Some tyres more prone to punctures?

[Edwe]

Originally bought my car second-hand, with newish (but not expensive) 195/65 R15 Continental tyres, which never got punctures in their lifetime. I replaced them with cheap Pirelli tyres a couple of years ago. Since then I have had punctures at least every 8 weeks. My driving style has not changed, nor have the roads which I frequent. Now, I thought this was just coincidence, but then I spoke to a few more people who told me that they too had puncture issues with low-end Pirelli tyres (compared to entry level products from other manufacturers).

Is anyone here aware of any problems with entry-level Pirelli tyres? I need to replace my tyres now and am considering the Continental Premium Contact 2. Are these okay?

 

[chickenbeef]

Which Pirellis do you have?

I've no issues with my set of Pirelli P1's and I've done ~20000KM of mileage with them.

 

[Pitbull]

Originally bought my car second-hand, with newish (but not expensive) 195/65 R15 Continental tyres, which never got punctures in their lifetime. I replaced them with cheap Pirelli tyres a couple of years ago. Since then I have had punctures at least every 8 weeks. My driving style has not changed, nor have the roads which I frequent. Now, I thought this was just coincidence, but then I spoke to a few more people who told me that they too had puncture issues with low-end Pirelli tyres (compared to entry level products from other manufacturers).

Is anyone here aware of any problems with entry-level Pirelli tyres? I need to replace my tyres now and am considering the Continental Premium Contact 2. Are these okay?

Do these even exist?

They are damn good tyres

 

[KingMikel]

Do these even exist?

They are damn good tyres

I'm not sure I can agree 100%... I had 175/65/14 Pirelli P4 4 Seasons on my Brio. Slipped and skidded all over the place. Struggled for traction all the time. Sure, they're more for commuting and that, but what punishment can a Brio put them through to make me permanently feel unsafe?

On the other hand, my dad had the standard P4s on his workhorse Bantam, and I was happy with those.

 

[Edwe]

Which Pirellis do you have?

I've no issues with my set of Pirelli P1's and I've done ~20000KM of mileage with them.

Mine are Pirelli P1 EcoImpact with similar mileage. IIRC they were about R900 each a couple of years back. Worst tyres I have ever had. Even when new, there was practically no grip in wet weather.

 

[Edwe]

I'm not sure I can agree 100%... I had 175/65/14 Pirelli P4 4 Seasons on my Brio. Slipped and skidded all over the place. Struggled for traction all the time. Sure, they're more for commuting and that, but what punishment can a Brio put them through to make me permanently feel unsafe?

On the other hand, my dad had the standard P4s on his workhorse Bantam, and I was happy with those.

My exact experience with the P1 EcoImpact on an e46 BMW 3-series. It's actually scary to drive in the wet.

 

[KingMikel]

My exact experience with the P1 EcoImpact on an e46 BMW 3-series. It's actually scary to drive in the wet.

If I didn't accelerate like a granny (Like 0-60km/h in a minute, no jokes) in the wet, the Brio would spin all the way through to redline. Then the same in 2nd gear.

So happy I'm rid of the Brio and those tyres.

Got Bridgestone Turanza's on my Civic.

Regarding puncture issues, Pirellis are usually softer compound tyres. Maybe this attributes to the puncture issues?

 

[LCBXX]

What is the treadear rating on the Conti's vs the Pirelli's? Odds are the Pirelli's are softer which will let a nail penetrate easier, compared to bending it when the Conti would have run over it.

 

[PostmanPot]

Do these even exist?

They are damn good tyres

I think you get good tyres and bad tyres within brands.

Pirellis do seem overrated though, you can look through the reviews for the common ones here, not what you'd expect.

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Pirelli/

 

[Beachless]

Of course some are more prone to punctures etc each tire uses different compounds and reinforcement. Have a look on the tire review sites and tires can have good and bad years as well.

 

[Edwe]

What is the treadear rating on the Conti's vs the Pirelli's? Odds are the Pirelli's are softer which will let a nail penetrate easier, compared to bending it when the Conti would have run over it.

Don't remember what model the original Conti's were, so I can't compare, but this very well may explain what I'm seeing.

 

[Edwe]

Of course some are more prone to punctures etc each tire uses different compounds and reinforcement. Have a look on the tire review sites and tires can have good and bad years as well.

Pun intended?