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Driving with new tires (article from Conti) Pirelli PZ4
I just got some new Pirelli Pz4 tires and I really like them compared to the continental DWS 06 original version. The pirellis handle the bigger bumps much better but you do feel some of the smaller bumps more so than the DWS 06. I think it's because WS 06 has more bulge around the contact patch then the summer tire PZ 4. Hard to air up! This is a little bit besides the point but when I had the DWS 06 I was trying to air them up like 37 pounds 39 pounds trying to get rid of the bulge at the ground contact point and it would never go away. And felt like I was hitting the larger bumps really hard so I was wondering what was wrong with my car why is it writing so rough?. So when I got the Pirellis I noticed that I felt the smaller ridges in the pavement more but the bigger bumps were not as harsh. I think it's because basically the DWS 06 tires like to run "flat-ish", like there's not enough air in them, so that is great for smoothing out tiny imperfections in teh road, but the larger bumps they don't like it!! And it is worse when the tread gets 50% worn. But anyway after I got the pirellis I noticed that the car felt like it had some squirm!!. Now I thought the summer tire "class" and the more upright sidewalls (less sag on the contact patch) should handle a lot better and I wouldn't think there would be any squirm right? So i thought maybe the high performance nature of these pirellis are making be feel the slop in my old car! I mean the tires are performance tires and they should dig in and hold a lot better especially with only 300 treadwear and being a summer tire! Right?. So I googled "tire squirm" and continental says this below. And it's true that while the Pirelli is not a tall tread winter tire, if you compare the DWS 06 to this Pirelli the DWS was halfway worn at least maybe 60% worn and plus the DWS 06 has a very compact tread design. But the PirellisI have have much wider grooves for rain and the tread taller because it is new... probably by two times as tall. So i am hopeful that after these fresh rubber is worn it it will feel a bit less squirmy. I think those DWS06's are from 2017 or 2018. So the rubber is not as fresh and soft as the pirelli.(I can smell them in my garage) anyway, Good information below.. I didnt know new tires are likely to be a bit more squirmy. Maybe that is why they only put like 10/32” or 11/32” tread depth on new tires.
What is “squirm?”
Tread squirm, or tire squirm, is a little bit of excess movement you might feel when steering a vehicle that has recently been fitted with new tires. This movement comes from the flexibility in the rubber between the tread surface and the carcass.
For comparison:
Slick racing tires – with no tread – have little to no squirm.
Snow tires – with deep tread – have a large amount of squirm.
Isn’t new, deep tread a good thing?
You’d think so. But actually, it works better once it has spent some time on the asphalt getting slightly roughed up. Once this has happened, tires are able to exert their optimal gripping and handling capabilities.
After 6 months.. I would not buy these PZ4's again. They have weak side walls.. Not good in cornering. I noticed it right off the bat coming from the DWS06's but I thought maybe they felt sqirmish from what I read. Well.. The sqirm did go away but still, these PZ4's do not corner as well as the DWS06.. I do like the PZ4 appearance and styling 2x more than DWS06 but the handling is not very good. After the tires were broken in, I took a corner that I am very familiar with, and so I increased my speed somewhat (instead of going easy on them) and when I went around this loop to get on an overpass, the tires started to "Sqwual".. Like making a nosie in the corner.. So not only do they not handle well, but there may be a slipping problem because why else would they sqwal in a corner? Anyway.. "**Don't recommend... There was a guy on YT who made a review and he said they have weak sidewalls be cause he has a 30 aspect ratio tire on him small car.. And he got a BUBBLE on the sidewall.. And he was really mad about it.. He wrote pirelli a love letter and it fell on deaf ears of course.. But tiurns out, he was right.. They do have weak side walls. But you never know who to believe online. The rear is ok.. but the front even looks like it is low pressure. But I keep like 37 pounds of pressure in them.. They still look low. So, just more signs of "weakness". Oh well.. Good thing they Do Not have a high treadwear rating! haha So I will get rid of them sooner than later.
But I DO love the way they look. Sometimes I wonder if these are the XL rated.. And they are. But I think they work better on lighter cars.. Not large cars like my 05 TL.
Noise level: They do make more noise on the highway than the DWS06. Even though the DWS06 is not totally quiet. But it is a All season with more tread.. The PZ4 is a summer tire.. It should not be making that much noise but it makes more noise at highway speeds for sure.
Ride: They Ride very good.. Better than DWS06. (of course because the sidewalls are softer)
Appearance: I think they look great.. buit these are also a 40 A.R. whereas my DWS06 were 45's. So, naturally it will look better with a lower profile.
Font is better.
01-11-2023, 10:23 PM
