Pirelli P Zero AS Plus 3

[cutlassvillager]

I need new tires for my '16 Accord Sport in the stock 235/40/19 and I'm curious if anyone has tried the Pirelli P Zero AS Plus 3s? I was initially planning on getting Michelin Pilot Sport AS 4s, but it appears the Pirellis are rated better in several aspects. They also currently have a $100 rebate.

I only average 4-5k miles a year on this car (currently at 44k miles). I am tempted to get a summer tire, but it seems like overkill for an Accord plus with the Michigan climate I would hate to get stuck with summers during a cold snap in spring/fall. I do generally like to have some fun on on / off ramps / curvy roads, etc. when possible.

My Priorities:

1. Dry Weather Performance
2. Wet Weather Performance
3. Steering Feel/Feedback
4. Noise
5. Ride
6. Winter Weather Performance (I have separate 17" snow tires / wheels)
7. Tread life

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Toyo Celsius Sport

 

[MurkyAsparagus]

I put these on my '23 Blazer after looking at the competition.

Edit: Read the title wrong, have the Scorpions and not the P Zero. However, I do have experience with P Zero AS Plus 3s. I have driven, extensively, these tires on a '25 BMW M440i xDrive as well as '26 X3 xDrive. These tires perform very well in both winter and summer conditions. With xDrive, I'm quite confident in these tires during the winter. In the past, I have extensively driven a '23 Audi S5 w/ Michelin PS4AS. The Michelins felt more predictable going around corners during the summer and had a better brake feel. However, the Pirellis are quieter and much more confidence inspiring during the winter. They also seem to be a bit softer of a sidewall, which contributes to the worse brake and cornering feel. You can't go wrong with either.

I have about 10k miles on them and they have been great! The dry and wet weather performance is exceptional. I came from Continental CrossContact LX25s that only lasted 28k miles. While the performance is exceptional, the bigger differences I noticed pertained to steering feel, noise, and ride. After getting the tires put on, I immediately noticed the lower sound and softer ride. I felt like I went from a 1999 F350 with a solid front and rear end to a Rolls Royce. It was a huge difference. The steering feel also significantly improved. It became predictable, it felt like my hands and arms were in direct connection with the wheel, it was crazy. However, I will say, the winter performance isn't as good as the Bridgestone Weatherpeaks I have on my '19 Camry Hybrid. Both vehicles are FWD and I would rather take my Camry out in the snow and ice, they are more confidence inspiring. The last thing I'll note is tread life. It's too early for me to say how long they will last, but I have maybe a 1/32" total wear so far, so on track for 80k miles like they are rated. All across the internet people mention how they wear like iron.

I'd probably look more towards an all-weather tire if you're going to use the vehicle a lot during the winter. Tirerack has a lot of all weather tires in your size. Those include the Michelin CrossClimate 2, Pirelli Cinturato Weatheractive, Goodyear Assurance Weatherready 2, Continental SecureContact AW, Vredstein Quatrac Pro+, Nokian Encompass AW02, Bridgestone Weatherpeak, Falken Alkimate, Firestone Weathergrip, and some others that I don't care for. Out of those, the CrossClimate 2, Cinturato Weatheractive, Assurance Weatherready 2, SecureContact AW, and Nokians will perform the best. The SecureContact AW is new, looks to perform decent on tests I've seen, is more comfortable than the CrossClimate 2, and is bi-direction (which I like). They are also cheaper than the competition.

You can't wrong with really any of the major players in the space. It's all about whether you want a grand touring tire or better winter performance (which will most likely compromise wet or dry performance).

 

[JeffKeryk]

I have the Miclelin Pilot Sport A/S on our '06 TSX; great rubber. I may put them on our '13 GS350 F Sport.
Costco.

I imagine the Pirellis are great as well. Our '24 Model 3 Performance came the P-Zero summer tires; I replaced them with the Michelin Pilot Sports. Only way to fly!

Seems like expensive tires for a little used vehicle, but go for it if it's in the budget. You won't be sorry.

