Winter Tire Specs

Tire rack sold you the correct winter sizes. If you check the owners handbook, those are the sizes listed.

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Those should work

 

Tire size may be a bit smaller to account for snow chains.

I too ordered snow tires for my Lusso from Tire Rack. They had to ship the rear Pirelli tires from Europe. Just waiting for delivery (should be next week).


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Tires are like sneakers in that 2 of the same size from different manufactures or even different models from the same one, can actually be a little differently physically. Sometimes theres not much difference between a 235 or a 245. What matters here is the difference in rotational speed between the front and rear- thats partly how the Ferrari stability control system works- so if you were to put a tire with a huge side profile on the front and not on the rear, the computer would sense something is not right and it would intervene. There is an acceptable range the computer can handle. The suggested sizes of course work but I found the fronts were so thin that they were just too easy to damage on the broken roads of my area. With the help of another member here I was able to find tires with a higher profile (sidewall) that allowed me to drive around in the winter with much better peace of mind.

As you may know, the second number on the tire spec is a % of the first. So if the first gets smaller, and the % is the same, then the sidewall gets smaller. Which is what happens with the recommended winter tires- less side wall.. The Pilot Alpin 235/35 was just too easy to damage. On the winters, in my first 2 seasons I went through maybe 4 fronts and I had to get a wheel straightened. If there was just a little break in the road- youd have a blister from the tire getting pinched.

So my friend suggested these- Vredstein Wintrac Pro- 245/40/ 20 on the front and 275/40 for the rear. These do work with the Ferrari traction system- note- they have a fairly tall sidewall which might look a little weird at first- but they really did work quite well for my winter time driving adventures. I believe the rears are only V speed rated - which means 149MPH max rating. However, my V Max on public roads is no where near this, and certainly not a sustained period of anything near it- so it was a non issue for me.

I am not arguing this is a better setup for most people, but if you have an area with really poor roads, it's worth considering. Also ride comfort improves , but the car is just a touch less immediate in its handling transitions.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Vredestein&tireModel=Wintrac+Pro&sidewall=Blackwall&partnum=74VR0WTPXL&tab=Sizes

 

Sound advice from Caeruleus11 on sizing up as the sidewall on the front 235/35/20 is definitely on the skinny side.
However, there is one caveat (there always is isn’t there?!) and Caeruleus mentions it - which is the speed rating. Some insurers will invalidate your insurance if you don’t fit tyres of the correct speed rating for the car - so check before you buy.

 

Thats interesting about the insurance. Im not aware of any such issue in the US, but maybe I'm just not fully informed.

 

Those are the same brand and size I run on my FF. Another advantage of the downsizing is it results in a smaller footprint, increasing the psi on the contact patch.

 

Tyre Reviews did a test on this very subject:

 

For the Pilot Alpin 4 there are 2 tread patterns. The tire on the left is the correct pattern for the Lusso.

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Pirelli snow shoes arrived yesterday and snow arrived today.

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Are those tyres the same width?
They look different (in width) and that probably explains the difference in tread pattern.

 

Going through the Alpin 4 specs, I noticed that the NO and MO homologated tyres are only V rated. You should technically be fitting the W rated tyres if you wish to abide by the manufacturer specs and not risk your insurance (as previously noted).

 

If you have a square set (all four tires the same) Michelin recommends an asymmetric pattern, if you have a offset set then they recommend the "directional" tread pattern of the left tire

 

Thanks for that, unfortunately, you can’t fit the directional tread on the left hand tyre as the speed rating is too low. So we have conflicting advice. If you follow Michelin, you don’t meet Ferrari/insurer requirements. If you follow Ferrari/insurer requirements, you won’t be following Michelin’s advice.

Front 235/35/20 92W
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Rear 285/35/20 104W
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No too overcomplicate it.

I run the Pilot Alpin PA4 245/35 and 285/35 directional W rated tires on my 612 and have 25k kms on them over the winters of 21/22, 22/23, and now. The tire on the right in my photo is a Pirelli Sottozero series II w270 from my granturismo that I still had lying around the garage. The Pirelli is a good tire but it comes out a bit lower in tire test rankings these days as it is a quite old design.

I stand by my comment that for non square-sets of high performance winter tires, for the Pilot Alpin PA4, directional tread is the Michelin recommendation.

If you look at newer designs like the Sottozero Series 3 or the Pilot Alpin 5 they only come in directional tread patterns.

You are correct that W rated is the better option but they are hard to find, especially on the front axle, so you need to be persistent and patient. V rated tires are much more available.

Bill

 

Michelin web site says that "in Europe, certified winter tires (3PMSF) are authorized by law (and then I suppose insurers must abide) to have a speed rating lower than that of the original equipment, with an information tag installed visibly in the vehicle" (that's my translation from French - I guess the Dutch version is on this page : https://www.michelin.nl/auto/advies/winterbanden-gids/regelgevingen-winterbanden-europa )

 

Fully agree.

There is no Y rated proper winter tire in existence, so the fitting of winter tires as required by law in much of Europe, means you will have a lower speed rating without exception. In reality, most European winter driving is on cold/dry or cold/wet not snow so if you like your occasional autobahn dash the W rated tire gives you a bit more headroom to run.

The irony is that for the 95% case (above 0 degC cold/dry or cold/wet) the PS4S is still the safest tire.

Bill

 

I think that this is referring to the fact that winter tyres are lower rated than the summer tyres anyway so as not to sow the seeds of confusion for consumers when comparing winter and summer fits. Ferrari does recommend a specific tyre size and speed rating for winter fitment so I’m unsure where that leaves the consumer in terms of the speed rating derogation.

 

It’s quite strange that the Alpin4 comes in a mix of asymmetric and symmetric patterns. I wonder why that design decision was taken.

The NO homologated V index tyres on my other car are symmetric on an offset setup.

275/40/20 106V
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315/35/20 110V
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There is an option to be considered and I only realized it a few moments ago. It appears it is possible in France to purchase Michelin CrossClimate2 tires in 245/35 r20 95Y, and 285/35 r20 105Y with the 3PMSF certification. I have a set of these on the SUV and run them year round, and they consistently test as the best all season tire in most European tests.

If I can find a set I will give them a try as a Nov - Mar alternative.

Bill

 

A video comparing PS4S, PS4AS, Cross Climate and X-Ice...

 

My friend sold his 2015 FF and still has his Pirelli SOTTOZERO Winter / Snow Tires. Boston dealer recommended the following sizes:

Fronts - 235 35 20
- date codes of May 2016
Rears - 285 35 20
- date codes of May 2018 & January of 2019

If interested he is looking for $520 for the set.

Located in Stowe, VT.