Lowest Temperature driving in stock Pirelli’s?

[akfinfan]

Curious to know what the lowest temperature anyone has driven on the stock Pirelli’s for the Dark Horse.

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[Love my ride]

Had the sport summer only tires on my Shelby and I would not drive it under 40 degrees and that was pushing it.

 

[ElCid08]

This. Don’t trust summer tires in temps below 40. First thing I did was swap my tires on my new DH for Michelin A/S 4’s. No downside for me since I won’t be tracking my car. Michelin All Seasons are great tires.

 

[mmerholz]

My Mach 1 is a daily driver with summer-only Michelin's. A lot of mornings have been 25-30F. I drive 16 miles one way at highway speeds. No cracking or other problems that I can see thus far. I admit I was worried, but so far so good.

 

[steyr]

I've driven in 10 degree temps on my GT PP with the Pirellis. No cracking or anything like that at all. The tires definitely struggle to grip more under 40 degrees, though.

 

[Mustang8]

I've driven on stock GT PP tires when it was 46 degrees out, no isssues. It doesn't stay that cold all day here though, only in the morning.

 

[gruvyhudy]

I got my mustang right after Thanksgiving and there were alot of cold days below 40 degrees. I drive it to work and back, no issues with cracking, main problem is handling. Any frost or light snow and handling is unpredictable, especially on the slightest hill. I recently got winter tires and rim set from discount tire, with a couple of bags of salt in the trunk in early February. It hasn't been less than 40 degrees on a work day since I changed the tires out in WI. Lol......anyway I should be set in case it's a cold snowy March. Everyone says you shouldn't run on summer tires in winter because of possible tire damage so I would change them out if you're in a cold weather state as soon as you can. I didn't see any damage after 3 months of winter driving when they were changed out so I may have gotten lucky on that one. I will be ready to go when it it warms up....can't wait to open my baby up on those summer tires....

 

[Eurasianman]

I drove my car on ice/snow a few weeks back (8F - 25F). Worst.Idea.Ever.

Tires seem fine though afterwards. Only have 1700 miles and they look the same as they did the day I picked it up.

 

[DSimon24GTPPP]

I’ve driven them in 24 degree weather once, 30-40 a few times. No damage to them whatsoever.. However, anything under 40 degrees, it’s going to spin in 1st / 2nd gear. At 50+ they’ll grip. The recommended 45+ is spot on, tho you can drive them lower, no prob.

 

[Eurasianman]

Just to clarify, I believe the main reason why the tire manufacturer recommends 45F and higher is to avoid potentially damaging the actual overall integrity of the tire (i.e. actual premature cracking of the rubber).

 

[MidLifeManifustang]

At 7 degrees C (44.6 F) in sunny, dry conditions, the rear of my auto transmission GT PP went sideways when I floored it at 90 km/h (55 mph). Tires were slightly overinflated when I took delivery, and I’ve since adjusted them to spec, but that still shook my confidence in the P Zeros.

I’m seriously considering switching to a UHP all-season so I can extend the usable driving season. Toronto gets a bit of snow (Mustang will stay parked for this) but most years it just melts after a day or two after it falls and the roads dry up quickly -- yet the temp hovers around freezing Dec - Feb.

 

[keithwalton]

PZ4's will be physically fine in lowish temperatures but the levels of grip will fall off rapidly below 40f to the point you wouldn't want to drive on them anyway.
ICE & Snow they'll be totally useless and the slightest up hill gradient will stop you.

In the Uk it is common for cars to be run with 'summer' tyres all year round and as long as it doesn't snow you'll survive. There is a distinct difference between UHP summer and just Summer tyres which are the default here. Some people fit all seasons but they're rare / suv's.
I personally fit winter tyres on my main vehicle between november and march as i need to be able to get around in the snow (we've had None this year and 1 day last year as in 22/23)

The trofeo's on the other hand need much more temperature to work and will be physically damaged by being in the cold using them or not.

 

[roadpilot]

PZ4's will be physically fine in lowish temperatures but the levels of grip will fall off rapidly below 40f to the point you wouldn't want to drive on them anyway.
ICE & Snow they'll be totally useless and the slightest up hill gradient will stop you.

In the Uk it is common for cars to be run with 'summer' tyres all year round and as long as it doesn't snow you'll survive. There is a distinct difference between UHP summer and just Summer tyres which are the default here. Some people fit all seasons but they're rare / suv's.
I personally fit winter tyres on my main vehicle between november and march as i need to be able to get around in the snow (we've had None this year and 1 day last year as in 22/23)

The trofeo's on the other hand need much more temperature to work and will be physically damaged by being in the cold using them or not.

Pirelli's warranty does not cover tires that develop compound cracking due to use in ambient temperatures below 45° Fahrenheit (7° Celsius), so the P Zero System tires, like all summer tires, is not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice.

Beyond the warranty issue, driving a vehicle with summer only tires that essentially turn into hockey pucks in the cold is simply not a smart decision.

 

[roket]

if you mean the handling package and it's Trofeo RS tires, i do not recommend driving on them in temps below 45F because you will be driving on tires made of ice and probably cause cracking. for the non-handling package, its not recommended by Pirelli to use them below certain temps, but its much less of a risk. in either case, if you can, i recommend ditching the Pirellis and getting some Michelins or Continentals or even Uniroyals if you just need a tire at all. imo, Pirelli is trash and their monopoly in F1 only makes me hate them more

 

[Combinepilot]

Pirelli's warranty does not cover tires that develop compound cracking due to use in ambient temperatures below 45° Fahrenheit (7° Celsius), so the P Zero System tires, like all summer tires, is not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice.

Beyond the warranty issue, driving a vehicle with summer only tires that essentially turn into hockey pucks in the cold is simply not a smart decision.

Great that you brought this issue up. I have 4 cracked Trofeo RS's currently. Canadian car, 175km, (distance from the dealership to storage for the winter). Nice warm day for late October for the trip.. Car was reversed from storage at some point thru the winter ,likely well below the temps you provided in your post. to allow another owner to have access to their vehicle. Outside for no more than an hour. Temps could have been -20C or colder. Pics of DOT #s, VIN , damage to all 4 tiressent in to Pirelli a week ago for review. Have yet to hear anything ,remaining patient and have low expectations about the outcome.
I went in with eyes wide open as far as what were a couple of the issues with the tires and had plans to replace the RS's when I planning to pull the car out of storage. Not certain whether I can drive it to the tire shop at this point.

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