 

[Mainia]

Yes, I have the Pirelli P Zero AS Plus 3 and they are my winter tire now until I wear out my Conti Control Contact Sports, that are a UHP A/S. My Hyundai Kona is a tuner car and has very extensive suspension work done to it. The Pirelli P Zero AS Plus 3 is the best tire I have driven on so far. As I ONLY buy UHP A/S tires as I like you drive my summer rims and tires into late Fall and start early spring in Minnesota. I would wear out true summer tires in a season or a season and a half and can't afford to do that, so I always buy UHP A/S tires.

The Pirelli P Zero AS Plus 3 is a very very neutral tire, I never would have believed a tire could be that neutral on a FWD biased AWD car. My car is setup to be as neutral as it can be, and this tire is very impressive. I still have not run these tires on 140 F asphalt and after some high temp heat cycles to give it a true test. Not to mention they are on my very heavy thinner OEM rims and not on my wider rotary forged summer rims. I assume you have watched the Tire Rack UHP A/S test group, where the Pirelli P Zero A/S Plus 3 won best tire. With the exception of winter where they a mid pack and yes, they are a bit greasy+ in Minnesota winters. No sport driving on these in snowy roads. I knew I would have these on only for one winter as I will smoke my Conti Sports this summer for sure. I will then choose a better tire for winter next year.

I am really not a fan of Michelin A/S as I have had PS 3+ which is a better summer tire then the newer PS4 A/S that is full of sips. They just are not the most responsive tire. That tire did not do that good in the latest UHP A/S test in the dry. The General V-Max 07 beat it. It's a good winter tire as far as UHP A/S and it might be my winter replacement as I have even more issues with the Extreme 06 Plus as the sidewalls are mush, even if you push 40 psi. That was my go to tire before suspension work and on many cars, but not anymore. I had flat spot issues overnight on 2 sets and that when I went with Discount Tires private label Conti Sports with a stiffer sidewall that made a huge difference. And they were far more responsive because of the stiffer sidewall.



The Pirelli P Zero AS Plus 3 so far is the best A/S tire I have driven on, you can come flying into a corner and your car is so neutral with almost no understeer, and no snap oversteer even on throttle pull back at the limit. Again the full verdict is not in, till I can get some heat cycles in and some mid summer high heat asphalt/concrete. Brakes good too. Wet is good too, as long as it is above 40+ degs otherwise you get some understeer more then my Conti Sports did at that temp. Pirelli P Zero AS Plus 3 are a JOY to drive on. There is more, but I won't comment here.

 

[SOUNDMAN5000]

The older I get I find I only give products 1 or 2 chances and I'm done forever. I may very well be loosing out as time can change things but when I'm burn't i'm kinda done.

I feel this way about more restaurants than I can count, I will give them 2 chances then nope never again.

My first experience with P-zero was way back in 1995 I purchased a new rare Volvo ( yellow T-5R) that came factory P-Zero. I got 8K miles rotating once then the tires were slick! so I purchased a 2nd set of P-Zero, once again 8k miles and and slick doing normal around town / highway air pressure checked once a week minimum.

In 95 a set of P-Zero was $600 to $1K so simple math I was leaving $0.125 in 1995 money worth of rubber on the road behind me each mile .. Crazy.

Then in 2014 I purchased a new WRX that came with Summer tires, Don't folks buy Subaru for snow? I live in the deep South so I thought no issue until that one time the temps got down into the low teens I had a road trip that day and was like riding on a brick.

I assume in 30 years some things have changed in a P-Zero but I tried 2x and can't risk it again as some things you just can't forget.

