17s 2nd gen with Pirelli Pzero Nero

[gdouaire]

Got some used tires + mags for this summer - and they are P235/55 ZR17 with Pirelli PZero Nero, and stock 2nd generation Aurora mags.

Anyone ever road a 2nd generation with these? A friend of mine rode this type of tires ( albeit with a completely different car), but felt these were noisy and had uneven wear pattern.

[kbpickle]

Hi gdouaire,

I had Pirelli P Zero Nero on a 2003 4.0 for 40,000 miles from March 2005 through May 2007. Quite a while ago. In my part of the country I think many folks run all-season tires year 'round. These were my first replacement tires after the OEM tires (and today I can't even remember the make and model OEM tire.) I think I remember that there was still good tread on the Pirellis after 40K.

Positives for me: good enough tread life; grippy and responsive.
Negatives for me: a little noisy; a little harsh.

After trying tires both ways, eventually I came to decide I was more interested in comfort than responsiveness, and have been buying tires for comfort and quiet rather than grippy and responsive ever since. But, the other way seems just as reasonable to me for the Aurora - - just personal preference.

Ken

p.s.: I suppose that the P ZeroNeros I bought 10 years ago are the same tire today. But maybe not. You also might check out the sidewall of the tires to be sure they're not 10 years old!!! Visit one of the tire store websites to see how to identify the code for the date of manufacture. You really do not want to be riding around on 10-yr old tires.

kbp

[tigger]

My '01 had PZero Neros when we got it. I'll second kbpickle's review; they're not terrible, they're not great either, lol. I 'd say they're a good choice at that pricepoint. A little more sticky, decent sidewall strength. Treadwear wasn't bad, and was pretty even in my experience (~30k mi.). Uneven wear in any tire is usually suspension/rotation related anyway.

Noise may be a totally different issue. I live in a fairly mild climate, central South Carolina, and I ran these year-round for 3+ years. Pirelli advertises these tires as "All Season", but that may be reaching. I did noticed increased noise, decreased grip during the "cold" months, but you should be fine using them for summer tires.

A few words from Pirelli;
The P Zero Nero (nero Italian for black) is Pirelli’s Max Performance Summer tire developed for the drivers of sports cars, sporty coupes and medium-large sedans. The P Zero Nero was developed to work harder so the driver could play harder exploiting the sporting character of their high performance car. Pirelli’s warranty does not cover tires that develop compound cracking due to use in ambient temperatures below 45° Fahrenheit (7° Celsius), so the P Zero Nero, like all summer tires, is not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice.