Re: 17 inch wheels (also P7000)

[Eliot Lim <eliot@u.washington.edu>]

On Mon, 5 Aug 1996, Vaino Narma wrote:

> How is the braking and noise levels on the P7000? 

i have not tested the tire for ultimate dry grip yet.  in the rain
they are as good as advertised. as i said in the dry i do not like the
softness in initial turn-in but after that it grips very confidently,
but part of that may be due to the extra width and lower sidewalls.

noise levels are excellent.  despite gaining 20mm in width from my
previous dunlop d80v4s noise levels are just as low.  they are also
tuned to sound like a hush rather than a roar over rough concrete
surfaces.  i'm very pleased with this aspect of the tire.

> I looking to swap out my Goodyear 
> RS-As for some more sticky and less squelly, but I still need to 
> get through winter out here in the Northeast.  The GoodYear 
> RS-As were okay in the snow, but I find them very weak in the 
> wet.  They break loss with little or no communications.  I will 
> be putting them on the stock 16X7 rims.

i don't think that the p7000 was intended for ultimate dry
performance.  the compound is optimized for lower temperatures of rain
and snow, plus it has a 320 treadwear rating and also M+S and ZR
rating.  it has jointless construction like the dunlops but this is
far less publicised.  the tread pattern shows a very aggresive
water dispersion pattern.  they are also unidirectional...

the biggest advantage is the superlative ride comfort, which allows
me to use very high inflation pressures, which in turn allows me
to protect those precious expensive wheels.  i'd say that this
pretty much overrides everything else if you want to get picky..:)

so yes, i'm quite happy with them and would recommend them to others
with the same needs as me.  

there's quite a bit of info on this tire on the web.  tire rack's
web page at www.tirerack.com and pirelli's web page at www.pirelli.com
can provide you with lots of info.


eliot