I may would buy a car with Summer Tires if needed ( My Hellcat as example needed every bit of rear wheel traction I could find) and was a sunny day only car ) but I would personally never buy a set of Summer tires IF that car would see winter temp driving not to mention snow and I have owned so many Hondas, I would not want summer tires on a Honda but thats me, I'll trade some summer traction IF my car is a every day driving car as I love performance and look but the older I get I'm turning into my dad,

When I shop tires for my Hondas I shop all season tires reviews based on price, handling, lack of road noise, wet traction and stopping but smooth ride, tire life, comfort and lack of road noise is NOW what I base my purchase around... My Hellcat, apples and oranges but with my Hondas, VWs. Ford NORMAL every day cars, plenty of all season well made tires IMO will give a good on off ramp feel but what about the ride once on that highway that other 99.999% of driving one may do?

My 2 cents...

 

[Sequoiasoon]

I want to try the P Zero AS3 but they don’t come in 215-55-17. I emailed Pirelli and asked also. Yes, I can do 225-50-17 but that brings me less sidewall which the 215-55 was already less than stock. Like @SOUNDMAN5000 since I’m daily commute and highway trips the noise, smooth, wet, dry, life are my priorities. My Accord is no handling machine and not many places to have fun in my normal use anyway. The Conti DWS06+ is on my list as are some other touring versions. I don’t need to accommodate winter as I do 4 winter tires anyway.

 

[DirtyGary]

Outright performance will be pretty similar and the Pirellis will be more comfortable while the Michelins will feel a little sharper.

 

[cutlassvillager]

Yes, I have the Pirelli P Zero AS Plus 3 and they are my winter tire now until I wear out my Conti Control Contact Sports, that are a UHP A/S. My Hyundai Kona is a tuner car and has very extensive suspension work done to it. The Pirelli P Zero AS Plus 3 is the best tire I have driven on so far. As I ONLY buy UHP A/S tires as I like you drive my summer rims and tires into late Fall and start early spring in Minnesota. I would wear out true summer tires in a season or a season and a half and can't afford to do that, so I always buy UHP A/S tires.

The Pirelli P Zero AS Plus 3 is a very very neutral tire, I never would have believed a tire could be that neutral on a FWD biased AWD car. My car is setup to be as neutral as it can be, and this tire is very impressive. I still have not run these tires on 140 F asphalt and after some high temp heat cycles to give it a true test. Not to mention they are on my very heavy thinner OEM rims and not on my wider rotary forged summer rims. I assume you have watched the Tire Rack UHP A/S test group, where the Pirelli P Zero A/S Plus 3 won best tire. With the exception of winter where they a mid pack and yes, they are a bit greasy+ in Minnesota winters. No sport driving on these in snowy roads. I knew I would have these on only for one winter as I will smoke my Conti Sports this summer for sure. I will then choose a better tire for winter next year.

I am really not a fan of Michelin A/S as I have had PS 3+ which is a better summer tire then the newer PS4 A/S that is full of sips. They just are not the most responsive tire. That tire did not do that good in the latest UHP A/S test in the dry. The General V-Max 07 beat it. It's a good winter tire as far as UHP A/S and it might be my winter replacement as I have even more issues with the Extreme 06 Plus as the sidewalls are mush, even if you push 40 psi. That was my go to tire before suspension work and on many cars, but not anymore. I had flat spot issues overnight on 2 sets and that when I went with Discount Tires private label Conti Sports with a stiffer sidewall that made a huge difference. And they were far more responsive because of the stiffer sidewall.



The Pirelli P Zero AS Plus 3 so far is the best A/S tire I have driven on, you can come flying into a corner and your car is so neutral with almost no understeer, and no snap oversteer even on throttle pull back at the limit. Again the full verdict is not in, till I can get some heat cycles in and some mid summer high heat asphalt/concrete. Brakes good too. Wet is good too, as long as it is above 40+ degs otherwise you get some understeer more then my Conti Sports did at that temp. Pirelli P Zero AS Plus 3 are a JOY to drive on. There is more, but I won't comment here.

Thank you for the detailed write-up! This is exactly what I was looking for. I also typically only buy UHP A/S or Summer Tires. Sounds like you have a really fun set up! Yes, I did see the TireRack review / video and is partially what making me lean towards the Pirellis. I will still have my Blizzaks on a separate wheel/tire combo so mid-pack winter performance shouldn't be a problem.

