Thanks for the reply.Can confirm - have the 255's with the black accent package and these tires are garbage in the cold and/or wet. They start to hydroplane much earlier than the Conti DWS 06's all seasons I had on my 2008 e60 5 series. Once summer rolls around and I have finished thrashing the Pirellis (planning on trying out the line lock several times before switching to new Conti's) I will be swapping to the Conti all seasons. Even on my BMW I was very impressed with those tires and am happy to hear other s550 owners are pleased with their performance on this platform.
My recommendation - if you live in an area where its not 100% snowy or cold year round, stick it out with the stock Pirellis as long as you can, thrash on them (enjoy their tendency to break loose) then replace with a better tire. I have 10k miles on my factory Pirellis right now and the tread is holding up ok, will replace them prematurely in the Spring.
To be quite honest - I think that they are acceptable for street use if the temp is above 50 degrees and its not wetJust a matter of what your tolerance is I suppose.
How would you end up in a ditch?
You know.
That and better tires.
Previous person (kh1818) made note that the Pirelli A/S tires suck in the wet...I assume this means hydroplaning issues...thus sliding in a ditch might be an outcome.
My experience driving on the Pirelli A/S's for a month in single digit to low teen temps.
