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check those Pirelli tires....

20K views 40 replies 16 participants last post by  John_K_348 
#1 ·
So about 2 weeks ago we noticed a small nail in the passenger rear tire. Current tires have 6500 miles on them. As the tire wasn’t losing air we decided to leave as is and order new tires to be installed at a later date. That later date was today.

We purchased some Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires only due to the better “longevity” compared to the Pirelli tires that came with our Q.

One thing I did notice after inspecting all the tires after the nail was how much the passenger front was really worn on the outside edge.

Here are two pictures taken today before driving to the dealership; first is the passenger front and the second is the driver front:

Passenger front:


Driver front:


When we arrived we told the service tech about the front and showed him the passenger front wear. He said it looked like the car had been “tracked”. We haven’t done this. Once thing I did notice while there was it had worn down to the thread:



Getting that nail was a blessing in guise.

Bottom line: even with normal driving check those Pirelli tires!


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#2 ·
that is odd! I think i'd have said the same thing if I'd have seen those.. it's looks like extensive wheel spinning to me. That's terrible. I have tracked my Eagle F1's twice and they look absolutely normal @ 7k. Think those tires have serious issues if they wear like that under normal use
 
#4 ·
Service department reached out to us and said they'd recommend an alignment to adjust the front toe. We're having it done with the new tires installed today.

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#6 ·
No. And to be honest, we didn't even think to press that issue. Ugh. Oh well, just gonna move on.

:frown2:

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#9 ·
I don't know how you drive, and alignment is always suspect in stuff like this but - people generally turn left more aggressively than right, which causes the passenger front to wear more. how much more depends on your style - maybe you should enter the turns less aggressively (braking understeer and weight transfer), and rely on smoking tire steer with the rear exits more, so that your back tires wear out quicker instead?
 
#10 ·
Alignment information:

Before (current):



After:



And as a special treat they scratched one of the wheels during the installation of the tires. Ugh...



The vehicle stayed at the dealership for them to fix (paint) the lip of the scratched wheel.

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#19 · (Edited)
Alignment information:

Before (current):



After:



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Post #13 by Call me Al in the 'Stock Alignment Specs' thread provides a screenshot of Giulia Alignment Specifications.

Those factory specs give QV camber per side as:
for front a range of –0.25º to –0.91º, with median of –0.58º; and
for rear a range of –1.17º to –1.83º, with a median of –1.50º.

From this we see that the 'before' right rear camber is within factory specifications, albeit shown as out-of-spec.

Converting the factory toe specs to millimetres using OE tyre dimensions we get total toe:
for front as a range of –1.59mm (toe-in) to 1.59mm (toe-out), with a median of 0.00mm; and
for rear a range of 3.42mm (toe-out) to 6.62mm (toe-out), with a median of 5.02mm.
Note: toe for each side is half of the above e.g. front toe range per side is –0.795 to 0.795mm

From this we see rear toe 'after' is set to the maximum specification (supplied by Call me Al), albeit the spec range seen in the 'after print out' shows a greater maximum (erroneously?).

Considering factory rear toe specifications, it appears forces applied to the rear wheels by "scrub radius" will cause toe-in. Hence on a new vehicle, when there is no wear on bushings, I'd rather see total rear toe set nearer to 3.42mm out.

Thus, it would pay to monitor the inside edge of the rear tyres for wear.
 
#12 ·
No doubt.

The thing for me is we specifically when to the dealership and paid up the rear (IMHO) to have the tires installed. I figured, "5hit, they have Ferrari's here, they must have the best equipment for tire installation." In other words, wouldn't scratch the wheels during installation.

:frown2:
 
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#14 ·
So about 2 weeks ago we noticed a small nail in the passenger rear tire. Current tires have 6500 miles on them. As the tire wasn’t losing air we decided to leave as is and order new tires to be installed at a later date. That later date was today.

We purchased some Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires only due to the better “longevity” compared to the Pirelli tires that came with our Q.

One thing I did notice after inspecting all the tires after the nail was how much the passenger front was really worn on the outside edge.

