The new Pirelli model debuted in the independent publication tests, where it was immediately faced with some serious rivals.
List of models tested:
- Bridgestone Turanza T005
- Continental PremiumContact 6
- Falken Ziex ZE310 Ecorun
- Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2
- Hankook Ventus Prime3 K125
- Michelin Primacy 4
- Nokian Wetproof
- Pirelli Cinturato P7 (P7C2)
- Roadhog RGHP01
- Vredestein Ultrac Satin
The recent test conducted by the Italian publication Al Volante involved tires of every price bracket, from popular brands to total «no-names». The victory was disputed by 10 brands, including the new Pirelli Cinturato P7 (P7C2) model, whose chief rivals were Continental PemiumContact 6, Bridgestone Turanza T005, Nokian Wetproof, Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2 (yet another new model 2020), Hankook Ventus Prime3, Falken Ziex ZE310 Ecorun, Michelin Primacy 4, and Vredestein Ultrac Satin.
This time around, the «dark horse» of the test was the Roadhog RGHP01 tire from the line of one of the private brands belonging to the Dutch company Inter-Sprint (which also owns the brands of Mastersteel, Milestone, and Tyfoon). In Italy, a Roadhog tire is priced at about 40 Euro, while the price of other tested tires ranges from 75 to 100 Euros. As AV noted, this was the cheapest tire that the magazine was able to find online in the size chosen for the test — 225/45 R17.
When Pirelli presented this new model fairly recently, the company stated that, among other things, it improved on the tire’s wet performance, and the P7C2 did indeed substantiate this promise in the appropriate part of the test. The Pirelli model performed fairly well in all of the wet disciplines, and it might have become the leader in this segment of the test, but it ultimately had to yield the first place to the Continental model, which demonstrated the shortest braking distance and the best straight hydroplaning resistance on test.
Then follow Falken and Bridgestone, the cheap Roadhog model predictably scoring the last line of the tournament bracket. At the same time, however, it must be noted that the tire model from Inter-Sprint was still able to outperform the much more expensive Vredestein, and in two very important disciplines, too — the braking efficiency and the handling response — which gives us reasons to think that this other Dutch tire brand also has issues with wet traction.
Wet surface
In the dry tests, the first place was scored by the Continental tires, which yet again were able to bring the car to a standstill faster than all of their rivals, and it becomes clear that the German tire giant is adding yet another independent test victory to its list of achievements.
The second place in the dry tests, when the asphalt was heated up to 40 degrees, was shared by Pirelli, Bridgestone, and Michelin, but it must be said that the tires from the French manufacturer were the noisiest on test. The fact that the Vredestein tires require modernization was confirmed in this part of the test as well, in which this model scored the last place, yielding even to the low-budget Roadhog.
Dry surface
As was already said, in the final standings the first place was scored by Continental, the new Pirelli model scoring second place. Still, however, in spite of the fact that it could not make a clean sweep of the competition at its home field, the debut can generally be considered successful.
Bridgestone, Michelin, and Nokian also made it to the top five, the new Goodyear model being left outside. But then again, with the tires scoring the top lines of the tournament bracket, the difference in points was all but negligible. The Roadhog model, in spite of all of the «achievements» shown by Vredestein, still went down to the bottom line of the tournament bracket, due to the inadequate level of wet traction.