 

[cutlassvillager]

I appreciate the comments everyone! I have had previous generations of both all season and summer-only Michelin Pilot Sports and really liked them, but I think I will give these Pirellis a try. Between summer, winter, and UHP all season tires, I have had Continental, Michelin, Dunlop, Hankook and Bridgestone so I am intrigued to give a new brand a try. Hopefully I will have a better experience than @SOUNDMAN5000 has had with Pirelli! I do agree that all seasons seem to make more sense than summer tires on a Honda.

My parents have had several different generations of Continental Extreme Contact DWS tires on their e46 3-series and a WRX and while they have excellent grip too, I found the sidewalls to be too soft and the steering feel a bit vague for a UHP A/S, so I ruled them out here.

I had Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ on my Infiniti G35x that I LOVED, so I was disappointed that both the RE980AS+ is not available in 235/40/19 and the 980 replacement (Potenza Sport AS) appears to be a letdown.

 

[cutlassvillager]

I want to try the P Zero AS3 but they don’t come in 215-55-17. I emailed Pirelli and asked also. Yes, I can do 225-50-17 but that brings me less sidewall which the 215-55 was already less than stock. Like @SOUNDMAN5000 since I’m daily commute and highway trips the noise, smooth, wet, dry, life are my priorities. My Accord is no handling machine and not many places to have fun in my normal use anyway. The Conti DWS06+ is on my list as are some other touring versions. I don’t need to accommodate winter as I do 4 winter tires anyway.

I run the same size for my winter set! The ride quality is much better than the 235/40/19 config. Hopefully they expand the sizes they offer.

 

[GaryMX5]

Not too long ago I had a 18 mazda 3 GT that came with some awful Dunlop's. The only thing good is they got fantastic wear but rode like rocks. I replaced them with Pirelli P Zero AS and what an eye opener. Tire Rack testing was spot on! While they cost a bite more than I wanted to spend, they transformed the car...by far better ride quality, way better handling, no surprises in the wet and were actually decent in the snow. Worth every penny! They will be going on my current 3 when it's tires go south

 

[dan_erickson]

I had a set of Pirelli Scorpion all season plus 3 and I loved them except for one thing. They had a shake to them that could not be fixed because they all had excessive road force. Finally after a year of dealing with that discount tire swapped the tires to another brand and the shake was gone. Other than that they rode great, super quiet, looked good.

 

[cutlassvillager]

Not too long ago I had a 18 mazda 3 GT that came with some awful Dunlop's. The only thing good is they got fantastic wear but rode like rocks. I replaced them with Pirelli P Zero AS and what an eye opener. Tire Rack testing was spot on! While they cost a bite more than I wanted to spend, they transformed the car...by far better ride quality, way better handling, no surprises in the wet and were actually decent in the snow. Worth every penny! They will be going on my current 3 when it's tires go south

That's great to hear, thanks! I am getting them installed tomorrow.

 

[meep]

I appreciate the comments everyone! I have had previous generations of both all season and summer-only Michelin Pilot Sports and really liked them, but I think I will give these Pirellis a try. Between summer, winter, and UHP all season tires, I have had Continental, Michelin, Dunlop, Hankook and Bridgestone so I am intrigued to give a new brand a try. Hopefully I will have a better experience than @SOUNDMAN5000 has had with Pirelli! I do agree that all seasons seem to make more sense than summer tires on a Honda.

My parents have had several different generations of Continental Extreme Contact DWS tires on their e46 3-series and a WRX and while they have excellent grip too, I found the sidewalls to be too soft and the steering feel a bit vague for a UHP A/S, so I ruled them out here.

I had Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ on my Infiniti G35x that I LOVED, so I was disappointed that both the RE980AS+ is not available in 235/40/19 and the 980 replacement (Potenza Sport AS) appears to be a letdown.

2nd cheer for the potenza re980AS, they are a fantastic tire.