Pirelli Winter Tires

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
February 24, 2013

Great 3 seasons tire. So far wear is even and road noise is a non issue. Smooth and comfortable ride. In dry and rain they are excellent with lots of grip.
My issue with these tires is that they have the snow on mountain emblem. Even with this, DO NOT assume they work in winter. These tires are horrible in winter. Traction for braking and steering is poor, and requires skilled driving techniques.
Pirelli should remove the winter emblem so people have no false expectations and know to buy winter tires when that time comes.

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
February 12, 2013

I had them studded,thus the noise level was a bit high. Great tire overall. Have no problems with traction now for the winter driving. With the Summer only tires I had to move my car in the lot for plowing and got stuck every few feet. Not made for snow, but now I feel safer and more sure of not getting stuck or sliding off the road. Steering is not as good on the road as with the 20" rim and summer tire but as expected they are good for winter driving. Aspect ratio may be the reason for the looser feel. Stock Summer Size 255/45ZR20 Rear 245/45/ZR20 Front. Winter 235/60/18 all four corners. Down sized to 18" Wheel. They are studded so I don't push them real hard, don't want to rip up the roads.Over all great for Winter driving. This is a 6 Speed manual with 392 Rear gears. So Easy off the line, or spin the wheels, rip the pavement or pull the studs out of the tires.

Initial Review, 7,500 Miles on Tires
February 08, 2013

I am extremely pleased with these tires. They are exceptional in deep and heavy slush, as well as in torrential downpours. Just drove in to work through a foot of snow, and they were simply outstanding. On the highway, they are crisp and very direct. Cannot say enough good things about these tires. I am running nitrogen at 35 psi, and this seems to be their sweet spot. Whether you are blasting down the highway at 90 mph or working your way through rain, slush, snow, and ice - thse tires will deliver.

Initial Review, 25,000 Miles on Tires
March 10, 2012

Purchased these tires based on reviews and price. Driven year round for the past two years, grip has been exceptional all season round, winter grip was actually better than the winter set of Pirelli's I drove with previous winters. Two issues with the tires to date: i) Road noise is considerably higher than the OEM bridgestone RE060; ii) Tread wear on rear tires - although I have done extreme driving in them (Toronto - Florida 19 hours non stop averaging 75 mph) the rears are bald while front still in good shape. Purchasing a set of two to replace the rear, but definitely won't buy again in future. I'll move back to the OEM bridgestones, or to Michelin.

Initial Review, 3,000 Miles on Tires
January 10, 2013

Had Pirelli Sottozero Series II winter tires installed beginning of November and have gone through 2 heavy snow storms here in southern Alberta since then. Tires bite through snow and slush even up to 6 in. deep,and grip extremely well in icy conditions. Lane changes, going up hill, downhill and braking were executed without a problem. Best tire at this price point -- Highly recommended!

Initial Review, 2,000 Miles on Tires
February 08, 2013

Have only 2,000 miles on these tires, but so far so good. They are amazing in the cold dry and have gotten me through a huge blizzard this year. Ultimate snow traction is less than studless tires but the tradeoff is well worth it for the dry weather performance. I would definitely recommend to other C63 drivers.

Initial Review, 500 Miles on Tires
January 03, 2013

Purchased minus size 205/55-16 for my wife's GTI. Previous experience with several Nokian Hakkapeliitta's, Bridgestone Blizzaks, Conti TS-740's, Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice, Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice WRT, Pirelli Winter 210's on four Audi Quattros: 5000 CS, V8, S6 and allroad so going to a front wheel drive after 25 years of Quattros I was looking for the best all around stud-less snow and I feel with the limited drive time I've had in 20 some inches of new snow that I made a wise/good choice.