Overall rating
Test results
1st place: Continental PremiumContact 6
Quick Take
Continental PremiumContact 6
- This tire has been replaced by Continental / PremiumContact 7
- This tire replaced Continental / ContiPremiumContact 5
- Available Sizes in Line: 267
-
Original Equipment (OE) tires
for:
- • Toyota C-HR Facelift [2019 .. 2023]
- • Mercedes-Benz C-Class Br205 [2015 .. 2021]
- • BMW 3 Series VII (G20/G21) [2018 .. 2023]
- • BMW 5 Series VII (G30/G31) Facelift [2020 .. 2023]
- • Mazda CX-5 KF [2016 .. 2023]
- • Ford Kuga III (CX482) [2019 .. 2023]
- • Renault Koleos II (HC) [2016 .. 2020]
- • Subaru Forester SK [2018 .. 2023]
- • Renault Megane IV (9A) [2016 .. 2022]
- • Volvo XC40 I [2017 .. 2023]
- • Skoda Superb III B8 (3V) Facelift [2020 .. 2023]
- • Volvo V60 Cross Country II [2018 .. 2023]
- • Mercedes-Benz X-Class D23 [2017 .. 2020]
- • Audi A6 C8 [2018 .. 2023]
- • Volvo S60 III [2019 .. 2023]
- • Renault Alaskan D23 [2016 .. 2020]
- • Volvo V60 II [2018 .. 2023]
- • Jaguar I-Pace [2018 .. 2023]
- • Ford Fiesta VII [2017 .. 2023]
- • Ford Mustang Mach-E [2020 .. 2023]
- • Porsche Taycan I [2020 .. 2023]
- • Mercedes-Benz C-Class Br206 [2021 .. 2023]
- Year Released: 2016
- Regions for sale: North America, Europe, Russia+, Japan, Middle East, Oceania
- The shortest braking distance on wet and dry pavements
- The best hydroplaning resistance
- On wet pavement, the car feels very steady and provides excellent handling response (there are only slight issues with understeer under high loads)
- Crisp steering response and predictable behavior on dry pavement
2nd place: Pirelli Cinturato P7 (P7C2)
Quick Take
Pirelli Cinturato P7 (P7C2)
- This tire has been replaced by Pirelli / Scorpion
- This tire replaced Pirelli / Cinturato P7
- Available Sizes in Line: 28
-
Original Equipment (OE) tires
for:
- • BMW 8 Series G14/G15/G16 [2018 .. 2023]
- Year Released: 2020
- Regions for sale: North America, Central & South America, Europe, Russia+, Japan, China, Middle East, Oceania
- The best lateral hydroplaning resistance
- Great handling response on wet pavement (only slight deterioration of performance observed under high loads)
- Good handling response and predictable behavior on wet pavement
- Acceptable noise level and fuel efficiency
3rd place: Bridgestone Turanza T005
Quick Take
Bridgestone Turanza T005
- This tire has been replaced by Bridgestone / Turanza 6
- This tire has run-flat model:
- Available Sizes in Line: 239
-
Original Equipment (OE) tires
for:
- • Audi A7 4K8 [2018 .. 2023]
- • Volkswagen Tiguan
- • Volkswagen Caddy V [2020 .. 2023]
- • Skoda Superb
- • Volkswagen Transporter
- • Jeep Renegade
- • Renault Captur
- • Nissan Juke
- • Ford Kuga
- • Nissan Micra
- • Volkswagen T-Roc I (A11/AC7) [2017 .. 2023]
- • BMW 1 Series
- • BMW 3 Series
- • BMW 8 Series
- • MINI Clubman
- • Audi A6
- • Audi A3
- • Audi SQ2 GA [2019 .. 2020]
- • Audi A1
- • Audi A4
- • Audi A5
- • Mercedes-Benz S-Class
- • Mercedes-Benz C-Class
- • Mercedes-Benz A-Class
- • Mercedes-Benz B-Class
- • Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class
- • MINI Countryman
- • BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer
- • Lexus LC Z100 [2017 .. 2023]
- • Lexus LS
- • Lexus ES
- • Mazda Mazda6
- • Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class
- • Toyota Camry
- • Volkswagen Polo
- • Volkswagen Golf
- Year Released: 2018
- Regions for sale: North America, Central & South America, Europe, Russia+, China, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Middle East, Africa, Oceania
- Great traction and good lateral stability on wet pavement (however, under high loads, quick overheating and deterioration of performance occur)
- Good overall handling response on dry pavement (however, there are some issues with the traction balance between the front and the rear axles)
- Acceptable noise level
4th place: Michelin Primacy 4
Quick Take
Michelin Primacy 4
- This tire has been replaced by Michelin / e.Primacy , Michelin / Primacy 4+ , Michelin / Primacy 4 ST
- Available Sizes in Line: 143
- Year Released: 2017
