Pirelli P Zero Nero vs All-Season?

[tones]

Hi,

I was seeking some advice regarding tyres, so hope this is the right place to post.

My situation is this – I damaged one of my tyres recently, on my Octavia RS. Ideally I would only replace the damaged tyre as I’ve only done 10,000kms on them so they’re not due for replacement. Problem is, I’m having a lot of trouble trying to find the same tyre in Sydney. No one has any stock, and no one can even give me an ETA. My car came fitted with Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GTs when new - 225/40 R18.

Anyway, so I am increasingly looking towards buying 2 new tyres, and just take out one of the Dunlops and keep as a spare or whatever. At least I’ll have matching tyres on the same axle, even though I’ll have different tyres between the front and back. Been looking around and I came across Pirelli P Zero Neros, for about $200 a tyre. This seems like a very good price to me.

My question is – does this sound too good to be true? The tyres are from St George Tyres in Sydney, and I was told they are only H-rated (92H). But when I go on the Pirelli Australian website, the P Zero Nero only comes in a 92Y in my required size. I went onto the US Pirelli website, and on there, they do list a P Zero Nero All Season in a 92H. This leads me to guess that St George are selling a parallel import.

Does anyone here have any idea what difference it would make - having an "all season" tyre? I’m assuming that it might be more suitable for more varied conditions in the northern hemisphere. But what is the compromise when we use an “all season” tyre in Australia?

[fred27]

be careful, ask for the year of manufacture.

[Diesel_vert]

Hi,

I was seeking some advice regarding tyres, so hope this is the right place to post.

My situation is this – I damaged one of my tyres recently, on my Octavia RS. Ideally I would only replace the damaged tyre as I’ve only done 10,000kms on them so they’re not due for replacement. Problem is, I’m having a lot of trouble trying to find the same tyre in Sydney. No one has any stock, and no one can even give me an ETA. My car came fitted with Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GTs when new - 225/40 R18.

Anyway, so I am increasingly looking towards buying 2 new tyres, and just take out one of the Dunlops and keep as a spare or whatever. At least I’ll have matching tyres on the same axle, even though I’ll have different tyres between the front and back. Been looking around and I came across Pirelli P Zero Neros, for about $200 a tyre. This seems like a very good price to me.

My question is – does this sound too good to be true? The tyres are from St George Tyres in Sydney, and I was told they are only H-rated (92H). But when I go on the Pirelli Australian website, the P Zero Nero only comes in a 92Y in my required size. I went onto the US Pirelli website, and on there, they do list a P Zero Nero All Season in a 92H. This leads me to guess that St George are selling a parallel import.

Does anyone here have any idea what difference it would make - having an "all season" tyre? I’m assuming that it might be more suitable for more varied conditions in the northern hemisphere. But what is the compromise when we use an “all season” tyre in Australia?

The "P Zero Nero All Season" isn't a parallel import, it's an entirely different model to the "P Zero Nero".

I would expect a drop off in performance - in terms of dry/wet grip, braking distances, steering response and feedback - when compared to a summer tyre, though perhaps less so compared to the traditional all-season tyre, as the P Zero Nero All Season is considered a "high performance" all-season tyre by Tire Rack.

On the other hand, expect a higher resistance to aquaplaning, improved ride comfort, increased durability (less wear), and reduced noise.

The other advantage is that all season tyres remain flexible enough at low temperatures and are able to offer some traction in light snow conditions. Conversely, summer tyres start to become brittle below +7°C and are near useless when it hits any snow, or by the time the weather gets cold enough to snow (though admittedly somewhat irrelevant in Sydney!).



Unlike Europe, UK, Japan or Australia, where they mostly sell summer tyres (in conjunction with winter tyres for countries that experience significant snowfall), in North America the majority of passenger tyre sales (especially to those with domestic vehicles) are of the all-season type. So much so that believe it or not, 225/40 R18 92H XL is actually a factory approved fitment on the Golf for USA markets only.

[Gti Dave]

be careful, ask for the year of manufacture.

Yeah I agree with fred27, better to do more research into it mate. Don't wanna get trapped into buying something that's not what's comparable to Australian stock. I too am getting new tyres with new 18" wheels. Should be going on tomorrow. Getting Pirelli PZero's. Been told they sit higher in the rank to PZero Nero. Retails for $300 each but getting them for less than that from Advance Tyres.

