Looking for opinions on the 21" wheels

[donfenn]

I have driven both... Mine has 20" Michelins... Feels good and handles well... No complaints or regrets. I have also had Air GT loaners with 21" Pirellia for combined time of almost 3 weeks. They feel stickier and firmer on the road. Nice feel. However, the only OEM 21's on Airs seem to be Pirellis which makes me wary . I have past experience with 20 and 21 inch Pirellis tires on other sports sedans and have dealt with several tire bubbles and failures... I just think Michelins are far superior to Pirellis in sidewall strength and engineering... If there was a 21' Michelin OEM I would feel differently. I have seen mention of a tire warranty you can buy at Discount Tire, but it is still a pain in the neck to be stranded with a blown tire and extra trips to the shop with a bad tire or worse wheel issue

 

[idiot900]

You can always get the insurance with what ever tires you want and call it a day?

It's not about the cost, it's about the time and hassle required to replace tires and/or unbend wheels when something does happen (as it has a couple times in the past on smaller wheels on a lighter car). Otherwise I'd certainly agree.

 

[terrycs]

It's not about the cost, it's about the time and hassle required to replace tires and/or unbend wheels when something does happen (as it has a couple times in the past on smaller wheels on a lighter car). Otherwise I'd certainly agree.

How are your local roads?

 

[idiot900]

How are your local roads?

Improving over the past few years, but still generally terrible. I need to drive a couple of the major arterial highways daily, and it's imperative to memorize the locations of potholes. Ramp/merge areas are particularly egregious, perhaps because repaving those would require extremely disruptive road closures.

 

[TakeDuo]

Curse of the commentator because this just happened on my 19”s no pothole

 

[idiot900]

What's the black mark on the rim just above the bubble?

 

[terrycs]

Curse of the commentator because this just happened on my 19”s no pothole

View attachment 20135

.... you're in So Cal ... where did this occur?? They probably fixed it by now, no?

 

[natebeske]

if you are diligent about avoiding potholes you should not have problems.

That said, it’s a bit of a numbers game, eventually you’ll hit one and I would say whereas another tire might survive that hit at speed, this tire is mostly not going to.

FWIW I’ve had to replace 1 21” tire due pothole bubble over 10k miles and that with me being careful.

I would budget some replacement $&, but it’s not unmanageable.

Second this. Wheels are strong. Tires are the weak spot. Budget a tire a year OR 10K miles

 

[donfenn]

Curse of the commentator because this just happened on my 19”s no pothole

View attachment 20135

Odd to have that occur at random, but looks like a Pirelli, and they are a weak link compared to Michelins

 

[Bobby]

Odd to have that occur at random, but looks like a Pirelli, and they are a weak link compared to Michelins

The evidence of that is anecdotal.

 

[donfenn]

The evidence of that is anecdotal.

I have replaced Pirellis on Panamera's, BMWs and Jaguars more times that I can count.... Not same experience with Michelin Pilot Sports.. I have several friends who attest to similar experience with Pirellis. Might seem anecdotal, but seems real to me.

 

[Leftlane]

Curse of the commentator because this just happened on my 19”s no pothole

View attachment 20135

Looks like a pretty good impact with something - maybe not a pothole but that rim hit something

 

[TakeDuo]

.... you're in So Cal ... where did this occur?? They probably fixed it by now, no?

Yeah fixed already.

 

[jtbg]

I love the look of my 21" wheels, but it's super frustrating that there aren't any all-season tires.

 

[Zothor]

Front right made it two weeks on my 21s before the sidewall punctured on a pothole I barely even felt. Wasn't a gnarly bump, just.... guess it hit at just the wrong angle. Didn't know to overinflate them, maybe that will keep them going better this summer, but I may just go down to 20s or 19s and be done with the hassle. As the above poster said, sure you can mitigate the cost with a tire warranty and roadside assistance, but you can't get the time and annoyance of getting them replaced back.

 

[HC_79]

Front right made it two weeks on my 21s before the sidewall punctured on a pothole I barely even felt. Wasn't a gnarly bump, just.... guess it hit at just the wrong angle. Didn't know to overinflate them, maybe that will keep them going better this summer, but I may just go down to 20s or 19s and be done with the hassle. As the above poster said, sure you can mitigate the cost with a tire warranty and roadside assistance, but you can't get the time and annoyance of getting them replaced back.

I had the 21’s and a $1600 tire and rim replacement invoice was enough for me to drop down to the 20’s when I had the chance. I think the 20’s are a good compromise and the I’m definitely not a fan of the 19” rims.

Touch wood, no issues on the 20’s to date.

 

[Zothor]

I had the 21’s and a $1600 tire and rim replacement invoice was enough for me to drop down to the 20’s when I had the chance. I think the 20’s are a good compromise and the I’m definitely not a fan of the 19” rims.

Touch wood, no issues on the 20’s to date.

Going to be having that discussion with my Showroom after I get my car back. There is definitely a question of whether these wheels and tires should have been sold in Boston without specific disclosure as to the known, substantially reduced durability given cold damaged roads. Some of us are buying our first luxury car and there is an implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose to consider. We’ll see what they say.

 

[Neurio]

Going to be having that discussion with my Showroom after I get my car back. There is definitely a question of whether these wheels and tires should have been sold in Boston without specific disclosure as to the known, substantially reduced durability given cold damaged roads. Some of us are buying our first luxury car and there is an implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose to consider. We’ll see what they say.

Um, they're listed as summer performance tires. That name kind of suggests that you might want to think twice before driving them in cold weather. I learned about the specific temperature cut off here, but I knew they weren't all seasons or snow tires from the name alone...

 

[Cosmo Cruz]

The thing about using summer performance tires in cold weather is they will work, even on frozen precipitation (you may get away with it, a bit),
BUT
when you do lose friction it's catastrophic:
You will have no warning,
it's not gradual,
there is no recovery.

The physics will take you to your Newtonian end. Absolutely not worth the risk. Very expensive too. Much more economical to use all season tires, or swap summer tires out when it gets cold.

Put a rubber band in the freezer. Take it out and stretch it. Did it break ? Summer rubber compound does the same thing. The rubber does not flex so not only traction is reduced (especially if it's a bit damp or dewy = doesn't have to be frozen surface), you will get faster and uneven wear. This begins at 45 degrees F. Yes, the rubber can crack, like a rubber band in the freezer.

It should be noted that even all season tires are not recommended in very cold weather. When I lived in New England most locals had a "beater car" = with rust holes covered by duck tape and proper snow tires with a shovel and chains in the trunk. Ask a New England boomer what "drifting" is and they will tell you something like: "... a rusted-out '63 Valiant loaded with bier and friends, heading out in a blizzard to find a spot where the snow has blown over the road and try to get thru it by hitting it at the highest speed possible, then backing out and trying it again.

Example of a New England winter beater car with no rust (by NE standards). Absolutely road worthy in New Hampshire.
The CB radio is for calling Mathew to bring the tractor.

 

[Steveinarizona]

The evidence of that is anecdotal.

True but almost everything in the forum is anecdotal. That is the nature of a forum. Interesting? Yes. Anecdotal: yes. Statistically valid: no.