Here are two pictures taken today before driving to the dealership; first is the passenger front and the second is the driver front:

...
When we arrived we told the service tech about the front and showed him the passenger front wear. He said it looked like the car had been “tracked”. We haven’t done this. Once thing I did notice while there was it had worn down to the thread:



Getting that nail was a blessing in guise.

Bottom line: even with normal driving check those Pirelli tires!
It appears to me that the tread is cracked on the worn tire, which I am guessing is highly abnormal for these tires.

Are these tires steel belted? Once steel belts are exposed all kinds of bad things happen beyond the hazard posed to the vehicle, like Forrest fires and bicycle tire flats.
 
#16 ·
Indeed. Seeing how it was before is a bit disappointing. Our Q though did track straight and true so we never suspected the alignment was off.

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#17 ·
"track straight and true"
looking at your toe that isn't surprising, the drivers side not showing more wear is.
but it probably self centered on the driver side, so the net effect was .5 in on the passenger, which you might have noticed but maybe thought it was the crown on the road.

it should be way faster now that the tires are pointed in the direction of travel instead of fighting to see which side can scrape off the most rubber.
 
#18 ·
Ha. Wife drove it a bit today with some "spirit". All she said later was "Wow, it's like a new car. It handled great before but with the tires and alignment it's at a whole new level."

:grin2:
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#20 ·
I don't think that the cracking of the tire tread is the the tire carcass exposed. The steel belts are below the bottom of the tire grooves and there is nothing showing there. It does look like the tire has been exposed to temperature extremes to cause the deterioration of the rubber. Most modern tires also have different tread compounds used at different depths of tread and sometimes across the tire to optimize for wet/dry traction, etc.
 
#25 ·
I think the exposed belt was on the outside edge of the tread. What I see as cracking appears in the middle of the tire. I see circumferential changes in the darkness of the tread in the picture, it is not necessarily cracking but cracking is my first impression.

Anyway, now I am thinking I need to have my alignment checked as I am getting less fuel economy than others have reported.
 
#22 ·
What do you recommend psi to be at?
I've always run mine at about 35psi, I checked the psi after I bought mine and saw they were at about 55psi, wondering how much or if I need to lower them at all ...
 
#28 ·
Rats! Just washed my wheels to clean her up a little before the next storm and found this. Bubble on sidewall of front right. Not huge but noticeable. I'll try to have it checked Sunday or Monday. I have wheel and tire coverage. Don't want to scratch my wheels though.
 

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#30 · (Edited)
Yup. Got lucky and Central was able to squeeze me in Monday morning. I have coverage so I hope we can get it done without scratching the rim. It feels ok with no distortion or bend. Haven't even been to one show yet. 2 Sundays from now.

You'd think you could drive with 4 people in the car, no? I was with a buddy last Sunday after the F1 watch party and I hit a pothole, but on the driver's side. It looked too narrow to effect the the wheel but I got a thud anyway. But the damage shows on the passenger side. I think it's just the darn potholes and crap seams and patches. You just have to deal with it. I am really glad I got the coverage and the that the wheel is is good shape. I was thinking of guilt tripping my buddy since it happened on his side but nah, it's just the darn streets. I washed it last week or so and didn't see it. May have happened in the last day or two. ;) It's covered. You think they will replace the pair? What I really wanted was a winter wheel and tire set!
 
#31 ·
OK good visit. Tape stayed on and tire ordered. We only need one. 2300 miles. Pouring rain today. Winter will not quit. Alfa techs will do the swap and I begged them not to scratch my rims. ;) She's parked at home until then.
 

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#35 ·
We always checked the tire pressure, per the specs, via the computer as well as manually. We are never significantly low or high; again, using the specs provided by Alfa.

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#36 ·
I'm at Central now in the swanky cafe restaurant. I could have had lunch here if I knew that had one at rhe main Chrysler/Jeep address.
Thanks for the good words. Tape is still on and I'm praying while I wait. ?
 
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