600LT tyres

[AndrewD]

1100 miles into 600LT spider ownership and I’m loving everything about it apart from the OEM PZeros. They don’t seem to offer anything like as much grip as I was expecting, and often the car is also quite traction limited on a dry and fairly warm road.

What alternatives are recommended, and I assume they come in the right sizes to fit the rims? The car is predominantly used on the road but there will be the odd track day if I get time this year.

Thanks!

[GT3ZZZ]

I'd go Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, for road use, I run them on my 991 and GT-R and find them almost as good as Cup 2's in the dry but far superior in the wet. The P Zeros are rubbish in comparison. Not sure what size a 600LT needs but imagine they'll be available.

[AndrewD]

GT3ZZZ said:

I'd go Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, for road use, I run them on my 991 and GT-R and find them almost as good as Cup 2's in the dry but far superior in the wet. The P Zeros are rubbish in comparison. Not sure what size a 600LT needs but imagine they'll be available.

Good thought, thanks.

[davek_964]

+1 on the PS4s. I had constant traction possible with Pirelli on my 650, but haven't had any since swapping to Michelin

[Taffy66]

davek_964 said:

+1 on the PS4s. I had constant traction possible with Pirelli on my 650, but haven't had any since swapping to Michelin

If my 458 is any indication then +2 for MP4Ss..Pirellis are crappy tyres on high end cars..Trouble is with the wonderful 600LT is its basically undertyred for fast track use..AFAIK its next to impossible to fit 305/245 F/R on the 600 due to lack of room otherwise i'd upgrade to bigger sizes..

[isaldiri]

LT -> trofeos in my opinion....

[Bispal]

I just ditched the Trofeo's on my 675LT and went for MPS4S and they are just so much better on cold, damp UK roads. I could get no traction with the Pirelli's but even in single digit ambient temperatures the MPS4S will find loads of grip. I also have Cup 2's on my Exige 430 and they are great tyres but need caution in the wet. The PZeros's on my Porsche seem ok to be fair, esp. in the wet, but Im generally not a fan and they are no where near Michelin levels of grip and ride quality.

It used to be the case that McLaren would not warrant anything other than the approved Pirelli tyres. This has softened and if your dealer fits them then I don't think its an issue anymore. They will negotiate on prices to almost discount on-line tyre prices.

[lowndes]

I have noticed that it takes longer for McLaren tyres to come up to operating conditions than say Porsche GT models (as evidenced on the latter by TPM). I put this down to the McL being relatively light and well balanced. It has a default display during warm up which shows both temperature and pressure and when I was out yesterday I noticed it took the best part of 15 miles before the temperatures were within an acceptable range sufficient for the display reverted to normal. Although it seems counterintuitive to the physics, the pressures reached operating levels and then stabilized well before the temperatures. Conditions dry and sunny but cool. This is not by way of an apologia for Pirelli which I won’t replace but may just reflect the difficulty generally of getting heat into McL tyres at this time of year. And perhaps unsurprisingly I didn’t notice the warmup issue during summer months when even the hapless Pirelli had plenty of grip for road use.

[Rocketreid]

[quote=Taffy66]
If my 458 is any indication then +2 for MP4Ss..Pirellis are crappy tyres on high end cars..Trouble is with the wonderful 600LT is its basically undertyred for fast track use..AFAIK its next to impossible to fit 305/245 F/R on the 600 due to lack of room otherwise i'd upgrade to bigger sizes..

You can actually run for road use 720S wheels/tyres , 305’s on rear are fine but 245’s up front are tight on hard lock

On my 570s TP I ran 720S with spacers for road use and for track I had 650s wheels which are 235 upfront , with no issues .

The best upgrade you can buy are Spacers and the wider tyres and wheels

[12pack]

Rocketreid ]affy66 said:

If my 458 is any indication then +2 for MP4Ss..Pirellis are crappy tyres on high end cars..Trouble is with the wonderful 600LT is its basically undertyred for fast track use..AFAIK its next to impossible to fit 305/245 F/R on the 600 due to lack of room otherwise i'd upgrade to bigger sizes..

