What are the best tires for the 348? | FerrariChat

What are the best tires for the 348?

Discussion in '348/355' started by cforg308, Apr 23, 2007.

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  1. cforg308

    cforg308 Karting

    Nov 16, 2004
    98
    Stroudsburg PA
    Full Name:
    Chris
    I went to the classic coach tech. session on Sat. & was told I needed tires. I have the p-zero's on the car now & they seem fine, just worn. I was looking around on tire rack & they are twice the price of almost every other brand. Are they really worth it or are there better choices out there? I used the search feature here but nothing real clear came up.

    Thanks,
    Chris
     
  2. JohnnyS

    JohnnyS F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Oct 19, 2006
    15,280
    Illinois
    Full Name:
    John
    Probably depends on what kind of driving you will want to do. Also, a picture of the tread would help.

    I suspect that for daily driving they may be fine, but if you want to track the car, replacement with a tire that is rated for the speed you want to achieve would be required. Like I said, hard to tell without more details. What do you want to do?
     
  3. cforg308

    cforg308 Karting

    Nov 16, 2004
    98
    Stroudsburg PA
    Full Name:
    Chris
    Thanks for the info so far! I really just do some spirited drives & some club events. I won't track the car because it's in mint condition.
     
  4. potxoli

    potxoli Formula 3

    Mar 22, 2007
    1,716
    Washington DC
    Full Name:
    Eric B.
    On my 2003 C4S (porsche 996) I just put on Bridgestone Pole Position RE050's. They are cheaper that P-Zeros or my OEM Conti sport contact 2's, but still excellent tires. They came highly recommended both by the tirerack guy that participates on the 996 board and by a local tireshop that gets a lot of performance cars.

    From personal experience, compared to the sport contact 2's, they are much better. Grip is better, noise is lower. They are a summer performance tire though. Won't do well in near freezing temperatures.

    Hope this helps
     
  5. speedy_sam

    speedy_sam F1 Veteran

    Jul 13, 2004
    5,559
    TX
    Full Name:
    Sameer
    Sadly due to the odd 348 tire sizes, we are limited to a few sets only. On tirerack we have:
    1. Pirelli PZero System - $233/tire
    2. Avon M500 - $102-114/tire
    3. Fuzion Zri - $97-98/tire
    4. Kumho Ecsta SPT - $92-99/tire

    I have the Fuzion on my car. It is pretty decent considering the price. I will be trying the Ecsta SPT next. I like this tire on my Audi.
     
  6. cforg308

    cforg308 Karting

    Nov 16, 2004
    98
    Stroudsburg PA
    Full Name:
    Chris
    The p-zero's are alot more, but are they worth the money?
     
  7. Doug Kless

    Doug Kless Formula Junior

    May 24, 2004
    452
    Huntersville, NC
    I'm on my second set of P-Zero's and love them. Haven't tracked the car but they've had plenty of excercise. Don't have any wet weather feedback as princess doesn't run in the questionable weather. :)
     
  8. speedy_sam

    speedy_sam F1 Veteran

    Jul 13, 2004
    5,559
    TX
    Full Name:
    Sameer
    Not to me. The Kumho's and Fuzion's are Z rated tires too. Its not like they are a cheap H rated tire. They have pretty good reviews.

    But if you can afford to slap on a set of P Zeros - why not go for it? Italian tires on Italian car sounds quite nice to me.

    I am likely to put about 5k miles per year on my car and forsee changing tires every 2-2.5 years. The extra $500 I save by picking the Kumhos can well go into something else. Similarly for those of you who like to track the car, it makes no sense to spend that much money on a set of tires that wont last more than a couple weekends.
     
  9. procure95

    procure95 Formula Junior

    Dec 17, 2006
    587
    PA, USA
    Full Name:
    Giovanni (John)
    They came with the car and are fabulous
     
  10. PAP 348

    PAP 348 Ten Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Dec 10, 2005
    100,220
    Mount Isa, Australia
    Full Name:
    Pap


    I got some prices yesterday here in Australia for some Pirelli tyres for my 348.
    255/40/17's Pirelli Pzero systems will cost me AU$780 each! :(:(
    255/40/17's Pirelli Corsa systems will cost me AU$610 each. :(:(
    We get ripped on everything in Australia......:(:(
     
  11. vvassallo

    vvassallo F1 Veteran

    Aug 4, 2006
    8,325
    Palos Verdes
    Full Name:
    Vince V
    If u want to access better tires and more choices than the 4 sets shown on Tirerack, I would suggest decreasing the profile of the fronts. The stock size makes it a challenge. You want to keep the rears since your speedo/odo runs off these and u want to avoid errors. Stock is PZero's or S01's. You can get PZero's but there is a difference between Assymetricos and Directiziones. You might try Yokohama's with a slightly smaller profile up front. I was using AVS's with 215x40x17 up front (vrs. 45) and they worked great. Oh yeah, u might want to check tire profiles yourself becasue not everyone is consistent. A PZero 45 might be shorter than an S01 45, for example.

    Alternatively, you could swap out for 18's via the 355 wheels. There are many more tire set choices. I'm running PZero's now - Directiziones on the rear and Assyms on the front (or is it the other way around? :p). Whatever. My preference is for Michelin Pilot Sports, but they come at a cost. The Yokes are probably the best value for performance for the money.
     
