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Tyre advice request, Pirelli to Michelin

James M-S

Well-known member
Joined
11 Apr 2017
Messages
1,294
Hi All,

My car came with Pirelli Pzero rubber all round, which are fine, however I am keen to try out MPS4S that everyone raves about.

The problem I have is the different wear rates front to rear on my C2. I get through about 2.3 pairs of rear rubber to one pair of fronts.

My front Pirelli's are finally due replacement, however the rears have over 3.5mm remaining.

I see three options:

1) Replace fronts with Pzero to match rears, wait another 2 years for them to go, and hope that rears need changing at same time.
2) Change all four tyres now (wasting perfectly good rears - I doubt many people would be interested in buying part-worn)
3) Go with Michelin fronts until mid summer when my rears need to be changed

I am tempted to go with 3).

I know this is far from ideal, but has anybody mixed front to rear? I'm looking for real world experience here.

I'm considering getting some instruction on track to improve my driving. Will this be a good way to finish off the rears, or will the on-limit handling be completely out with Michelin front and Pirelli rear?

Advice gratefully received, thanks in advance

:thumb:

James
 
I'd replace all 4 in one go. Then flog the tyres off on ebay or here. I had the same predicament and a forum member took my used tyres off of me. Winner winner
 
James,
if your car still has an OPC warranty (and has 19" wheels), then to maintain the warranty, the only Michelins which are N-rated are Pilot Sport 2 (PS2).

From my experience would have the Michelin over Pirelli any day (rain or shine).

If you are going with the Michelins (either the approved PS2 or even the PS4S), would just bite the bullet and go for all 4 at once as mixing manufacturers front to rear not a good idea as the balance of the car will be affected (and also would void any warranty).
 
Car isn't under warranty, I'm just a tight Yorkshireman trying not to fork out £450 unnecessarily!

:roll:


I get it from a purist/theory/science perspective, but how bad can it really be....?
 
James M-S said:
Car isn't under warranty, I'm just a tight Yorkshireman trying not to fork out £450 unnecessarily!

:roll:


I get it from a purist/theory/science perspective, but how bad can it really be....?

My 996 was particularly, pants soilingly, undriveable at high speeds............so popping a different make of tyres on one end would have made it into a deathtrap :grin:

Luckily Michelin PS2s were fitted and all was well in the universe :thumbs:
 
Replace the fronts with Michelins and then replace the rears once you've left the other couple of millimetres of tread on the tarmac. Turn PSM off in the Maccy D's car park for faster wear and more ladiezz.

If your geo is ok then you'll be fine with different brands front to rear. Presumably you'll see a drop in wet weather performance once your existing rears reach 3mm and it'll be almost time to change them anyway.
 
James M-S said:
Car isn't under warranty, I'm just a tight Yorkshireman trying not to fork out £450 unnecessarily!
:roll:

I get it from a purist/theory/science perspective, but how bad can it really be....?
Lived in South Yorkshire for 5 years and never witnessed even the slightest tightness. :D

From past experience, there is a significant difference in the behaviour of Michelin and Pirelli, and the faster/harder you go, then the more exaggerated the difference will become. As for wet weather handling, mixing tyre manufacturers would certainly spice things up in terms of predictability. :nooo: :nooo:

So, for the sake of a few quid, would not endanger myself, my car or others. You know it makes sense, so get all four tyres done at once. The PS4S will have you grinning from ear to ear. :lol:
 
DRZ911 said:
From past experience, there is a significant difference in the behaviour of Michelin and Pirelli, and the faster/harder you go, then the more exaggerated the difference will become. As for wet weather handling, mixing tyre manufacturers would certainly spice things up in terms of predictability. :nooo:

This is quite accurate. It totally depends on how you plan to drive the car. Replacing the fronts for new rubber and leaving existing tyres on the back isn't suddenly going to reduce your grip levels on the rear, but if you are extremely enthusiastic you might find the balance is slightly different and your rear end runs out of grip faster than the front. If you're sliding everywhere already you've probably got bigger problems than just worn tyres.

Presumably as a tight Yorkshireman you're trying to eek out every last MPG anyway so rear grip levels won't be tested :D
 
Go with 3) it'll be fine.
 
At 3.5mm I'd swap out the rears for fresh rubber if you need to do the fronts. If they're getting old (you can check the build date), if may already be time. The car will feel great on new rubber all round. Once you're on Michelins, it'll be OK to swap axle by axle but I don't mix tyres. (You only need to learn from experience once.)
 
I had a similar situation ... had contis all round but rears needed doing long before the fronts, stuck Super sports on the back and let the fronts wear out before sticking Super sports on the front.

When I finally switched the fronts the difference in front end grip and handling was significant. Way less understeer, more balance, much easier to stick the back out. I've done a few track days and driver training days so drive the car reasonably hard but still a relative newbie compared to most people here.

Was the car undrivable while I had mismatching tyres?..Not at all. Was it better after I had replaced the fronts? Absolutely!

I'd wear them down through doing some of the driver training u have lined up and then enjoy the performance boost when u finally swap them.
 
Change all 4 would be my recommendation.

See if the forum or eBay will get you anything back for the part worn ones - someone out there with a damaged tyre on a part worn set may well be out there looking for an appropriately worn replacement to avoid replacing the full set and there are always people with a more bangernomic motoring mindset looking for bargains. :thumb:
 
:thumb:
Thanks to all for your input, quite a variety.

I wonder if there are different behaviours between 996 and 997, or if its all down to Mich vs Conti vs Pirelli characteristics.

I'm no driving god, but lucky to have a twisty B-road commute to work. (Although I've been using my winter snotter for the last few weeks)

The car has never been on track, so I've never really explored the limits (hence forthcoming driver training with local TIPEC group).

I seldom try to get the back end moving around, and am very conscious of camber changes and the weight distribution in the car, although I do enjoy powering round twisties on a positive throttle.

I think I will go Michelin on the front, and then decide whether to change rears closer to the track time (or if I think the car is trying to kill me).

Keep the experiences coming though, it's good to have real feedback.
 
DRZ911 said:
James,
if your car still has an OPC warranty (and has 19" wheels), then to maintain the warranty, the only Michelins which are N-rated are Pilot Sport 2 (PS2).

From my experience would have the Michelin over Pirelli any day (rain or shine).

If you are going with the Michelins (either the approved PS2 or even the PS4S), would just bite the bullet and go for all 4 at once as mixing manufacturers front to rear not a good idea as the balance of the car will be affected (and also would void any warranty).

Fitting non N tyres will not invalidate your warranty, new or used.
 
Interesting, about to need rears, but fronts (PS2's) are fine. I want to go to MPS4SPS4 thingys, it that a problem with PS2's on the front still? Car is now out of warranty so I can at last move on from PS2's so something more modern :)

Op, change all 4. 3.5mm is almost nothing!
 

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