Well guys I’ve got yet another not-so-favorable review - this time on the Pirelli Pzero Nero tires. The Pzero Nero's were a bad experience for me. If you value sharp handling and high speed cornering DO NOT get these tires. I had the Nero’s installed early this summer and put about 2,000 miles on them before they were removed. Thankfully Pirelli allowed me to return them due to my EXTREME dissatisfaction. I guess I was suckered into these tires by reading the one sided reviews posted on TireRack.

My previous tires were the Pzero Asimmetrico's 205/45/16 size (I really liked these tires). Once they wore out after 35,000 miles I decided to try the new “max performance” Pirelli Pzero Nero tire. This was a bad idea. The two main characteristics I value MOST in a tire include excellent steering response and cornering stability. The Nero's failed miserably in both of these categories. Dry traction was not great either. Even after driving these tires over 2,000 miles the soft side wall flex was ridiculous while corning. I thought they would stiffen up more after they were broke in. The car would have a tendency to float and actually made driving aggressively unpredictable and scary. I could not wait to get them off and replace them with a new set of Pzero Asimmetrico's.

Because of their design they probably do best for wet traction performance. I don't value having excellent wet traction in order to compromise grip and stability in the dry - this is what the Nero's do.

Keep in mind that there are very few tires in the 205/45/16 size tires to choose from.
You can just look at these pictures and see which tires are more dry performance oriented.

Pzero Nero’s


Pzero Asimmetrico’s


I don't understand why the Nero's are categorized as a "max performance tire" because they are NOT a max tire. They are so unstable while cornering and at high speeds. They almost feel like driving on snow tires (at least all season tires) – that’s the kind of instability. Jell-O is cool when it’s green and in a dish, not when it’s wrapped around your rims.

-Josh


Modified by itrsport.com at 3:26 PM 8/7/2003

 

Thanks for the good review i know now to stay away from these.

 

thanks for review.. it seems like not much choice or tires for 16x7 wheels..

- i probably gonna roll 17's if to purchase wheels again..

 

Thanks...I was close to buying these for my WRX!!!

I agree that Tire Rack has some one sided/questionable reviews.

 

You should get the PZero Corsa. That's the max performance tire from Pirelli. If available in USA......

 

Interesting review. Despite their age, PZero Asimmetricos are amazing tires - I plan to switch back to them when my Azenis die.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by DutchITR1689 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You should get the PZero Corsa. That's the max performance tire from Pirelli. If available in USA......</TD></TR></TABLE>

I have not hear about/seen those. I don't think those are offered here in the states yet but I'll keep an eye out for them.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by norice &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Interesting review. Despite their age, PZero Asimmetricos are amazing tires - I plan to switch back to them when my Azenis die. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Yeah, I know you were using them before and liked them. After using both of them how do they compare?

From what I've heard the Azenis should provide more grip but I think the Asimmetricos are tops for steering response / road manners / longevity.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by itrsport.com &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Yeah, I know you were using them before and liked them. After using both of them how do they compare?

From what I've heard the Azenis should provide more grip but I think the Asimmetricos are tops for steering response / road manners / longevity.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Basically, yes. Here is an old post of mine comparing the two:

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
I recently switched from 225/45/16 Pirelli PZero Assimetricos to 215/45/16 Falken Azenis. I though some people may be interested in a comparison of the two. Unfortunately, PZeros do not come in a 15" size that will fit on an R, so this will only be of interest to people with 16"+ wheels.

Price The 225/45/16 PZeros are $136 each. 215/45/16 Azenis are about $100 each.

Weight They are both heavy tyres - 23 lbs each in the above sizes. Both have very stiff sidewalls.

Noise Both tyres are fairly quite at highway speeds. The noise levels of both tyres are about the same, and both are quieter than the stock RE010s.

Wear I got 10k miles out of the PZeros, slightly more than the 7k miles that I got out of the RE010s. I suspect that the Azenis will not last long either.

Feel Steering repsponse is much sloppier with the Azenis and turn-in feel is significantly diminished. PZeros have wonderful road feel with great turn in. The Azenis are terrible in this regard.

