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I’ve decided not to bring the GT R into hibernation this winter and so in order to operate it properly and safely, I’d proceed to get a set of Pirelli Sottozero 270 series 2 in the OE GT R sizes 275/35/19 & 325/30/30 from TireRack. My previous experience with Pirelli winter tires was fairly great and I look forward for the same if not better performance.
My understanding is that most people go with Michelin PA4 in 285/30/19 & 335/25/20. That was my original plan before they told me the OE size winters are actually available. Have anyone tried these Pirelli winter tires yet?
We have used the Sottozeros on our E63s in a staggered config and the tires worked great for Minnesota winters. Won't use them for the GTC roadster due to the soft top.
The only issue we experienced is that they were wearing faster than other tires. I had to replace the full set at around 6,000 miles/two seasons. Rears were worn to the wear marks and the fronts had inner tire wear. Felt a bit pricey at $1800 a set...
Sound like they are similar to the 240 sottozero I had on my E90 M3 in the past. Great tires for about 2 seasons of use. The M3 didn’t have that much torque so they might had lasted a little longer if I recall. In general, I’m a big fan of Michelin tires and so wished that PA4 is offered in the OE sizes. Meanwhile, I’ll get these Pirelli mounted on Monday and see what they really are about. Thank you for sharing your experience. :-)
Originally Posted by Wolfman
We have used the Sottozeros on our E63s in a staggered config and the tires worked great for Minnesota winters. Won't use them for the GTC roadster due to the soft top.
The only issue we experienced is that they were wearing faster than other tires. I had to replace the full set at around 6,000 miles/two seasons. Rears were worn to the wear marks and the fronts had inner tire wear. Felt a bit pricey at $1800 a set...
Nooooooo, put that thing in storage for the winter!
I agree. There is already lots of debris on the roads in NY. It was sunny and 70 degrees today but I was driving and kept hearing the ping of rocks and twigs hitting my rocker panels. Thankful for Xpel.
I could only imagine what it’s like when potholes start to form.
Who cares, it’s just a car. They will drive well in the winter and if our GTC wouldn’t have a soft top I would put snows on the car.
Have done that on our SL’s and they made fabulous winter cars.
The sottozeros are excellent winter tyres; I had them on my ‘13 M5 and could easily get around in 4” snow. One thing: even though they are advertised as being ‘high performance’ winter tyres, they have markedly reduced performance capabilities versus the OEM SC2s, so be careful as it’s easy to get caught out on those nicer days when you think you’ll give the car a bit of a ‘workout’! lol
Who cares, it’s just a car. They will drive well in the winter and if our GTC wouldn’t have a soft top I would put snows on the car.
Have done that on our SL’s and they made fabulous winter cars.
The GTR sits very low, so it would be a very poor choice for driving in anything >2” of snow as you’ll act like a snowplow! lol
The sottozeros are excellent winter tyres; I had them on my ‘13 M5 and could easily get around in 4” snow. One thing: even though they are advertised as being ‘high performance’ winter tyres, they have markedly reduced performance capabilities versus the OEM SC2s, so be careful as it’s easy to get caught out on those nicer days when you think you’ll give the car a bit of a ‘workout’! lol
Bish
My m550ix just did the winter tire swap last week and the difference in performance is very very noticeable. Although it might be offering more grip/traction when it’s cold/wet, the car feels quite a bit softer in every aspect. Braking distance has increased dramatically too.
I had an accident in my 911 last year when it was 3°C and raining really pouring down, learned a valuable lesson in the hard and expensive way. Using the right tires accordingly is very important to me know 😁
My Lexus RX350 is a great winter car; the GT is not.
Coming from someone who barely experiences any snow
We have five months snow a year, unfortunately, but also a lot of experience what cars work.
Germans design their cars to perform well throughout the year. RWD MB’s with the right tires work fine here.
The GTR sits very low, so it would be a very poor choice for driving in anything >2” of snow as you’ll act like a snowplow! lol
Reality is that virtually nobody drives during a winter storm. Most cars in the ditch here during storms are AWD trucks/SUV’s.
You wait for the snow plows anyways.
Our driveway is somewhat steep and our E63s goes through 8” snow into the garage. The car is lowered.
In case our driveway wasn’t plowed yet.
My point is that the car should be fine during winters but obviously not as the primary driver during snow storms.
GTR is typically not a single car household car. Take the SUV for really bad weather but there is no need to keep other cars in the garage for the duration.
