[SurfGreen]

Hello all,

Sorry for kicking this tired (tyred?) subject again, but am just about to splash out on new rubber for 2.3 FPT Anniversary as the Avons it came with are now semi-slicks and are all useless at providing any sort of traction in the wet, which proved very, er, interesting on recent Xmas road trip to Ireland.

Having looked around the forum for various suggestions (very helpful) I've narrowed the choice down to Pirelli P6000 or Dunlop SP9000. Tyre size is 205/55/16. The Pirellis are cheaper, the Dunlops get better reviews on this site generally. And of course this site knows all

Sooo - I'll probably go with the Dunlops, but if anyone thinks the Pirellis are just as good (or better) I'd love to hear pros and cons. I'm after something with a decent compromise between grip and tyre life.

Thanks as always!

 

[baco99]

from my experience, Dunlop is superior to Pirelli/Cooper.

 

[djtaylor]

I was in a tyre fitting bay this morning and there was an interesting performance typre test from one of the car mags.

Their vote was for either Bridgestone SO-3's or the Goodyear F1's GSD3's. The Goodyear came out one point better but they did admit that one of the scores was the drive by rolling noise where the F1 beat the SO-3 so it depends on how environmentally friendly you want to be to your neighbours.

Others on test were P6000, Dunlop SP and Michellin Pilot Sport. P6000's came out lower, the others weren't much to write home about in comparison according to their tests.

David.

 

[TheFox]

Anything but Pirelli 6000's I'd say.

Bridgestone SO3's ( or even Bridgestone RE720s if you want something cheaper and less extreme), or Dunlop 9000s are excellent on 9k's.

 

[PHudson]

Originally posted by TheFox:
[qb]Anything but Pirelli 6000's I'd say.

Bridgestone SO3's ( or even Bridgestone RE720s if you want something cheaper and less extreme), or Dunlop 9000s are excellent on 9k's. [/qb][/b]

I quite liked my p6000s, but they do go off quickly as they wear.

I've got Dunlop sp01s on the front which seem fine (and only £50/corner in 195/60/15) - the previous Goodyear NCT5s (still on the rear) were also OK, and very hardwearing.

On the other hand, I can't recall the last time I made any of them slip (other than pulling out of a junction) so I'm probably not very extreme...

Next, I'll replace the rears with more sp01s. They do seem quieter, but I think they're wearing faster.

 

[Stephen Brown]

I've got P6000s all round and I've found them to be a great balance between adhesion and longevity. They do tend to break away in the wet and on frosty roads, but this just makes me take that much more care with hard braking, cornering and acceleration. When the rear slides a bit I've found the P6000s most amenable to corrective action with the throttle and steering wheel. They are, above all else, quite predictable as far as my driving style is concerned.
Not too expensive, either.

Steve

 

[2TURBOS]

Would agree with Stephen Brown.
205/60/15 P6000 all round. A happy balance between cost, grip & longevity.

M.

(Though I would be the first to admit I have not tried the SP9000)

 

[mark e]

Not the P6000s.

On my 9000s (inlcuding the current silly torque, circa 360lbft

) I've had P6000s, SP9000, S02, S03, P Zero Neros, Parada spec 2.

The P6000s offered significantly worse grip and handling than all the others.

The SP9000s offered much better grip than the P6000s, with no great difference in tread wear.

The S03's are the grippiest of the lot, wet or dry, but wear quicker.

None of the above do terribly well on mud/snow.

 

[TheFox]

I would add that my 9000 was an 2.3 Abbott modified one( 220bhp approx with masses of low down torque)

One thing about the P6000s- ,they really could not cope in the dry let alone the wet at this performance level. No way would i fit them to a 2.3LPT/FPT or Aero. I even tried playing with tyre pressures ( up to 37psi from 30) but could not spot any improvement.

Bridgestone SO3s TOTALLY eradicated this problem in the dry and were amazing grip/handling wise in the wet. Tramlining is the only drawback. Until you have tried them you cannot comprehend the improvement over an obviously inferior tyre ( albeit far cheaper) like the P6000. Turn-in, overall grip wet or dry and braking distances are all better. £30-40 per tyre price difference is alot to most drivers but I think it was justified on the car i had at the time.

I have had NCT5s on previous 9K's and these struggled in the wet under braking more than some tyres but i remember them being quiet and lasting well; that to me suggests a hard compound.

 

[SurfGreen]

Thanks very much for all your thoughts. Think I'll go with the SP9000's if I can get a reasonable deal on them. Looking forward to being able to actually use some of the power again instead of just skating around every time the fun pedal gets a workout

 

[mikeloadsasaabs]

Might be worth trying Black Circles - I've just bought a pair of SP9000s for my 9-5 at a cost of £216 fully fitted. I *could* have got them for £200, but it involves a 30-mile drive & being at the tyre fitters at 08:00 (Micheldever Tyres) - I decided the extra £16 was worth the reduced aggro! The size I've bought is 215/55R16 93Z - they're on special offer at the moment. The deal is that you decide on the tyres and whether you want them fitted, if so where, and they arrange everything.

 

[ms08]

I bought two SP9000's from mytyres.co.uk 205/16/50 profile for £88 each inc VAT and P&P a couple of months back and had them fitted by Kwik Fit for cost of balance and tracking, valves etc.
Prior to that I had been running on P6000's and would consider both as an option but possibly the Dunlop's are slightly quieter.
Mike

 

[aeroadster]

I've just come back from a rainy, wet, and sometimes snow covered and icy Scotland.

It's the worst that my SP9000's have driven in and I was able to drive at slightly above legal limits on the motorways and A roads in snow without any significant loss in grip.

Much better than the Pilot Primacy's, Kumho's, Toyo's and Nankang's I've tried on this and other cars.

I still need a rear anti-roll bar upgrade though.