Experience with Pirelli tires?

[DD4ST]

So traditionally I have bought Michelin tires and have not been disappointed. More recently I was impressed by my Audi eTron’s Goodyear tires. Never had a problem with either brand, other than my own stupidity not keeping a vehicle aligned. Come Pirelli, the first I’ve ever owned. When I took delivery of my R1T in March I was quickly back at the SC complaining of what I thought was a rough ride. Come to find out one of the tires (installed at the factory) was defective. First in my life. I was able to adjust it at Discount Tire, who have been great. Fixed the problem and the ride. Fast forward and my wife rolls into an outdoor step corner and sidewall punctures that same tire with only 2900 miles on the truck. Went to Discount Tire and shelled out $542 for a new tire, plus bought their tire replacement policy for all four tires at $91 per. A week later I take it back and ask them to rebalance the replaced tire as it feels rougher than previous. After trying they tell me the tire is defective with a bubble, and order me a new one. Got the new one today and all seems right again. But what are the odds of getting TWO defective tires? Pirelli’s aren’t cheap and I would have expected better. Curious what others have experienced.

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[dradam]

Odd to have two defectives tires!! I have the Pirelli 21’s 8k so far no issues other than a puncture repair. When these wear down I hope to try the Michelin 21’s. People here have seemed happy with them and the price is better.

 

[Herb]

12k no issues other than a nail puncture on inside side wall - decided to replace. I think I should be good for another 12k. Will probably also try Michelins. Running Hakka LT3 for the winter on 20" steel rims.

 

[ndmiller]

I've seen and heard about someone having more than one defective tire on a new vehicle, but not Pirelli's or any other major brand.

Pirelli has a partnership with Formula 1 until 2027, so you're right to expect better, but stuff happens. Remember from the factory to your vehicle, tires go through alot of travel and movement. If they aren't treated properly they can certainly be damaged in transit or storage.

For example the bottom tires in a stack that's too high deforming the sidewalls wouldn't be my choice as tires are supposed to be stored upright. Sure a low stack is probably fine, but too high and bottom tires suffer.

 

[Singletracker]

In my years of driving, I have had several sets of Pirelli tires. They have all been high end models. In each case, I was left disappointed with their performance and especially their durability. I would never purchase another Pirelli tire. There are some exceptional tires out there, and a lot of not so great ones. Anyways, that‘s my $0.02 worth.

 

[1pinhigh]

Completely agree with your assessment. I've owned numerous cars over the years and the durability of the Pirelli's was terrible compared to any other tire brand! Only got 20K miles out of the 21's on the R1T and unfortunately, I had to buy new ones, due to a puncture Discount Tire wouldn't/couldn't fix, just 2 weeks before the Michelin's became available. Spent about $500 more for the Pirelli's and know positively they won't last nearly as long as the Michelin's would.

I saw similar durability issues with Pirelli's on a 911. As expected that set only lasted a little over 10K miles! The poor performance from the Pirelli's makes me regret my decision to change my R1T order from 22" to 21" to get the truck a few months earlier. I wish I wasn't so impatient....

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