Pirelli is renowned worldwide for its high-quality tires, where its most popular ones are the Pirelli P Zero and the Cinturato P7. Here the P Zero is a high-performance tire designed for sports cars, whereas the Cinturato P7 is an all-season tire designed to provide a smooth, comfortable, and fuel-efficient ride for everyday use. Let’s see which tire suit you better.
Table of Contents
Tire Sizes
Pirelli P Zero comes with following specs.
- Wheel sizes available: 17 to 22 inches.
- Load rating: SL and XL.
- Speed rating: Y and W.
- Tread depth: 10/32″ on all.
- Weight range: 19 to 42 lbs.
While the Pirelli Cinturato P7 comes with following.
- Wheel sizes available: 15 to 19 inches.
- Load rating: SL and XL.
- Speed rating: V, Y and W.
- Tread depth: 9, 10 and 11/32″.
- Weight range: 19 to 28 lbs.
Tread Design
Pirelli P Zero features an asymmetrical tread design, where you an see 5 total ribs.
All of these ribs have different designs from one another.
Dry Performance
The effectiveness of a tire on dry surfaces depends on two key elements: grip and handling.
Here, the grip, also called directional grip, relates to the tire’s capacity to brake and accelerate. And handling tells you about the tire’s cornering abilities, and steering feedback.
Let’s delve into what each tire offers in terms of these performance parameters.
Directional Grip
This grip primarily involves the central tread area as it receives the maximum pressure during straight-line movement. In other words, this area makes the most contact with the road as the tire rolls straight, like on highways.
And here the Pirelli P Zero is outperforming its counterpart.
The tire features a more longitudinally arranged ribs, which are more compacted up and include greater biters (in the form of in-groove notches).
These provide greater rubber to road connectivity and friction, allowing the tire to brake 2 feet quicker on average, (as observed in multiple tests).
On the other hand, the Cinturato P7, with its more voided up design isn’t able to deliver similar performance.
Not only the tire features broader lateral grooves, impeding the proper contact of the tread rubber with the road, its also missing with as many biters in the middle, as seen on its counterpart.
Dry Handling
Handling refers to the tire’s response during cornering. And here the shoulder lugs are considered, as they bear the most weight pressure on them, due to inertia.
Now here, once again, the Pirelli P Zero is taking the lead.
The tire has much more compressed shoulder lugs, allowing better road contact as the tire corners. And it offers a more immediate steering response, as its tread composition is stiffer.
Basically with harder tread compound, the lugs don’t get to flex too much as they meet up with the ground, and this results in minimal over and under steering.
So P zero get of provide higher lateral traction values, quantified with g-forces, during cornering.
In comparison, the Pirelli Cinturato P7 falls short, primarily due to its bulky design, which prevents sufficient rubber from making contact with the road.
Nevertheless, please note that the average handling time difference between the two tires is still very small.
Wet Traction
In terms of wet surface performance, the Cinturato P7 emerges as the clear winner, as it offers greater number of siping, which is then complemented by tread flexibility.
This combination is crucial for maintaining a robust grip on wet surfaces and here’s why.
Basically sipes are small slits/tread voids, that temporarily store water, enabling effective contact between the tread and the road.
These siping slits contact and expand creating a kind of vacuum sucking water particles in, so with greater tread flexibility, they don’t face a hard time in doing their job.
Now, not only the Pirelli P zero falls short due to a significant absence of siping, its harder tread compound is further limiting its wet performance.
Moreover, the tire also lacks in hydroplaning resistance, as seen on tests, and this further explains its overall lacking wet traction.
You see, resistance to hydroplaning is highly dependent on water getting out of the tire (mainly through grooves), and more water going out that way, means less would be there for the sipes to deal with.
Now with relatively smaller tread voids, the P Zero cant throw out as much water, and so overall wet gripping is compromised this way as well.
Winter Performance
In terms of winter traction, the Pirelli Cinturato P7 firmly secures the top spot, thanks to its design, where the ribs are more voided up.