[tones]

Thanks guys for the replies. They've said that the build date of the tyres is 2010. Which is not entirely fresh, but doesn't sound too bad to me.

I'm still in 2 minds as to whether I will take the trade-off. The price is good, so perhaps the compromise of an All Season tyre is worth it.

Yeah I agree with fred27, better to do more research into it mate. Don't wanna get trapped into buying something that's not what's comparable to Australian stock. I too am getting new tyres with new 18" wheels. Should be going on tomorrow. Getting Pirelli PZero's. Been told they sit higher in the rank to PZero Nero. Retails for $300 each but getting them for less than that from Advance Tyres.

GTI Dave - would you mind telling me how much you're paying for the P Zeros? Or perhaps you could PM me?

---------- Post added 10-02-2012 at 11:17 AM ---------- Previous post was 09-02-2012 at 11:19 PM ----------

OK, now an update. Just spoke to the shop again, and they've said the tyre they are selling is the regular P Zero Nero, not the All Season version. However, the H-rated tyre has been discontinued, so that's why it's not on the Pirelli website.

Does this sound right?

Guess I'll have to go in person and check out the tyre myself.

[Diesel_vert]

I'm still in 2 minds as 2to whether I will take the trade-off. The price is good, so perhaps the compromise of an All Season tyre is worth it.

Whilst I can't tell you whether the trade-off (summer vs all-season) is worth it to you, there's nothing wrong with the tyre itself - just as long as it's the one you requested.

OK, now an update. Just spoke to the shop again, and they've said the tyre they are selling is the regular P Zero Nero, not the All Season version. However, the H-rated tyre has been discontinued, so that's why it's not on the Pirelli website.

Does this sound right?

No.

AFAIK, the P Zero Nero All Season is only officially available in the North American market, and was never officially distributed in Europe, UK, or Australia (which explains why the Nero All Season was obviously never on the Australian Pirelli website). And as far as I can see, the Nero All Season is still on the USA Pirelli website.

I'd advise you to go to Tire Rack and compare the tread pattern for both tyres.

Guess I'll have to go in person and check out the tyre myself.

Good idea.
Again, just ensure that you know exactly what tyre you are buying.

---

P Zero Nero

• UTQG Treadwear 220 Traction AA Temperature A

• Available as:

225/45	ZR17	94W
225/40	R18	92W
225/40	ZR18	(92Y)

---

P Zero Nero M+S

• UTQG Treadwear 400 Traction AA Temperature A

• Available as:

P225/45

ZR17

91W

M+S

• Has the marking M+S denoting its all-season capabilities.

• Tread pattern near identical to P Zero Nero.

• Refer to Pirelli U.S.A. website for more details.

---

P Zero Nero All Season

• UTQG Treadwear 400 Traction AA Temperature A

• Available as:

225/45	R17	91H	M+S
225/45	R17	91H	M+S	MO
P225/45	R17	91V	M+S	Runflat
P225/45	ZR17	94W	M+S
225/40	R18	92H	M+S
225/40	R18	92H	M+S	MO
P225/40	ZR18	92W	M+S

• Has the marking M+S denoting its all-season capabilities.

• MO (Mercedes Original) marking denotes tyre made to Mercedes-Benz' specifications.

• Tread pattern noticeably different to P Zero Nero and P Zero Nero M+S.

• Refer to Pirelli U.S.A. website for more details.

---

[tones]

Ok, just thought I'd post an update. I went down to St George Tyres, to check it out. I asked to see the tyre, and he said that wasn't possible because it was "in the warehouse". I then asked whether the P Zero Nero they were selling was the regular version or the All Season version. He was very evasive, and kept saying "they're a performance tyre". What a load of rubbish.

I was very skeptical, and so I asked what else they had available, and finally settled on buying the ContiSportContact3 instead. They were quite well-priced at $220 per tyre, and rated 92Y (I had realised that on the tyre placard on my car, it states the required minimum is a load rating of 91 and speed rating of W).

Also, while I was waiting for my tyres to be fitted, I spotted some P Zero Neros on display in the workshop. While they were of different size to mine, they were indeed marked M&S. So they weren't regular versions.

[sawdan]

I have just bought two of the P Zero Neros from St George through eBay for my GTI. Had P Zeros a few years ago on my Fiat Abarth and was impressed, but actually didn't know that a Nero was a version of the a Zero

I don't want Mud & Snow tyres, and the eBay listing doesn't mention M+S.