Initial Review, 3,000 Miles on Tires
January 11, 2013

Good all around performance. Nice balance of handling, comfort and value for a 3 season tire. Ride comfort may not be quite soft as some all season alternatives. Our car isn't soft to start with, and the tires can be a little stiff on rough pavement, seams, etc. They don't -----up city bumps like a touring tire. But the trade-off is crisp steering response, no jiggle in loaded corners, and no howls, squeals or complaints in fast cornering, or quick transitions. Despite the all-season rating, I wouldn't recommend it for winter. Tried it briefly, and they do not compare to our dedicated snow tires in snow/ice driving here in Denver. Noise is far better than the Pirelli factory tires. Since install, I've never made mental note of noise being an issue at all. A good option if you don't need all-out Summer Tire price/performance, but would like to avoid soft touring tire pitfalls, and get better wear and improved handling.

Initial Review, 6,000 Miles on Tires
January 16, 2013

This is my second winter season on these tires. I usually put them on in December and take them off in the early part of March. Last year, we did not have much snow in California so it was hard to decide if I liked them or not. This year, we got a lot of snow in California so I got lots of time driving in the snow. I made several trips up to Kirkwood Ski Resort on State Route 88 in heavy snow and icy conditions. 88 is a very dangerous road to drive in the winter and I have seen several vehicles run off into snow banks, mostly due to excessive speed in chain control areas.

The Pirelli Ice and Snow tires worked like a charm in inclement snowy conditions. No slipping driving in ice or snow. Normally in the winter, I cannot park in the driveway at my cabin because it is too steep and the all-season tires I had on would not grip the ice snow mix. Now with the Pirelli’s, I just put it in AWD low, turn off the ESP and get in and out of the driveway without any issues. I hope to get another couple of season out of these tires and will buy another set if they still are available.

Initial Review, 500 Miles on Tires
January 09, 2013

I kept the staggered set-up despite advice to use a narrower rear tire. The ride and handling in cold, dry conditons remained fine, and I am definitely glad I maintained the original set-up. This tire is outstanding in snow. Despite having rear wheel drive I was able to safely drive through 6-8 inches of snow and slop before the streets were treated. Last year I was caught with summer tires and got stuck in a suprise snowfall of only 1-2 inches. With these tires even the 8 inches of snow in my unplowed driveway couldn't keep me out of my garage. Have not had them long enough to gauge the treadwear. However, it feels great to no longer have to change vehicles when snowfall is predicted. These tires have given me peace of mind. P.S., Tire Rack's price, customer service, and fast delivery was great too.

Initial Review, 1,300 Miles on Tires
January 26, 2013

The Pirelli Winters seem to handle the varied road and weather conditions we have in NW Montana. They are a bit noisier and less connected on dry pavement than the 20" Bridgestone Dueler HP's that the truck came with, but in snow and ice they stick quite well and handle the 500 ft.lbs of torque from the M motor with xDrive

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
January 05, 2013

An incredible tire so far. Went from a "V"rated all/season tire (Hankook) to this for winter. Amazingly surprised by the quiet ride, Hankook tires were really loud, and I did not realize how loud until the Pirellis went on. The "H" speed rating has provided a smoother ride for the FX35; now considering an "H" speed rated all season in the spring. This is the first I've owned Pirelli tires and am very happy so far!

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
January 03, 2013

The combination of AWD and these tires makes for a decently stable winter ride.

Initial Review, 35,000 Miles on Tires
January 22, 2013

Great all around tire, with a surprisingly cheap price compared to others for my '06 Monte Carlo. No complaints whatsoever in dry and wet conditions. It is a little noisy on the highway, but that may be unfair to the tire because PA highways are mostly in bad shape. The tires like asphalt a lot better than concrete. Winter has been exceptionable in light snow, I have yet to experience anything heavy. Great traction, with average stopping ability.

Initial Review, 3,500 Miles on Tires
December 30, 2012

I've had these Pirellis on my 335xi for a bit over a month now and I've out almost 3,500 miles on them since, in a number of conditions.

In the last week especially, I've experienced just about everything you could throw at these and I'd frankly rate them as bulletproof.

