Pirelli P Zero OEM fit to G80& G81 M3s - thoughts?

Pirelli P Zero OEM fit to G80& G81 M3s - thoughts?

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Discussion

sly fox

Original Poster:

2,236 posts

226 months

Monday 6th November 2023
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First time i've ever had Pirelli tyres on a car, and i have to say i'm not impressed with the poor wet weather performance - both in traction and how they handle standing water.

I gather it's a known feature of these tyres - they just don't seem up to the power/torque/weight of the current M3. I've done 3000 miles on them and can't really think of any positives. Not particularly quiet, wet traction out of roundabouts is poor ( 4WD car losing traction on light> medium acceleration) etc.

Other than the obvious Star Marked Michelin PS4S's - what other tyres have folks changed to? Continental SC7?

I looked at winter tyres the other day and for the standard staggered fit sizes, they are very expensive indeed.

rassi

2,480 posts

258 months

Monday 6th November 2023
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Is yours a RWD or Xdrive? I have the PS4S, and the consensus is that they are indeed superior to the Pirellis - a bit random which ones are mounted from the factory.

No experience with the Continental, but if I were you I would stick some PS4S on, bearing in mind that with the lower temperature any summer tyre will struggle. I change to winter tyres whenever the ambient temperature is below 7 C.

sly fox

Original Poster:

2,236 posts

226 months

Monday 6th November 2023
quotequote all
It's G80 Comp XDrive.

So yes i lost traction accelerating off a roundabout in light rain. Not impressed. Wasn't even that cold (11/12c)

Happy with Michelin PS4S's - used them several time before and a great all rounder. Just interested to see if and how many folk had swapped off the Pirelli's. I just don't think they are up to the car's performance, certainly not in the wet.

Notsofastfrank

216 posts

202 months

Monday 6th November 2023
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A vote for SC7 here. Had them on my F82 for just under a year. Good traction and grip. I have been very impressed with the amount of grip in the recent wet weather, I think they beat PS4S in that respect. Wear also seems reasonable.

Hammy98

856 posts

99 months

Tuesday 7th November 2023
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I just swapped from the P Zeros to PS4s on my X Drive M5 and it's night and day.
I didn't realise how bad the Pirelli's were until I switched.

The decision was helped by the fact I've had 2 Pirelli's deform and end up with runout, causing vibration.
First one was replaced by Pirelli under warranty, the second one was lost by them during inspection...

sly fox

Original Poster:

2,236 posts

226 months

Tuesday 7th November 2023
quotequote all
Thanks folks, glad this has been confirmed by others and not just in my head.

I assume it's down to the fact that the P Zero is quite an old tyre design now.

Never tried continental summer tyres before, so will give the SC7 a shot.




Tagteam

320 posts

30 months

Tuesday 7th November 2023
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Hammy98 said:
I just swapped from the P Zeros to PS4s on my X Drive M5 and it's night and day.
I didn't realise how bad the Pirelli's were until I switched.

The decision was helped by the fact I've had 2 Pirelli's deform and end up with runout, causing vibration.
First one was replaced by Pirelli under warranty, the second one was lost by them during inspection...
Same for me on a e92. Grip on wet was night and day

sly fox

Original Poster:

2,236 posts

226 months

Friday 10th November 2023
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Went to order the Conti SC7's. - but none of the retailers local or online had any stock, so Michelin PS4S being sorted on Tuesday.
Bonus- current Michelin promotion for £100 cashback still applies until the end of November.

sly fox

Original Poster:

2,236 posts

226 months

Friday 10th November 2023
quotequote all
Plot twist - tyre place got back to me and SC7's are in stock so back to plan A.

Whichever i end up with i'm sure they are leagues better than Pzero's. Actually triggered the ABS on a wet sliproad this morning coming off the M4 under light braking.

It's like they are positively allergic to water.

JMBMWM5

2,344 posts

205 months

Wednesday 15th November 2023
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sly fox said:
Plot twist - tyre place got back to me and SC7's are in stock so back to plan A.

Whichever i end up with i'm sure they are leagues better than Pzero's. Actually triggered the ABS on a wet sliproad this morning coming off the M4 under light braking.

It's like they are positively allergic to water.
Drove my F90 M5 yesterday in a 2 hour heavy downpoor, no problems at all PZ4 tyres, no slipping or anything, and my Ceramic brakes worked like in the dry.

sly fox

Original Poster:

2,236 posts

226 months

Wednesday 15th November 2023
quotequote all
JMBMWM5 said:
rove my F90 M5 yesterday in a 2 hour heavy downpoor, no problems at all PZ4 tyres, no slipping or anything, and my Ceramic brakes worked like in the dry.
PZ4 is a different tyre to regular Pzeros.
Runflat, stiffer sidewall, different compound.