You can actually run for road use 720S wheels/tyres , 305’s on rear are fine but 245’s up front are tight on hard lock

On my 570s TP I ran 720S with spacers for road use and for track I had 650s wheels which are 235 upfront , with no issues .

The best upgrade you can buy are Spacers and the wider tyres and wheels

Going off topic - but curious about more info on running 720 front tyres (245's) vs the std 235's on a 650s. No question the 650s is front end grip limited (relatively speaking - given its straight line performance).

@Rocketreid how much did the addtional 10mm in front help your 570?

[Rocketreid]

12pack said:

Going off topic - but curious about more info on running 720 front tyres (245's) vs the std 235's on a 650s. No question the 650s is front end grip limited (relatively speaking - given its straight line performance).

@Rocketreid how much did the addtional 10mm in front help your 570?

I run 15mm spacers all round for road and track but can not run 245’s on track as catch the wheel liners.

A 650s May have slightly more space under the front arches so 245’s May work. Bear in mind I run the correct tyres to the wheels so unsure about mixing this.

No doubt on track the additional tyre width and track width aids higher speed cornering without any downside + on road the additional width looks arguably better

[anonymous-user]

12pack said:

Going off topic - but curious about more info on running 720 front tyres (245's) vs the std 235's on a 650s. No question the 650s is front end grip limited (relatively speaking - given its straight line performance).

@Rocketreid how much did the addtional 10mm in front help your 570?

Thorney has recently released a video about spacers > https://youtu.be/vFycDxzFOCM

[12pack]

Thanks, both. Will check it out.

[Rocketreid]

MAC 720S said:

Thorney has recently released a video about spacers > https://youtu.be/vFycDxzFOCM

Good video but you can save your money by buying BiMec spacers at a qtr of the price and same type fittings.

Incidentally John Thorne when i was enquiring about what wheels and tyres fit on the different Mac models seemed not that well informed.

[dopamine]

Hi,
+1 for PS4Ss.
I got my 600LT with Trofeos and was pretty mortified at the lack of grip in normal road conditions... almost impossible to get up to temperature, lighting up in 4th!! and while I agree they are incredible on track, they are not suited for roads at all, especially cold ones!
I sell tyres for a living and the PS4S is the way to go
Cheers
TC

[andrew]

AndrewD said:

1100 miles into 600LT spider ownership and I’m loving everything about it apart from the OEM PZeros. They don’t seem to offer anything like as much grip as I was expecting, and often the car is also quite traction limited on a dry and fairly warm road.

What alternatives are recommended, and I assume they come in the right sizes to fit the rims? The car is predominantly used on the road but there will be the odd track day if I get time this year.

Thanks!

can't you use the 4wd lambo for escaping from your dodgy assignations in muddy laybys ?

[theRossatron]

dopamine said:

Hi,
+1 for PS4Ss.
I got my 600LT with Trofeos and was pretty mortified at the lack of grip in normal road conditions... almost impossible to get up to temperature, lighting up in 4th!! and while I agree they are incredible on track, they are not suited for roads at all, especially cold ones!
I sell tyres for a living and the PS4S is the way to go
Cheers
TC

My main comparison is with Cup 2s - which I find take just as much heating up as the Trofeo Rs but dont offer quite as much ultimate grip. The Cup 2s are however much more durable - my Trofeo Rs are ready for the bin after 1900 miles and a few track days....

edit: as for the wet.

Cup 2s = mildly worrying
Trofeo Rs = mildly scary

[RBT0]

Has anybody fitted cup2s on their LT?

[theRossatron]

Did anyone ever work out if there are suitable MPS4S available in 600LT sizes? There are Ferrari fitment ones for the rear but not the front as far as I can tell.

[Fast Eddie]

AndrewD said:

1100 miles into 600LT spider ownership and I’m loving everything about it apart from the OEM PZeros. They don’t seem to offer anything like as much grip as I was expecting, and often the car is also quite traction limited on a dry and fairly warm road.

What alternatives are recommended, and I assume they come in the right sizes to fit the rims? The car is predominantly used on the road but there will be the odd track day if I get time this year.

Thanks!

Be quick with the Michelins and you can get £100 cash back direct from them on 4 tyres