to find the PS2 rears in their system. The Michelin order system told them it had a part number but there were none available, so I suspect it is a special order order tire with a long lead time. My tires can go another 1,000 miles or so but they're reaching the point where the rears pick up sharp objects as if they are coated in Stik-Em. I've removed three screws in the past four weeks from the rears. The Pirellis in the Ferrari sizes are around $1800 for all four from Tire rack plus $50 per wheel to mount and balance with AZ mobile tire - a great service. They come to the house in a fully mobile shop and get the whole job done in under an hour.
That AZ Mobile tire deal sounds fantastic. How do the people at Sears react when you bring a Ferrari to them? Around here they would look at you like you were crazy. I have the run flats. They are the Bridgestone RE050s and so far (2300 miles or so) I have to say that I am more impressed than I thought I would have been. For regular street driving my only complaint is the ride seems like it is a drop harder with these than it would otherwise be with regular tires. But I like the peace of mind factor- a lot of construction going on around here and nails and also potholes are a reality. One thing I seem to recall from the owners manual- if you change from run flats to regular tires you need to have the dealer reprogram the cars computer. Do you know what this is for? The Magnoride suspension or the F1 Trac or both? I suspect it might be both. best regards, Jerry