Dry Grip In normal daily driving, these tyres seem to offer identical levels of dry grip. However, on energetic canyon runs, the Azenis may have a slight edge in ultimate grip. However, I am not 100% sure of this claim. One would have to run back-to-back lap time comparisons on a track to be sure - they are that close.

Wet Grip The PZeros are amazing in the rain with incredible levels of grip. I have no wet experience witht the Azenis (has not rained for months here) but I would guess that they are terrible.

Overall As a street tyre, the PZeros are significantly better than the Azenis. They have better road feel and turn in and can be used without drama in the rain. While the Azenis may have slightly better dry grip, one would have to be going at over 2x the posted limit on an off-ramp to actually feel this difference. The $140 or so higher cost for a set of PZeros is easily justified. I can see why these tyres are OEM on many $100k+ cars.

A track comparison of these tyres would be interesting. My guess is that the Azenis would have an edge in the dry. Because of their tread block design, they may also be more resistant to chunking.

BTW, don't confuse the Assimetricos with the new PZero Rossos. The newer tyres have supposedly better wet grip, but, according to the manufacturer, the Assimetricos are superior in the dry.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

Azenis are definitely not for longevity... as far as road manners, I'd say they would be great on a proper width rim (which you have, mostly i'm referring to the sloppiness of the 205/50-15 azenis on a 15x6 rim). Steering response, and most importantly grip? I don't think you can beat the falkens. But then there is rain. I drive nice and slow in the rain, but for those of you who keep the same speed in the dry and wet, the falken might not be so good. EXCELLENT dry weather street/track/autox tire for the money. Best bang for the buck, no question.

Excellent review, just like yesterday's review, Josh.
If only everyone's reviews were this well thought out and .... understandable. ;P

Chris - who uses Falkens at the track, is going to try some hoosiers, waits for his 195/50-15 S-03's to wear out, and will try the 205/50-15 Kumho MX as a three season tire next...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Chris N &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Chris - who uses Falkens at the track, is going to try some hoosiers, waits for his 195/50-15 S-03's to wear out, and will try the 205/50-15 Kumho MX as a three season tire next...</TD></TR></TABLE>

kumho mx are very close to s-03's.. and price dont hurt neither.. i must suggest at least 15x7 wide wheel for better driving experience..

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by vtec.dc2 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

kumho mx are very close to s-03's.. and price dont hurt neither.. i must suggest at least 15x7 wide wheel for better driving experience..</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yes.. i REALLY need to find an affordable 15x7. Otherwise I'll just give up and get 15x7.5 SSR Competitions.... But I'd like to save some money.

Chris - who is going to call that team dynamics distributor in the US soon... or find another affordable set of 15x7's.

 

overall my experience with pirelli's is that they handle great in wet weather, are a light tire, but probably because they have jello for sidewalls (handling so-so)
i liked the azenis..heavy tire but because it has titanium sidewalls lol...handles great.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by EVOL &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">overall my experience with pirelli's is that they handle great in wet weather, are a light tire, but probably because they have jello for sidewalls (handling so-so)
i liked the azenis..heavy tire but because it has titanium sidewalls lol...handles great.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Don't know which Pirellis you have used, but the PZero is a heavy tire with very stiff sidewalls. PZeros are the stock tire on 911 Turbos, 360 Modenas, and Lamborghinis - their handling is far from 'so so'.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by norice &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Don't know which Pirellis you have used, but the PZero is a heavy tire with very stiff sidewalls. PZeros are the stock tire on 911 Turbos, 360 Modenas, and Lamborghinis - their handling is far from 'so so'.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Don't forget my favorite - the Ferrari F40 (oldie but a goodie)

Yes, the PZero <U>Asimmetricos</U> have a VERY stiff sidewall. The guys who mount these tires always say it's very difficult since they are so rigid.

 

Will said the same thing about my 195/50 PZeros while installing them on my OEM wheels. Something to the effect of "Holy crap, those are nuts."