As I was researching the set of tires I bought for my 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX. There were Pirelli P Zero Nero M+S in P205/55-ZR16 size, made in Germany with a marking of 02/04. My tires were marked with a UTQG traction rating of A. I noticed that the sidewall picture in the dealer pamhplet showed a rating of AA. TireRack (where I didn't get my tires) indicates that most of the sizes of this model come in both AA and A traction rated versions, including my size. I recall someone ("J.") posted in r.a.m.h last year that the difference in the AA were in where they were made. --quote-- "Be aware that U.S. Pirelli cannot explain whether this tire has the advertised UTOG traction rating of 'AA' or just 'A'. Tirerack, NHTSA and U.S. Pirelli claim the superior AA rating, but the sidewalls of all four tires say A. Pirelli says this tire used to be made in the US and the new compound did test at AA. However, production was shipped to Germany (my tires are dated 4th week of 2004 and marked 'Germany') and U.S. Pirelli is still trying to get an answer from the factory as to what compound and what rating the tires really have." --end of quote-- I sent a message to Pirelli's US division, and got a rather useless answer that "AA provides better traction than A". I wasn't satisfied, and called their 800 number -(800) PIRELLI. When I asked the question, the operator put me on hold, went for someone more knowledgeable, and answered back that the rubber compound used in the German tires is different, but shouldn't result in poorer performance. It might simply have been a snafu in how they marked the tires or the sequence of tests run. I'm guessing that they probably would test out to the AA traction rating standard. If they're working well, I'm not going to worry too much about whether they have an extra A. Regardless, the tires seem to work pretty well compared to the Bridgestone Potenza RE92 tires that came stock. They seem to corner much better in the dry and wet, although they are a bit squishy. I haven't checked out their hydroplane resistance (only light rain so far) yet, but the huge water channels look like they should help. They're a bit noisy now, but I've got less than 200 miles on them; they might quiet down as they wear in (or not).
I tried emailing Pirelli here in Canada regarding an issue I had with treadwear on some P3000s. I got not response. Also, I found out that most stores in my city (Winnipeg), no longer stock pirelli tires, and I would have to special order them. The verdict? I loved my P3000s, but man they don't really have a clue when it comes to sales. I was forced to buy another brand. t
Well - I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area, and getting tires is almost never a problem. Pretty much all independents (and some chains) go to the same warehouses. Even the local Firestone shop said they could have ordered Pirellis. As for my email response from Pirelli US (Rome, Georgia?), I sent my inquiry on a Sunday afternoon, and the response (albeit not very helpful) was in this morning (Mon). So far the P Zero Nero M+S seem to be fine. Like I said - a little squishy but grip is much improved over OEM.
Yup, you quoted me correctly. My P Zero Nero M+S 205/50-ZR16's came with the sidewall traction marked 'A' while the sticky tag on the tires indicated 'AA'. The last communication I had with Pirelli was that they were going to find out from the German factory if they just "forgot" to change the sidewall stamping plate from A to AA or if they really do use a different compound. The Pirelli contact was almost always "away from his desk" and calls were constantly being missed, so I gave up. Tirerack said they would refund my money and pay for shipping back but the hassle of finding suitable replacements (not easy at that size) and unmounting them wasn't worth it. So far, I haven't had to do any panic stops (or even activate ABS) in the wet. No complaints about wet stopping, so the traction rating issue of A or AA is now moot for me. I've got 9,000 miles on the tires and while the tread depth is still excellent, they have gotten noisier. I don't recall them being noisy in the first couple hundred of miles though. As long as they don't get anywhere near as noisy as the Dunlop D60A2's on a previous 'lude, I'll be happy. My Prelude OEM RE92's did stay quiet for 40,000+ miles and lasted even longer despite having a fairly low wear rating. J.
Direct cut and past from the Google Groups archive. Well - I can't really say what it is, except that the customer service operator did verify that there's a difference in rubber compound. I bought it at a local shop, so they didn't give me an option as to which source I wanted. Apparently TireRack does list two different tires (same price) in most sizes, although you have to look at the spec list first to figure which one is "AA" vs "A". If there are two in the same size, it's usually AA second. <http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.jsp?make=Pirelli&model=PZero+Nero+M%26S> I didn't see any label on the tread. I don't know if it just didn't come with one or it was taken off before delivery. I saw the tires before they were installed - the delivery truck had just deposited them in front. It may very well test out to a AA traction rating, even with different rubber. Worrying too much about it is like a friend who was convinced he had to get Z-rated tires for his econobox car. Apparently the Potenza RE92 tires are warranted for 40K miles. I still had plenty of tread left after almost 11K miles. Regardless of all that, they sucked as a "performance tire", and I was glad to be rid of them. My only problem with the Pirellis is that they tramline on grooved roads. There aren't many where I live, but I had a little road trip yesterday and went over several grooved sections of freeway. It felt a little bit jittery but never dangerous. Basically there are three straight edges around the circumference and they bite into the road grooves. Then they tend to jump from groove to groove.
<http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.jsp?make=Pirelli&model=PZero+Nero+M%26S> Thanks for pointing that out. Tirerack has revamped their spec page. IIRC, back in June there were only 2 or 3 'A' traction tires and I don't recall seeing ANY sizes dual listed with 'A' and 'AA'. They have since downgraded my 205/50-16 size to 'A', so I give them credit for that. I don't recall my Prelude having a mileage warranty pamphlet on the stock RE92's. They only had a treadwear of 160 and lasted well over 40Kmiles. With the Pirelli's 400 rating, can I expect over 100,000 miles? (yeah, sure - I've got land in FL for sale too!). As far as performance, they weren't as bad as the stock Michelin XGT-Vs (another high / ultra high perf all-season) on my earlier 'lude. But, comparing different cars and different sizes really isn't fair.
They don't make it easy to specify them though. I'd also take a wild guess that which one ordered doesn't really matter, since they'll be retrieved at the warehouse by make/model/size. I hated the XGT-V4 on my '95 Integra. Pirelli P6000s were a definite step up (stock 195/55-15 size). I even had a flat tire, but it didn't sink. The stiff sidewalls kept the tire standing straight up with no pressure. Then I went for Dunlop SP Sport 9000, which were nice enough that I got replaced them. They were quiet and great in the rain, although I suspect there better handling tires out there. All tires I've tried lasted at least 30K miles. Ratings suck. Ever feel suspicious that almost every tire size in a model range has the same treadwear rating? The tires I've used had treadwear ratings of 180/220/300, and they all lasted a while. The RE92 is notorious for either wearing out quickly or lasting forever. The Potenza RE92 has a 40,000 mile treadwear warranty only as a replacement tire. <http://www.mastercare-usa.com/tires/catalog/bridgestone-potenzare92.jsp>
Did I really write that? Let's rewind. That would have said: "Then I went for Dunlop SP Sport 9000, which were nice enough that I got them again when it came time for replacement."
