Update on the Pirelli P7 Cinturato A/S +

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P7 Update:

As our daughter was traveling home to Rochester, from Central PA) on Wednesday evening(~8 pm) before this Thanksgiving Holiday, there was lots of snowfall and unplowed roads in PA. For those who know, Rt 15 was closed/closing!

Once she reached NY State, the roads were salted and plowed and the remainder of her trip was uneventful except for the night driving.

She called often to keep us updated on her progress which usually take 3.5-4 hours for this trip and it took her 5 hours to travel the same distance.

She commented ~ 3 X on how good the Pirelli P7 Cinturato All Season PLUS were doing on the unplowed roads and feeling similar to her AltiMAX Arctic(that I was going to install on Thxgivng am).

These P7 tires have 7000 miles on them and were purchased in May '14 replacing the Hankook Optimo H727's. The P7s have been very smooth/quiet even if a bit harsh over road imperfections in her size(205-55-16). PSI seems to be a factor in this little Mazda3(117K miles)

This was the first snow fall that she had experienced with these P7's and also commented on the very decent ice traction in the hilly Penn State area. Again, the P7's are still brand new but, she never felt white knuckled during this trip home!
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Yes, I did install her AltiMAX Arctic's on Thanksgiving morning so she could travel back to PA this Saturday(yesterday). Very little to report on the Arctic's. We bought the Arctic's for the hilly/icey area that she lives/travels in. More ice than snow!
 
Good to hear. Must keep this in mind for the Camry's new tires.

Between my legacy MXV4's, and my week old TrueContact's I now suspect that most premium All Season tires are acceptable all rounders.
 
But, there is still something about the P4's that I use on my '04 Altima 2.5S that I still like better than the P7's on the '06 Mazda3 2.0L. I think it the soul of the P4's. But, maybe the P7 is more refined and I'm just not feeling it!

Of course, these are two different cars so, it's hard to compare them.
 
I have them in 225-45-17 on my Corolla. I got stuck in a storm with them and they were not good..granted they were installed same day so maybe they were more slippery from that. They didnt compare to my old semperit ice grips that were 3 years old and they certainly dont compare to the r2's i have. The Altimax's will definitely be better but glad her trip went well, safe travels!
 
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
They didnt compare to my old semperit ice grips that were 3 years old and they certainly dont compare to the r2's i have.

Is this a surprise to anyone that all-season tires don't compare to dedicated winter tires when it comes to winter handling?
 
I totally love my P7s A/S+. I just took them off yesterday in favor of winter tires. I got the Bridgestone Blizzak WS80s. I've already noticed that The WS80 tends to grip the side of the little valleys in the road, made by traffic. You know, the double dip in each lane, looks like a "W". If you are not careful they will grip their way right up the side.

Still, P7s going back on in the Spring! Love that tire.
 
I plan on buying new tires this week for my 2010 Camry. My primary performance concern is good ice and snow traction. I have narrowed it down to the P7 Plus, Conti PureContact or GY Assurance ComforTred Touring. Maybe the Michelin Premier or Defender or Cooper CS-5 Ultra Touring. Was leaning toward the GY, but local DT store has a "Black Friday" $100 rebate on almost all tires through today. With the $100 discount, the PureContact is looking like a winner.

The P4 Plus sounds interesting but the Camry has V rated tires standard so I would like to stay with a V speed rated tire.
 
That is what I am going through, looking at all those tires. Tire racks decision guide gives me the Pirelli P7 and Michelin Premier.
 
The P7 Plus seems like a good choice, but winter performance is questionable. Consumer Reports didn't test the "Plus" version, but the non Plus version doesn't rate very good in snow or ice. The Premier also seems like an awesome tire, but winter reviews are hard to find as the tire is fairly new to the market. And it is not cheap, even though I would gladly pay the price if I could confirm winter performance would be excellent.

It is hard to trust consumer reviews on TR and other sites. If CR and TR testing is in sync on a particular tire, it is probably accurate info.
 
Well, it's really hard to say which all season tire will give you the best winter traction. We had the Hankook Optimo H727's prior to the P7 A/S+. The H727's were good in the first 3 winters in Buffalo but after that, they were scary.

Now in hilly Pennsylvania, there is a need for even better winter traction/stopping. Not so much for the snow but, it's the ice on hilly roads AND, STOPPING!
 
I just but these on my 2003 Cavalier. The best AS tire for snow I've had was the GY Triple Tread. These are close, but just a touch less in snow and heavy rain. HOWEVER, they actual ride is much more connected without being harsh. The GY had a lot of sidewall flex while cornering. The P7+ does tend to tramline some on rain grooves.
 
