Kings of the road (Pirelli Tyres)

Member Name: andycharger

Product:	Pirelli Tyres
Date:	20/09/02 (4970 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Price, Handling

Disadvantages: Cracking side walls

You car and its road handling are only as good as the 4 bits or rubber that transfer the power to the tarmac. This is always worth considering when you are buying new tyres.
What is also important is its longevity and lastability. No one wants a tyre that will last you for only a few miles and needs replacing every few months.

So what is a good make? Who makes a wide enough range of tyres to accomodate many cars?
Well there are a few and most of which I have tried. However, my preferred choice has got to be Pirelli.
On all of my cars, I have owned pirelli tyre at some time. My old Primera has now gone to my wife as a run around but it does eat tyres. Due to its power steering, it likes to rub the outside corners off within a few thousand miles.
However, this time, the rubber on the front was not Pirelli but Dunlop. This has been chewed through by the nation's roads at an alarming rate.
Added to this, the tracking has been out and damaged them further.
The soft compound tyres are great for grip and ride comfort but they dont help in tyre wear.
Pirelli avoid the tyre wear problem by making a series of tyre that are tailored around the road. They are built to absorb the characteristics of the surface and not lose tread too quickly.
The rubber used in their moulds is a medium hardness consistency. This leads to a hard wearing tyre but still soft enough to give great handling.

Performance in the rain is also superb. The "Rain Gulleys" cut into the likes of Michellin and Dunlop seem to do minimal improvements to their tyres while Pirelli persevere with the traditional tread pattern. However, I find that their rain performance is more than equal to the other makes' rain tyres. They also benefit from a better dry handling.

Tread pattern itself is of a very formal design. You can see that some thought has gone into how the rubber is moving around when on the road. This is what holds the road and is

very important. The "jagged" look to the middle of the tyre looks cool on the car. However, the grooves dont seem to be as spaced out as some patterns on other tyres. This leads to little movement of the rubber. Great for firm handling in the dry.

Price.
Suprisingly good. On the primera, we seem to be limited to 3 makes of tyre, of which Pirelli is one. The size the car takes is 185/65/15.
This means it is 185mm Across the tread (width of the tyre), 65 high from the wheel to the tread (side wall height) and 15 inch inner diameter (the metal wheel size).
Compare the prices at KWIK FIT.
Dunlop V Rated 185/65/15 = £108 fitted
Pirelli V Rated 185/65/15 = £118 fitted
Michellin V rated 185/65/15 = £130 fitted.

This shows they are a mid priced tyre if a little expensive for the size.

Dunlop would probably give you a few thousand less miles than the Pirelli due to its softness and the Michellin is so closely macthed in performance that the Pirelli is the better option financially.

Perishability.
Hmm. Its one let down. I find that as the pirellis age, they tend to suffer from side wall cracking. While this is not dangerous or a threat to your safety, it does look ugly and shows that the rubber hardens with age. It might have something to do with the length of time they are on the car!


Overall.
A great tyre and available for most cars. good wet and dry performance, good longevity and a cool tread pattern. What more could you want from a tyre.

Summary: