Paul Marangoni

Has anyone out there tried these tires or even seen them yet? I see them advertised in Panorama but can't find any information on them on Tirerack.com or the Pirelli web site. Are they strictly for track use or also street?

Anir

Paul,

I have not used the new Corsas yet, but am very happy with the dry and wet performance of the previous generation P-Zero C's currently on my car (245/35-18 front and 285/30-18 rear). Unfortunately, I haven't made it to the track with them yet, but they are light years ahead of the S-02's and S-03's, without any significant sacrifices noted to date (and it rains a lot up here).

DJF1

Hey Anir, I got back on my 993 the P-Zero's which I love in the dry. In the wet the other day I was all over the place!!! Over 60mph I would aquaplan constantly. How are the C's on that department?

Anir

[quote]Originally posted by DJF1:
<strong>Hey Anir, I got back on my 993 the P-Zero's which I love in the dry. In the wet the other day I was all over the place!!! Over 60mph I would aquaplan constantly. How are the C's on that department?</strong><hr></blockquote>

Danny,

I have not noticed a significant loss of traction on damp roads with the P-Zero C's (compared to the previous S-02s and S-03 PPs), but I have to admit that I take it easy when it's wet. I recently read a review of the new BMW M3 CSL (in Autocar, I believe) and they also commented that the damp traction of the R-compound Michelin Cup Sports actually seemed superior to regular, non-R-compound tires, so maybe it's not just in my head.

However, I do think that you have to be pretty careful if there is significant standing water because the grooves are very shallow and aquaplaning would be easy to achieve.

I plan to use R-compound tires only for summer driving, and switch back to the S-03 PPs for the fall and then to the Pirelli Wintersport 240's when the snow arrives.

Greg Fishman

Anir is right. An R compound will have better grip in damp conditions as long as there is little to no standing water. I have used my Hoosiers on a damp track and they work well once the are warm.

Greg

Peter Carroll/Toronto

Pirelli was kind enough to send me this info on them...

<a href="http://www.pcaucr.org/PCAUCR/site.nsf/5ebc23c351df91b7852563f8001b6547/95648466b15d078385256bb4000de285/$FILE/PirelliCorsa.pdf" target="_blank">Pirelli P-Zero Corsa.PDF</a>

You'll need Adobe Acrobat to read it...
<a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html" target="_blank">Adobe Acrobat Reader</a>

Hey! You can't compare these tires to S-02/S-03s. If that's what you expect, you'll hate them. Get the P-Zero Rossos then. The P-Zero Cs and newer Corsas are R-Compound Track tires. They are just barely safe on the street. I drive mine (P-Zero Cs) on the street but I drive them accordingly. If it's wet, I go v---e---r---y s---l---o---w---l---y or I don't drive the car at all.

If you don't use your car a lot on the track, they are a complete waste of time. You'll never heat them up on the street and in that case S-02/3s would be more sticky.

DJF1

Peter thanks for the info.

I used to have S02-s on my car and I hated them. I like the stock PZero's (assymetrico's) much better exept when its raining! Oh well I dont drive her much in the rain anyway...

joey bagadonuts

Perhaps Anir's experience reflects the additonal traction provided by his AWD system. That's the first thought that came to mind since I drive a C4. My P-Zero Assimetrico's allow my car to handle surprisngly well even when wet, but certainly their tread design is nothing like the tires you're discussing.

Just my 0.02

Greg Fishman

[quote]Originally posted by joey bagadonuts:
<strong>Perhaps Anir's experience reflects the additonal traction provided by his AWD system. </strong><hr></blockquote>

Nope not the AWD that makes the big difference, R compounds even when cold will have better grip that S0-2/3's. I don't have empirical evidence but I have been on the track enough to know that my first lap on R compounds is still several seconds faster than what my best lap on street tires would be.
The fast guys at Mid Ohio in a wet club race used hand grooved Hoosiers, not street tires. What does that tell you?
Greg

joey bagadonuts

Oh, my bad. I thought DJF1 was riding on the same tires. <img src="graemlins/icon501.gif" border="0" alt="[icon501]" />

Anir

[quote]Originally posted by Peter Carroll/Toronto:
<strong> They are just barely safe on the street. I drive mine (P-Zero Cs) on the street but I drive them accordingly. If it's wet, I go v---e---r---y s---l---o---w---l---y or I don't drive the car at all.

If you don't use your car a lot on the track, they are a complete waste of time. You'll never heat them up on the street and in that case S-02/3s would be more sticky.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Peter,

Like Greg noted above, I do not believe this is correct. The P-Zero C's may improve significantly with some heat in them, but they are absolutely incredible on the street even when cold. They are such a vast improvement over standard street tires, and so secure in damp conditions (albeit not deep standing water), that they are a perfect summer street tire alternative for "frisky" drivers. I don't think all of the favorable handling characteristics can be attributed to the AWD, since I've managed to spin at low speeds on a wet track just fine with my previous S-02's (right, Greg?)!

I guess this situation is analagous to that of firm coilover suspensions. What is way too firm for one person is a heavenly, totally comfortable ride for another.

Kerry

Anir, why do you switch to S-03 tires in the fall?

Anir

[quote]Originally posted by Kerry:
<strong>Anir, why do you switch to S-03 tires in the fall?</strong><hr></blockquote>

Kerry,

In Kentucky, spring and fall days see a lot more precipitation, as well as significantly lower temperatures, which can make the P-Zero C's less appropriate. This would be less of an issue in a drier, warmer climate such as Texas or Cali.

I wouldn't want to run R-compound rubber when there is a torrential downpour or the ambient temps dip into the 50's or lower. I've become a firm believer that you need to match the rubber to the seasonal conditions to get the best performance and highest margin of safety. That's why I switch again to the Pirelli Wintersports during the coldest months, when we see a bit of snow and ice. The 993 is my daily driver, so my needs may be different than those who use the car only on the nicest days.

Kerry

Anir, thank you for the reply. I just purchased my '00 C4 and it is my daily driver so the information is very helpful. I am trying to decide on replacement(s) for my orginal Conti's (9700 miles).

Greg Fishman

Kerry,
For an above average street tire (non-R compound) look at the G-Force KD. It is a very grippy tire that won't disappoint you if you go to the track or an autocross.

Greg