Just had 4 new tyres (Pirelli PZero P235/50ZR-18) installed to replace some noisy Continentals. I bought them online from Tire Rack" for $138/each and they were shipped to my local AAA garage who fitted them 2 days later.

The new Pirellis are very quiet and run very nicely.

There is an interesting red paint blob the size of a quarter on the side of each tyre?

 

The paint blob is probably from the balancing process. You can scrub it off yourself or it will probably wear itself off after a while.

 

My PZero's had the paint blob on them too, It wore off after a few weeks. I couldn't scrub it off when new strangely enough.

 

It is just a batch mark from the manufacturer.

 

These paint marks on new tires are somewhat more than just batch marks. I read sometime back that makers of high end tires mark the heavy side of their tires so that they may be mounted on the light side of new car factory wheels thereby reducing the amount of weight required to balance the wheel tire combination. My guess is that the red paint marks serve the same end.

Don't hold me too close on this as I read it sometime ago and the details are dim. I have noticed green stickers on new car tires that are supposed to serve the same purpose. Perhaps someone with specific knowledge on this subject can add to this discussion.

A tire store that is really sweating the details will use the system to get a good bal. with min. weight even if it takes an extra step in the bal. process.

 

Actually, a paint dot on a new tire is there to mark the LIGHTEST point on the tire, and it is supposed to be positioned at the valve stem (under the assumption that the valve stem will be the heaviest point on any rim). The idea is to reduce the amount of weight needed to properly balance the tire.

 

So was I right?

 

Especially with the tire pressure monitors!

 

So can you give us more insight into what these tires are like? Are they really that much quieter? What kinds of noises were your old tires making?

 

These paint dots do indeed indicate the lightest static balance point on the man-made (hence imperfect) tire; lining it up to the valve stem offsets the tire's light spot with the heavier spot occupied by the valve stem itself, which is heavier than the material removed to make way for it (you still have to position the weights properly).

And I'm ditching my noisy Nittos as soon as I can, and plan to buy Pirelli or Contis.

Can anyone attest to which is quieter? Pir or Con?

 

I am also curious. Seems like Pirellis are cheaper.

 

I have Continental ContiProContact on my XJ8 and I am not impressed - I find them noisy. It is the tires that was on the car when I got it so I have no reference but a Jaguar should not have that much road noise as these tires produce - particularly since the Jag has almost 3" of closed cell foam in the bottom. Actually my Nissan Pathfinder has less perceivable road noise than the Jag.

 

Do your Contis have a "WHOOM WHOOM WHOOM WHOOM WHOOM" noise when you are braking at less than 30 mph?

 

Hankook Ventus! I'm just saying!!

 

It does look like the red paint blobs are indeed lined up with the valve stems so I think BigCat3153 is right.

The old Contis sounded like a tractor or old school bus (if you ignore/exclude the engine noise). Seems the treads just didn't like any asphalt road surface and rumbled/whooshed in complaint.

The new Pirelli Pzeros are whisper quiet and handle well on wet or dry road surfaces.

 

GrafShutka is putting it well - I drive a Jaguar school bus:-) Smooth pavement is OK, coarse pavement and the school bus comes out, impact noise not good either. Snow traction is good though use mine all year.

 

I too pilot a school bus and occasionally a lumber truck shod with noisy Nittos. The mechanic from Jag-Volvo OKC compared them to "tires made of cement". I plan to go Pirelli based on the endorsement of GrafShutka. Thank you!

 

how wide can we go on these cars before we run into problems? im sitting on 235/50/18 right now......