Pirelli Tyres
People will spend tens of thousands of Euros/Pounds/Dollars to buy the latest model from their favourite car manufacturer, but when it comes down to changing their tyres it's often a case of the cheapest will do!
The tyres, along with the brakes, are two areas of car maintenance that nobody should ever try to save money on by purchasing inferior or cheaper components. My late father drummed this lesson into me when I was only a young fellow."The tyres keep you on the road son, and the brakes stop you!"It's a lesson I've never forgotten and I only use tyres and brakes from tried and tested manufacturers. Currently, my favoured tyres are Pirellis, although this often comes down to personal choice, and there are many other good manufacturers.So why do I prefer Pirelli tyres to many of their competitors?I don't know if any of you remember a recent controversy in the USA back in 2000 where there was over 200 fatalities caused when the Firestone tyres on Ford Explorer SUV's failed during cornering, causing the drivers to crash and in many cases turn over the vehicle? On investigation this was found to have been caused by the tread on the tyre separating from the tyre body, which subsequently caused a catastrophic loss of control. I have to be a wee bit careful here, as many cases are still in litigation, with both Firestone and Ford frantically trying to shift responsibility onto each other in order to minimize the damages they'll have to pay out. But one thing that is beyond dispute is that the accidents were all caused by tyre tread separation.
One almost sure way to prevent tyre tread separation is to use nylon "caps" or bands when making the tyre. These nylon bands are fitted over the steel belts which make up the thread on the tyre. They shrink when the tyre heats up in use, and tighten the grip that the steel belts have with the main body of the tyre. They're in common use in Europe, but in the USA tend only to be used on high performance tyres.Pirelli were the first tyre manufacturers to use nylon belts, first introducing them on racing tyres as far back as the 1950's. They now use them almost as a matter of course, and they are certainly on the Pirelli tyres that I currently use on my BMW 530D.
It's simple enough to check whether your own car tyres have these nylon bands fitted. If you read the information on the side of your tyre, somewhere it'll tell you how many steel belts and nylon bands are fitted. (You might have to look carefully, as it's usually fairly small print.)
This is one of the main reasons I purchase Pirelli tyres. Add to this the fact that they've been in the business of making top quality tyres around the world since 1872, have an outstanding safety record, and make tyres that are both safe and which last for ages.Pirelli claim that their "P" series tyres (including the new P7 tyres) give excellent grip in wet conditions, and grip like leeches when accelerating, cornering and braking. I have no cause to argue with that statement. In all the time I've used them I've never at any time felt unsafe, I've never lost the car on a corner, and I've never even came even close to aquaplaning. (This is where the car "skates" over the surface of the water in wet conditions. It's deadly dangerous!) Given the often wet weather we invariably suffer here in Ireland, it was important to me that I have tyres that performed well in wet conditions, and Pirelli are those tyres. They're especially good when braking hard in the rain, and you can clamp down on the brakes in the knowledge that it's highly unlikely you'll go into a skid.
I have also been known to drive fairly quickly on occasion, (speed cameras not withstanding!) and these Pirelli tyres are speed rated for use up to speeds in excess of 145 mph! Not that I ever go THAT fast mind you (ahem!) but it's comforting to know that the tyre isn't going to blow out on you at high speed, something that happened to me years ago on a motorway in Scotland and which frightened me half to death. (Luckily I didn't crash!)
Road noise is another factor. With some tyres it's very intrusive, and can become tiresome especially on a long journey. As I'm a taxi driver (among other things) I tend to spend countless hours in my car, and with the Pirelli tyres I never even notice any annoying road noise.Of course, there's a price to pay for all of this. Pirelli tyres are not the cheapest on the market; in fact, they'd probably rate as one of the most expensive. I paid 179 Euros each for my last two P4000's at my local (small) tyre fitter. (Free balancing) You might manage to get them a little bit cheaper if you shop around at either the large tyre fitting shops or on the Web. But whatever price you pay you can rest assured that you're driving around on tyres that one day just might be responsible for saving your life. And it's very hard to put a price on that!