- Regions for sale: Mexico, Central & South America, Europe, Russia+, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Middle East, Oceania
- Well-balanced and stable performance on wet pavement
- Short braking distance and crisp steering response on dry pavement
- Low lateral hydroplaning resistance
- High noise emission
5th place: Nokian Wetproof
Quick Take
Nokian Wetproof
- This tire will be replaced by Nokian / Wetproof 1
- Available Sizes in Line: 75
- Year Released: 2019
- Regions for sale: Europe
- Acceptable performance on wet pavement (but there were certain issues with the traction on the front axle, particularly after a few laps)
- Short braking distance on dry pavement
- Low noise emission
- The fuel efficiency label was not confirmed by the test results
- Delayed steering response on dry pavement
6th place: Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2
Quick Take
Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2
- This tire replaced Goodyear / EfficientGrip Performance
- Available Sizes in Line: 80
-
Original Equipment (OE) tires
for:
- • Toyota Yaris Cross XP210 [2020 .. 2023]
- • BMW iX [2021 .. 2023]
- • Renault Megane E-Tech [2022 .. 2023]
- • Jeep Avenger [2023 .. 2024]
- • Volkswagen Passat NMS II Facelift [2021 .. 2025]
- Year Released: 2020
- Regions for sale: Europe, Russia+, Japan, China, Southeast Asia, Middle East, South Africa
- Low rolling resistance
- Great performance on wet pavement in a «cold» state, but after a few laps (in the Italian heat) both traction and lateral stability are compromised
- Delayed handling response during high-speed cornering on dry pavement
- A little noisy
7th place: Hankook Ventus Prime3 K125
Quick Take
Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125
- This tire has been replaced by Hankook / Ventus Prime 4 K135
- This tire replaced Hankook / Ventus Prime 2 K115
- Available Sizes in Line: 137
-
Original Equipment (OE) tires
for:
- • Ford Focus Active IV [2018 .. 2023]
- • Citroën C3 Aircross I [2017 .. 2021]
- • Audi A8 D4 Facelift [2013 .. 2018]
- • Audi A8 D5 [2018 .. 2021]
- • Hyundai Kona OS [2017 .. 2020]
- • Kia Soul II (PS) Facelift [2017 .. 2020]
- • Kia Soul III (SK3) [2019 .. 2023]
- • Hyundai Azera III (IG) [2018 .. 2023]
- • Kia Cadenza II (YG) [2017 .. 2020]
- • Audi A1 GB [2018 .. 2023]
- • MINI Cooper F55/F56 [2014 .. 2021]
- • MINI Cooper F55/F56 Facelift II [2021 .. 2023]
- Year Released: 2015
- Regions for sale: Mexico, Central & South America, Europe, Russia+, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Middle East, Africa, Oceania
- The tire ensured great handling response and driving safety during maneuvering on wet pavement, even during extended high loads
- Great traction balance between the front and rear axles, combined with a high level of driving safety on dry pavement
- Relatively long braking distance on wet pavement
8th place: Falken Ziex ZE310 Ecorun
Quick Take
Falken Ziex ZE310 Ecorun
- Available Sizes in Line: 131
-
Original Equipment (OE) tires
for:
- • Audi A1 citycarver GB [2019 .. 2023]
- • Audi Q3 F3 [2018 .. 2023]
- Year Released: 2017
- Regions for sale: Europe, Russia+, South Africa
- Good traction and handling response in the wet
- High lateral hydroplaning resistance
- Low noise emission
- Delayed steering response during emergency maneuvers on dry pavement
- High rolling resistance
9th place: Vredestein Ultrac Satin
Quick Take
Vredestein Ultrac Satin
- This tire has been replaced by Vredestein / Ultrac
- Available Sizes in Line: 128
-
Original Equipment (OE) tires
for:
- • Volkswagen Touareg II (CR) [2018 .. 2023]
- Year Released: 2016
- Regions for sale: USA+, Canada, Europe, Russia+
- Good cornering stability on dry pavement
- The longest braking distance both on wet and dry pavement
- Insufficient traction on the rear axle on wet pavement
10th place: Roadhog RGHP01
Quick Take
Roadhog RGHP01
- Year Released: unknown
- Regions for sale: Europe
- Acceptable noise level, smooth ride
- Poor traction, especially lateral, and low level of driving safety on wet pavement
- Delayed steering response on dry pavement
