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[Hammer278]

At least its less 1 very big variable.

What do you think of Ferrari busting their bottom creating a very good car, and their tyre supplier is no match for the one which other rivals are on? Pretty unfair on Ferrari's resources and time and drivers don't you think? I'd vote for 1 (COMPETENT) supplier anyday.

[sagi58]

At least its less 1 very big variable.

What do you think of Ferrari busting their bottom creating a very good car, and their tyre supplier is no match for the one which other rivals are on? Pretty unfair on Ferrari's resources and time and drivers don't you think? I'd vote for 1 (COMPETENT) supplier anyday.

Absolutely p.i.s.s.e.d is how I feel, and have no problem saying so!!

BUT, we do NOT have a "competent" supplier at the moment, if they can't
get their tires "right" and have to change them mid-season...

At one point Hembrey said something about the "glue" they were using,
for Pete's sake, that's not competency, that's inexcusable!

[Denthúl]

I mean, IF there were two tire suppliers and with limited in-season testing,
would it be in the best interest of both to develop tires that would work
with all teams and at all tracks?

Depends on how much the bigger teams offer to skew things in their favour. If you get Red Bull, Sauber and Caterham using Kumho tyres and everyone else using Pirelli, Red Bull could pay Kumho to develop the tyres to their demands and there is nothing that Sauber or Caterham could do to counter that.

If not that, then for pity's sake, the teams should be allowed to choose
which ever tires they want to run!! Why should Pirelli dictate that??

Because the FIA requires two dry-weather compounds per race and Pirelli have to pick the two that they think are most suited to the track and conditions.

You're probably right; but, it's completely frustrating that Pirelli determines
which tires will be used at which tracks and will even indicate how many laps
is the maximum the tires will last.

See above for the first part. The recommendation for maximum laps is because the FIA wanted tyres that degrade quickly and Pirelli want to let their expectations be known beforehand, so people can't turn around and say that they don't last long enough. Not that it helps, really.

BUT, we do NOT have a "competent" supplier at the moment, if they can't
get their tires "right" and have to change them mid-season...

The FIA (and to an extent, the teams) are also to blame here, not just Pirelli. Due to paranoia from teams and regulations set by the FIA, Pirelli get very few opportunities to test with an up-to-date car. What data they can get from the pre-season tests isn't as useful as doing in-season testing because temperatures are 10-20 degrees below those that would be seen in race conditions, so performance of the rubber will be different because it is outside of its operating window. More, appropriate testing of the tyres, both during their development time in the season before and throughout the season they are used would certainly help to ensure any problems with the tyres are dealt with more quickly. Pirelli haven't done a great job, but to call them incompetent is going too far, especially when there are other factors involved.

If the FIA asked for racing tyres instead of entertainment tyres, this would be less of a problem. Pirelli can produce tyres that will last as long as the Bridgestone ones did, but first they need to be asked to do that.

[What's Burning?]

It's just that Kumho isn't the most inspiring name in performance tires.

[Hammer278]

It's just that Kumho isn't the most inspiring name in performance tires.

Pirelli sounded pretty inspiring...and look how that turned out.

[darwin dali]

It's just that Kumho isn't the most inspiring name in performance tires.

Au contraire my friend: kum ho? Very inspiring indeed!

[What's Burning?]

It's just that Kumho isn't the most inspiring name in performance tires.

Pirelli sounded pretty inspiring...and look how that turned out.

Pirelli... didn't they use to be big in the 80s?

Bridgestone, Dunlop, Continental, Michelin, Yokohama... all have a better reputation in the performance tire niche at the moment.

[CookinFlat6]

Yes,Pirelli were like the Ferrari of tyres, and got ursurped by the high tech japs like Bridgestone etc. they needed F1 to try reclaim status

[What's Burning?]

I ran across this article yesterday about high performance summer tires. I'm doing some research as I'll need new shoes for my baby next season. The industry moves fast and I currently have Dunlop Direzza Z1 Star Spec, which in 2009 was THE autocross performance tire to get, and bar none best in the wet. Fast forward to 2012 and the Dunlop is barely able to get into the top ten. I'm probably going to go for the Dunlop Z2 which is an update to the existing tire I've got which is once again getting very good review from street AX competitors. The other option is the BF Goodrich Rival, or the Hankook Ventus, also reviewed in this Car and Driver test
The funny thing though is this is what they said about the Pirelli P-Zero.

The P Zero’s cellar position surprised us. We’ve been amazed at how this tire utterly transformed the Ford Mustang’s steering precision, and P Zeros are original equipment on exotics such as the Lamborghini Aventador and the Ferrari 458 Italia. But a blind test does not lie.

This tire’s best finishing position in any test was middle of the pack in the wet autocross, just a bit quicker than most of the extreme-performance tires. Geswein called the Pirellis “firm and skatey, and understeer oriented.” Wet-skidpad grip, at 0.79 g, and wet braking, at 111 feet, were worst in the test.

Lapping a dry track didn’t dramatically change our impressions. The P Zero struggled with understeer, and post-limit grip recovery was noticeably worse than with most of the other tires. Steering precision took a hit on Geswein’s ballot as he found himself overcooking corners. Ultimately, he thought the driving precision required for a clean autocross lap simply couldn’t be found for this set.

At $161 each, the P Zero is upper-middle class on the cost scale. A supple ride and quiet operation aren’t enough to pull the P Zero up the finishing order.

[CookinFlat6]

I've got pzeros, and most noticeably better on cornering in the dry than other performance tyres. I think they are better for when you have different sized rear and fronts, maybe that's why the report says understeery