This last week I road tripped to VA from CT to see my family (800 mile round trip) with warm temps at times (50s) and cold (10s). I had light snow & slush, dry roads and cold and the tires just get better the folder it gets. I then drove to VT yesterday to go snowboarding (350 miles round trip) and returned in a heavy winter storm (4+ inches of heavy snow). Roads were NOT being plowed in any state (VT, MA, CT) and tires handled great. Lots of confidence going up and down hills, great braking, ABS/TC never kicked in once and never felt any slip. And most of the drive through MA and CT was like driving through Donner Pass in CA when it's chains only (which I've done a few times - lots of packed snow, can't see lanes, chains or AWD/4WD with snows required) and the 210s were solid. Able to easily do 40-50, visibility & traffic permitting (probably faster but girlfriend didn't like that).

My point of comparison for these is the Continental ContiPro RFTs in OEM size that were the original tires on my vehicle. They rode really hard and were quite loud. The 210s ride a bit softer, and are quieter (for an RFT - not as quiet as non-RFTs). Worlds better in snow handling. Contis were a bit better in dry/warm than 210s, which can feel a bit mushy in corners at speed, but the more miles I get on them, the more its like riding on rails.

If you have an AWD car and live where there's snow, or drive to where there's snow, step up and get yourself some snows - best decision I ever made.

Initial Review, 8,000 Miles on Tires
December 25, 2012

Bought these tires 3 winters ago for winter use (as part of a package with rims from Tirerack.com) for our 2010 Camaro LT2 RS as an alternate to the stock Pirelli summer tires. They handle well in the dry, good cornering, stopping and accel. They've worn very well considering they have seen mostly dry conditions (NY-Long Island area). In the limited snow use they do well and I think it would take going over a mound of snow that would be higher than the clearance hight to strand you. I noticed when I first bought them they were used as the winter tires on the Nassau County police cars. Bottom line, I would recommend them. NOTE: Make when you buy a winter tire/rim package that you state whether your Camaro is 6 or 8 cylinder because the Brembo calipers on the 8 cylinder may require a different wheel.

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
January 13, 2013

This is my second winter running these tires and they have been excellent! I hope they continue to perform once they have been worn down a little, they are still too new to tell. I have been running Blizzak's on my other vehicle and I have found that they were very good when new as well, but their performance seemed to decrease drastically once beyond the half worn mark. For this reason I have switched to the Pirelli Sottozero2 in hopes that they will maintain constant performance right to the end.

Initial Review, 12,000 Miles on Tires
December 29, 2012

I bought the Series II because the original Sottozeros weren't available. The tires are decent, but the lack of weight in the car doesn't allow it to bite into deep snow. It's the first set of winter tires I've purchased for this car, but I believe I would have been better off with a more aggressive tread or a snow tire. I bought these as a winter performance tire, but I was surprised the amount of noise generated by the tires. It is similiar to what I expect from a snow tire. Overall, they are better than the all seasons I was running, but they won't be my final choice. I am on my third season, and I may get one more season after this one out of the tires.

Initial Review, 300 Miles on Tires
December 30, 2012

size=275 55 20 I've run Pirelli Scorpians, Bridgestone Blizzaks before and they are great winter tires. These Ultra Grip Ice tires are even better. They outperform the Scorps and Biizzaks at all levels on my 4Runner. The real test locally is Daley Canyon Rd. A grade that starts from 5,350' to 6,000' in about 1/2 mile. It's a hard incline in the snow and ice to ascend. These tire excel going up it whether there is snow, slush or ice.. Even more important IMO is the braking power. I'd say they offer about 20% more than the awesome Scorpians and Blizzaks. That's saying something. They corner extremely well on freshpak and moderately hardpack snow. Frankly, these tires make the 4Runner run on ice and snow like a winter beast. I can pull up to stop signs quickly, stop without sliding when other cars slip a few feet or more. If you want to regain some of the control you lose in the winter, these are the tires for you. BTW, these are the upgrade size for the 4Runner Limited. They look better, offer more road contact and only change your speedometer 1 MPH at 50 MPH because they are almost the exact same diameter.