Not as low as it looks. Schmee on YT has driven his many thousands of KM in snow.
I just bought Sotto Zeros for my GTC. I had them on my C63 507 and it was totally fine in Canadian winters.
It’s too bad we can’t get a narrower width, especially for the rear. Maybe you can use the GTC 305 width on the GTR?
I’ll be driving my Pro all winter on the island. Pick it up mid November. First thing I’m doing is putting on the Alpin 4 or 5s - second is a clear wrap.
I got them installed yesterday morning and my local tire shop has a very difficult time getting the job done perfectly without damaging anything. Eventually, they did a good job but it took them more than 2hrs of time. The store manager later told me while they deal with some performance cars, they’d never had experience with such wide tires I bet he was referring to the rear ones. Anyways, they told me this would be the last time they’d work on my GT R because it just consumed way too much time. Normal I go to another shop that is 30 mins away and they deal with exotics and high performance cars, I guess they can probably be more comfortable with tires in the sizes we use.
The overall ride is now much softer and more comfortable even though they still got the tire pressure wrong. The extra grip offers way more confidence especially when in heavy rain and somewhat colder days like we had yesterday.
Anyone know where to get wheel/tire bags that can fit these sizes of wheels?
I had a set of tire tote I bought from amazon couple years ago and they work ok wrapping the 305/30/20 of my 911 rear tires. Looks like they can stretch a little more. Let me double check next time I go to my storage.
I’ll be driving my Pro all winter on the island. Pick it up mid November. First thing I’m doing is putting on the Alpin 4 or 5s - second is a clear wrap.
Do you think the GT R will be ok going on a trip by the ferry? My friends and I plan to attend track days at VIMC next spring.
Do you think the GT R will be ok going on a trip by the ferry? My friends and I plan to attend track days at VIMC next spring.
Man...depends what you mean by OK haha.
I had my GT350R (long front splitter) on and off that ferry 10+ times hitting Mission and Area 27 - and I scraped almost every time. The trick when you check in is to ask to be in the basement level where you have the time and freedom to enter on an angle.
The problem is also coming off...angle again is key...
Not sure if the GTR is as low (long splitter) as the 350R but it certainly could be. I think the car overall sits lower.
I had my GT350R (long front splitter) on and off that ferry 10+ times hitting Mission and Area 27 - and I scraped almost every time. The trick when you check in is to ask to be in the basement level where you have the time and freedom to enter on an angle.
The problem is also coming off...angle again is key...
Not sure if the GTR is as low (long splitter) as the 350R but it certainly could be. I think the car overall sits lower.
I’m not much concerned about getting scraped a little, it happens already when we drive the car daily. If the angle isn’t bad enough to cause serious damages to the splitter, I’m fine with it. I’ll keep in mind about asking them to put me in the lower deck of the ferry. Thanks for your inputs, really appreciate that.
Can we compare winter tire prices in the US?
For Sotto Zeros I'm at about USD1750 + tax with free shipping for
- 265/35R19 front
- 305/30R20 rear
Has anyone found better, for Michelin or Pirelli?
I think Michelin AP4 is about the same price in USA and Canada. The Pirelli is way cheaper in USA and with more selections. The Sottozero I got in 275/35/19 & 325/30/20, are much cheaper even after getting taxed by both WA & BC.
There's a problem with tire sizes for the GT C, as it appears that neither Michelin, Pirelli, or Bridgestone make winter tires that fit both front and rear. The closest is Pirelli, but it would be SottoZero Series ii for the front and SottoZero Series3 for the rear. Anyone know if that's a problem?
I'd actually prefer to go narrower than 305 at the rear, as that's an awful lot of width for snow or ice driving. The narrower the better!
There's a problem with tire sizes for the GT C, as it appears that neither Michelin, Pirelli, or Bridgestone make winter tires that fit both front and rear. The closest is Pirelli, but it would be SottoZero Series ii for the front and SottoZero Series3 for the rear. Anyone know if that's a problem?
I'd actually prefer to go narrower than 305 at the rear, as that's an awful lot of width for snow or ice driving. The narrower the better!
GT C OEM sizes:
265/35R19
305/30R20
What have GT C drivers done in winter?
sottozero 270 series 2 is available in your OE sizes in Canada but they are unrealistically expensive. Do you want to give TireRack a call, they might have some unusual size selections for special order only. I’m attending a Michelin winter tire tech meeting next week, I’ll ask the reps about what they recommend and hope they will introduce more available sizes if AP4 in the future.
