So I have had my R for a few months now and I am continually amazed at how little rear end traction this thing has. Rear wheels light up in 1st and 2nd with less than a quarter throttle, will easily break loose in 3rd, and it has spun up in 4th on one occassion on a cold day and cold tires. I love slinging the rear end around as much as anyone but I feel like this thing just can't put the power down. The car had 11k miles on it when I bought it and I assume they are on the OEM pirellis. There is plenty of tread left in the tires but I wonder if they had too many heat cycles and are shot. How big of a difference will the Michelins make w/ a 4-wheel alignment? Does everyone else have this issue?

Thanks!

 

upgrading the tires to pss or the new ps4s will make a huge difference. you will still need to be careful in colder weather until you can get some heat in those tires. if you're driving around during the winter months, you should get a dedicated set of winter tires.

 

Related to the R tires, you might check your air pressure. I just happened to check mine and found 27 psi, where the recommendations are 37 psi.

I have a request for advice from the forum. My 16 R AWD has 6k miles, about the time I would normally rotate and balance. However with the differing width sizes front vs rear, the only rotation seems side to side. Is that what others have decided? Also, I thought these OEM tires were directional, which would defeat that rotation, correct?
Thanks!
Doc

 

The Pirellis are truly awful. After 3 years of driving around on them switching to MPS4’s and having an alignment done was a revelation - totally transforms the level of grip and traction

 

+1.. My story exactly...

 

If the Pirellis are directional, you can rotate side-to-size, but you will have to unmount the tires and flip them on the wheel, to keep them pointed forward. The Michelins have an outside/inside positioning, so they can be left on the wheel if you rotate to the other side. For the Michelins, there's no real point in swapping them, as the excessive wear is generally on the inside, regardless of side. Swapping may make more sense on the directional tires.

 

Guess I'll start doing burnouts on the pirellis to put them out of their misery.

A pair of Michelins on the back with pirelli's still on the front should be ok for the time being.

 

The p zeros are not directional, but they are asymmetric. Inside has to stay facing inside. I wouldn't bother rotating anyway. These tires have a short life and that's just the way it is.