Spoke to St George Tyres after they arrived as were indeed M+S tyres, although as noted above have the same tread pattern as the PZero Nero. He said they were just a standard all round tyre for the US market, not just a summer tyre which is common there.

[tones]

... although as noted above have the same tread pattern as the PZero Nero. He said they were just a standard all round tyre for the US market, not just a summer tyre which is common there.

Are you sure your tyres have the same tread pattern as the regular version of the P Zero Nero? As far as I could see they actually have different tread patterns. In particular the M+S version has an almost-solid vertical rib running around the middle of the tyre (hard to describe properly, but I saw this when I was at St George Tyres), while the regular summer version does not.

Also, just as a bit of a further update on my experience with St George Tyres - I was driving up the coast a week after I got my new tyres fitted by them. While on the freeway I realised my steering wheel was vibrating, so obviously they hadn't balanced the wheels properly. I really didn't want to go back to them, so another week later I had the wheels balanced at Jax for $15.

[gareth_oau]

according to tirerack:

PZero Nero:

The PZero Nero (ne' ro' Italian for black) Max Performance "summer" tire is a member of Pirelli's "PZero Collection" family of Max Performance tires. In addition to the PZero Nero, the "PZero Collection" also includes the PZero Rosso (ro' so' Italian for red) and the PZero System Directionale and Asimmetrico tires (many with a yellow logo) for sports cars, coupes and sedans. The PZero Nero was developed to work harder so the driver could play harder exploiting the sporting character of their high performance car. Like all summer tires, PZero Nero tires are not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice.

On the outside, the PZero Nero features a silica and carbon black enhanced tread compound molded into a subtle asymmetric, wide rib tread design to increase the rigidity of the tread to resist deformation and enhance grip and steering response on a variety of road surfaces while enhancing resistance to irregular wear and generating low noise levels. The tire's circumferential grooves are optimized in their position and width to maximize dry road performance while enhancing hydroplaningresistance. On the inside, the PZero Nero features twin steel belts reinforced by zero degree nylon to complement a lightweight aramid internal structure that resists deformation at high speeds.

PZero Nero All Season:

The P Zero Nero All Season is Pirelli's Ultra High Performance All-Season tire designed to provide all-season traction and handling. It was developed for drivers who operate their vehicles in America's various weather conditions, including in light snow.

This line originated as the P Zero Nero M+S "Pinna" line that identified Pirelli’s use of a tread design that features additional sipes to enhance snow traction compared to P Zero Nero M+S tires. The sidewalls of all existing O.E. conventional and run-flat P Zero Nero M+S Pinna tires will be rebranded to add the "All Season" identification and will be available under the P Zero Nero All Season name as the line moves forward. P Zero Nero All Season tires are fully compatible with the P Zero Nero M+S Pinna tires and may be used to replace them individually, in pairs or sets.

The P Zero Nero All Season features a silica-enhanced tread compound blended to provide traction during high temperatures in the dry and low temperatures in the wet or snow. This compound is molded into an asymmetric tread design that features stable outside shoulder blocks combined with siped, continuous intermediate and center ribs that increase footprint rigidity to enhance dry grip during acceleration and braking. Shoulder grooves and circumferential channels allow water to flow through the tread design to resist hydroplaning and enhance wet traction. The tire's internal structure includes twin steel belts to provide strength and durability on top of a polyester cord body.

PZero Nero M&S

The P Zero Nero (ne' ro – Italian for black) M+S Ultra High Performance All Season tire was designed specifically for the North American market to provide year-round traction and handling for cars with sporty dispositions. The P Zero Nero M+S is built using the MIRS technology manufacturing process, Pirelli's most advanced tire design and production system. The P Zero Nero M+S is Pirelli's Ultra High Performance choice for drivers who want to drive their car through America's various weather conditions, including occasional light snow.

The P Zero Nero M+S features a silica-enhanced tread compound blended to provide traction during high temperatures in the dry and low temperatures in the wet or light snow. This compound is molded into an asymmetric tread design that features stable outside shoulder blocks combined with notched, continuous center ribs that increase footprint rigidity to enhance grip during acceleration and braking. Shoulder grooves and circumferential channels allow water to flow through the tread design to resist hydroplaning and enhance wet traction. The tire's internal structure includes twin steel belts to provide strength and durability on top of a polyester cord body.