  12. marco348

    marco348 Karting

    Apr 24, 2006
    53
    Ontario,Canada
    Full Name:
    Marco M
    HI Guys when I bought my 92 348tb the seller put 2 new rear tires (Fuzion) two pass safety, the fronts were Pirelli. The 4 hour ride home was the scariest ride of my life the car would change lanes by it's self. Then put all 4 new Pirelli Pzero's the car handled 75% better. Then put spacers now 99% better,on the track and street. The biggest thing to look at is the tread wear on the tire you choose, Pirelli 140 AA very soft compoundand excellent grip, but wear fast.The higher the number the harder the compound. The best to stay below 300 AA. Good luck

    Fuzion 320 AA
    Avon 280 AA
     
  13. PAP 348

    PAP 348 Ten Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Dec 10, 2005
    100,220
    Mount Isa, Australia
    Full Name:
    Pap

    Bloody hell!! :(:(
     
  14. vegas1

    vegas1 F1 Rookie

    Jul 28, 2004
    4,202
    Australia
    Pirelli P-Zeros for me
     
  15. AR!

    AR! Formula Junior

    Apr 8, 2004
    981
    Berlin, Germany
    That seems to be normal with Ferrari. When I changed just the rear tires ( my old Dunlop S 9000) a similar thing happened, b/c the new tires where much softer. Had to buy 4 new ones and chose P Zeros Rosso Asymetrico.

    Good tires are the most cost effective performance upgrade one can get. I think it is silly to drive a car that is bought for its performance and than economize on tires.

    What the best tire is depends pretty much on the demand profile. E.g.: I personnaly am willing to sacrifice some dry road performance for more safety in the rain.

    I have been following reviews over the years and as tire development is still quite dynamic the favourites change from year to year. Brands that have always had their products ranked among the best where Dunlop, Pirelli, Continental and Michelin.
     
  16. PAP 348

    PAP 348 Ten Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Dec 10, 2005
    100,220
    Mount Isa, Australia
    Full Name:
    Pap

    You know what mate............you are absolutely right!!! :):):)
     
  17. cforg308

    cforg308 Karting

    Nov 16, 2004
    98
    Stroudsburg PA
    Full Name:
    Chris
    Thanks for all the help. I love Ferrari chat & I don't know what I would do without it.

    Chris
     
  18. PAP 348

    PAP 348 Ten Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Dec 10, 2005
    100,220
    Mount Isa, Australia
    Full Name:
    Pap


    It is a fantastic place to be isnt it Chris! :):)
    I love this place! The 348 Brotherhood ROCKS!! :D:D
     
  19. Salsero

    Salsero Karting

    Oct 6, 2006
    198
    MY
    Full Name:
    Rezal
    Has anyone tried Goodyear F1s? This tire came tops in both Car & Driver, Evo Tirerack testings.

    I've personally used it on my previous BMW E34 5-series (235/45/18s F&R) and they were amazing in the dry (you could see the pebbles and rocks sticking to them when you parked) and astounding in the wet (drove through standing water with nary a hint of aquaplanning).

    What's the widest profile that one can use with the OEM 348 rims (F&R) and yet maintain the same handling characteristics with OEM set-up? I have the spacers at the rear.

    Right now, my car tends to understeer if I go in too hot. Like my previous 993, I've found that the trick is to lift slightly for the front to turn in before hitting the gas. Anyone else doing this? I'm assuming that the lighter front end due to the mid-engine design gives the car a natural understeering tendency. I've yet to explore the limits of the PZeroes as I haven't had the opportunity to track the car yet (the closest track, 40 minutes away is the Sepang F1 circuit).
     
  20. vvassallo

    vvassallo F1 Veteran

    Aug 4, 2006
    8,325
    Palos Verdes
    Full Name:
    Vince V
    Goodyear F1's are nice tires, but really really soft and, like 5000 mile tire life. They are best for lighter cars (like our Ferraris), but heavier ones will scrub them clean to slickville in no time. I consider them a good option.
     
  21. tjacoby

    tjacoby F1 Rookie

    Nov 1, 2003
    2,857
    Vancouver Canada
    Full Name:
    tj
    tires are a tough call. I wore out my yellow-label P-Zero's (18k km's). Trying to stick to stock tire size was a problem and went with the Bridgestone Fuzions.

    They stick a lot better in the rain and cooler temperatures, so expect warmer performance will be better as well. They're also a larger rolling diameter so the speedometer actually reads accurately now (at all legal speeds anyways :)).

    But I feel a lost a fair bit of on-centre feel. upp'd the air pressure 3 lbs to 35lbs all-round and it's better but not as hyper-sensitive as the P-Zero's were (which I liked).

    Also expecting better wear than the P-Zero's so I've got some driving to do before justifying replacing them.

    I also had the alignment done at the same time, and the shop went to -1.5 at the rear, so may up that to -2.1 and see if that helps.

    Tires are a tough call!
     
  22. cforg308

    cforg308 Karting

    Nov 16, 2004
    98
    Stroudsburg PA
    Full Name:
    Chris
    Ferrari is using Bridgestone's so they must be good for something.
     
  23. tjacoby

    tjacoby F1 Rookie

    Nov 1, 2003
    2,857
    Vancouver Canada
    Full Name:
    tj
    I couldn't get Potenza's in 348 sizes up here in Canada when I needed tires. Something about special order, blah blah blah... Next time I think I'll special order and wait, or TireRack.
     
  24. speedy_sam

    speedy_sam F1 Veteran

    Jul 13, 2004
    5,559
    TX
    Full Name:
    Sameer

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