Yes, I have heard this about the G/Y TT's as well as their good hydroplaning resistance.
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This is where I feel that my Pirelli P4's also shined(not to be confused with the P7's). I use the P4 in winters only (believe it or not) and they've been one of the best tires I've ever owned. I like the P4 in the OE size on the particular Altima in signature, that they're installed on!

Every vehicle has a tire that works best for it! What that is, is a hit or miss experience.
 
Originally Posted By: Char Baby
Every vehicle has a tire that works best for it! What that is, is a hit or miss experience.

I agree.
My 2004 S2000 has 51k miles on odometer after 11 years but it had 5 different tires on it so far. The car came with Bridgestone RE050 which was pretty good for OEM, then Yokohama after that and Kumho then Falken and Kumho 4X as current tire.

Of those tires, Falken FK452 was perfect match for it on both dry and wet surface. It performed very well on dry surface after the rear tread went down to less than 1/32". Too bad it was discontinued couple years ago.
 
I do try to stay with the tires(brand/model) that are held in high regard due to professional testing under controlled environments. Such as the testing that is done by CR & TR and with a good amount of customer reviews on like vehicles.

I have had my best success this way though, it's not 100%! For example, I like the Pirelli P4's on my Altima better than the P7's on the Mazda3(in sig). If I could do a switch-a-roo, this would tell me more about both tires. Could just be the cars!
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Originally Posted By: Char Baby
If I could do a switch-a-roo, this would tell me more about both tires. Could just be the cars!
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You might be able to if the Mazda 3 has the 5 bolt wheel pattern.
Both cars should have identical wheel bolt pattern (5-114) requirements.

BC.
 
They do have the 5-114 bolt pattern but, the hub center is different. So, I can't put the Nissan OE wheels on the Mazda but, I can visa-versa.

It they both had aftermarket wheels, I could do it fine, as the center hub would be large enough on both.
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It's a lot of work that I'm not willing to invest in just for curiosity sake. And too, since the Mazda is in PA most of the time and I am in NY.
 
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Another thumbs up for the P7. I have the V speed rated version and I am liking the added firmness compared to my previous tires.

I've primarily driven them in dry conditions and their cornering, handling and steering response is excellent.

They are also extremely quiet and have a nice ride.

The only thing I don't like right now is how they look. Real ugly sidewall! Quite bulbous.

Tire rack's latest testing and survey results are interesting. The Michelin Premier and the P7's have pulled away at the top of the surveys. However, in testing, the P7's, while slightly superior on the road circuit and the dry track testing, were disastrous in the wet track testing.

Additionally, the Michelin's have a new groove technology that widens as it wears to prevent loss of wet performance over time.

So as much as I like the P7's, I'd suggest considering the Michelins if wet performance is important to you.
 
Nice quick review^^^, thanks!

Yeah, I have seen the wet traction portion of the TR video. I have myself, tried in the wet, by throwing the car around. And the P7's held good control.

But, this was my own testing and not controlled by, keeping the engine RPM's and Speed steady! Of course, I let up in the gas in order to keep the car in good control as a natural reaction of a driver.

I believe that The Tire Rack holds speed steady during all of their dry & wet traction tests as to get a good assessment of how a tire reacts & compares to other tires in the test.

IDK if TR brings all of their vehicles up to speed and then sets the CC and holds on for dear life.
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By my own nature, I don't drive like that! But, I do think it sets a good baseline for their testing and allows the viewer to see what can happen in emergency situations.
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We've all had emergency situations for example, driving too fast(over the speed limit) and a car cuts us off, or a deer runs out in front of traffic. We naturally hit the brakes and steer around the possible collision...on wet or icy roads!
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And Pray!
 
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good review. I am looking at the P7 and Michelin Premier. I did see the Premier and it looks half bald. the tread new is 8.5/32nds to start.

I am interested in wet/snow traction due to living in Missouri.
 
^ based on Tirerack's testing and survey results and the fact that the Michelin's are designed to maintain their wet performance even when they wear, then the Premiers are the #1 choice for wet and snow.

The 2nd choice for wet and snow are the Continentals which are much cheaper.

The Pirelli's are only a consideration for wet use if you disregard Tireracks testing and place more emphasis on survey results.

As to tread depth, the warranty is 60k miles vs 70k miles for Continental & Pirelli. So that makes the Premiers even more expensive compared to the Continentals.
 
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