But how this helps?
Well with more grooves and voids, the lugs are able to effectively scoop the snow backwards, creating superior forward momentum.
Moreover, the tire also stands out with its narrower average section width, so it exerts more pressure on the snow, as it gets lodged in (even though its overall weight is lighter, comparatively).
This then provides better snow to snow contact, which is significant as snow tends to adhere more to other snowflakes than to rubber.
On the other side, the Pirelli P Zero lacks this feature, which is particularly beneficial on fluffy snow, but then again it compensates with a higher number of biters, and these provide superior traction on ice.
But still note that, both these tires aren’t going to offer as much traction as all season tires, and there’s not even a comparison with winter tires.
That’s why these tires don’t carry the famous 3-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) ratings.
Fuel Consumption
Fuel consumption is intimately connected to the rolling resistance of a tire, as there is a direct relationship between the two.
But what contributes to higher rolling resistance?
Well predominately two variables do, one is the tire’s weight and the other is the tread composition.
Having said that, the Pirelli Cinturato P7 does better, as it exhibits slightly reduced rolling resistance and, as a result, enhanced fuel efficiency.
The tire is lighter in weight, across all its sizes, I mean. So its lugs don’t get as much pressure on them as they rub against the road, limiting frictional forces.
Moreover, although its design is also asymmetric like its counterpart, its still more streamlined in comparison, so it rolls with much more ease still.
On the other side, the P Zero lacks with its high performance rubber, which creates greater friction with the ground, which is of course needed for gripping.
Tread Noise
Noise in tires is generated by two things.
Basically air particles entering and exiting the tread, hit around the walls. And that striking impact of air particles create noise.
Then, that produced noise reflect off the tread walls, creating in-groove resonance. In other words, noise is further amplified as they echoing within the tread.
Now here, as the Pirelli P Zero incorporates blockers between the shoulder lugs, it inhibit air entry, cutting down noise at the source.
Moreover, it also features superior pitch sequencing tech to handle groove resonance too.
Pitch sequencing is accomplished by subtly altering the tread blocks’ geometry so that the air particles striking them generate varying tones, which can then neutralize each other.
On the other side, with wider tread voids, the Cinturato gets to b louder, even though it also features similar pitch sequencing.
On-Road Vibrations
The comfort of a tire’s ride is significantly impacted by its external composition, that’s why tires made from a softer compound provide a more pleasant driving experience.
And let me tell you, the Pirelli Cinturato P7 is exemplary in this regard, as it incorporates a relatively more flexible tread rubber with a high silica content and a more pliable inner cap ply.
Moreover, the tire also features greater tread depth, which means there’s more rubber between the road and the driver.
These elements effectively absorb the road’s shocks and irregularities, in a better way, thereby enhancing ride comfort.
P Zero on the other side, featuring stiffer compound lacks, where its internal construction isnt helping to that either, where its internal polyester casing is stiffer.
To Sum Up
The Pirelli P Zero excels in:
- Dry Performance: Specifically in directional grip and handling, where the tire’s design featuring longitudinally arranged ribs, compact design, and in-groove notches contribute to shorter braking distances and better road contact during cornering.
- Tread Noise: With blockers, or you can say lug connectors, between the shoulder lugs, pitch sequencing, and highly sound-absorbent tread walls, the tire is able to minimize in-groove resonance and noise better.
The Pirelli Cinturato P7 excels in:
- Wet Traction: The balanced combination of siping, notches, and chamfered edges, complemented by tread flexibility, ensure a more reliable grip on wet surfaces.
- Winter Performance: The design featuring more voided up lugs, narrower average section width, helps in efficiently removing snow and providing superior forward momentum.
- Fuel Consumption: The refined structure, more aerodynamic shape, and lighter overall construction result in slightly reduced rolling resistance and enhanced fuel efficiency.
- On-Road Vibrations: The use of softer tread rubber and a more pliable inner cap ply effectively absorb road shocks and irregularities, enhancing ride comfort.
