Pirelli Cintuarto P7 All Season Plus 2 — anyone try these?

[youtalking2me]

Think you might have the previous generation, Pirelli just announced these in Feb 2020. Pirelli Releases Cinturato P7 All Season Plus II

Either way, how do you like them?

Someone else with the the first generation P7+’s said that with the stock 19” rims they were averaging 232 Wh/mi on their performance Model 3. They said it was comparable to their energy use from the 18” Aeros they’d upgraded from. What I’m mostly curious about is if the second generation P7+’s have the same great efficiency — I’d guess not since they have a larger contact patch which would increase rolling resistance (unless this is offset by the new compound they’re using).

Nope, they were the II's. Bought them as soon as they were uploaded on Tirerack. Got rid of the Pilot Sports due to me being in MD and experiencing lots of below 30 weather.
Tires are fine, feels a bit "dull" but definitely softer and cushier. Less engagement than the Pilot Sports but that's a given as those are super sticky tires.
Energy consumption seems to be a bit better as well.
Overall I don't mind the switch, mostly if it does give me at least 50K instead of the 15K people were getting on their Pilot Sports.

 

[bd7349]

Nope, they were the II's. Bought them as soon as they were uploaded on Tirerack. Got rid of the Pilot Sports due to me being in MD and experiencing lots of below 30 weather.
Tires are fine, feels a bit "dull" but definitely softer and cushier. Less engagement than the Pilot Sports but that's a given as those are super sticky tires.
Energy consumption seems to be a bit better as well.
Overall I don't mind the switch, mostly if it does give me at least 50K instead of the 15K people were getting on their Pilot Sports.

Interesting, I wonder why Pirelli waited until February to announce them then. They’re definitely a bit cushy feeling at times although that’s to be expected with this type of tire. If the energy consumption wasn’t any better than the Pilot Sports that would’ve been a problem, glad to see they’re not that bad lol.

The II’s have 11/32” of tread though, so they should definitely last you at least to 50k miles. I got that out of the stock Conti’s and those had less tread than the Pirelli’s start with.

 

[Danny Brown]

... Energy consumption seems to be a bit better as well...

Can you provide any more detail? (% or wh/mi?) Even a guess would be helpful since I’ve heard a lot about the P7 having great efficiency.

 

[youtalking2me]

Can you provide any more detail? (% or wh/mi?) Even a guess would be helpful since I’ve heard a lot about the P7 having great efficiency.

Sure, sample size is a bit small though.
Original pick up of the VH was 9/23(ish)/2019. Drove the PS from then to 12/26/2019 and then the II's from then till now.
Driving habits were the same as well as the places driven. Didn't get to drive much with the PS's though as the car was in the shop for about a month and a half. During the time I had the PS, the average was about 299-301. That is with most of the driving done in fall weather.
With the II's, I'm averaging 279 and that was with me driving in the eye of winter so for winter driving, 279 is not bad at all. I'm sure the efficiency would've been a lot better if I started of with the II's.
That being said, I cannot stress enough the change in feel of engagement of the car(some will take this as a negative while others, like my SO, took it as a positive). Everything for sure feels a lot more muted with the II's.

 

[Danny Brown]

Sure, sample size is a bit small though.
Original pick up of the VH was 9/23(ish)/2019. Drove the PS from then to 12/26/2019 and then the II's from then till now.
Driving habits were the same as well as the places driven. Didn't get to drive much with the PS's though as the car was in the shop for about a month and a half. During the time I had the PS, the average was about 299-301. That is with most of the driving done in fall weather.
With the II's, I'm averaging 279 and that was with me driving in the eye of winter so for winter driving, 279 is not bad at all. I'm sure the efficiency would've been a lot better if I started of with the II's.
That being said, I cannot stress enough the change in feel of engagement of the car(some will take this as a negative while others, like my SO, took it as a positive). Everything for sure feels a lot more muted with the II's.

Thank you! I'm eyeing your tire (II's) or some closeout I's for a purchase soon.

I forgot to ask: what size did you go with? I couldn't tell from the pictures your posted. I'm assuming you're still on the 20" Sport wheels.

 

[bd7349]

Can you provide any more detail? (% or wh/mi?) Even a guess would be helpful since I’ve heard a lot about the P7 having great efficiency.

Keep in mind the original P7+'s were advertised as EcoImpact, LRR tire with fuel efficiency as one of its main features. The II's don't mention any of this (even removing the EcoImpact branding) and when I asked Pirelli about this even they couldn't confirm that the II's were as fuel efficient as the original P7+.

So while the original P7+ were great on efficiency as many people reported, the II's aren't nearly as good. It's not surprising that they aren't either since they have a 5% larger contact patch (7.1" on original P7+ was 8" on II's) and are 2lbs more per tire at 27lbs (heaviest I've seen out of most tires this size, let alone fuel efficient ones like PureContact LS which are 23lbs). If it weren't for the reports of the original P7+ not performing well in the rain I would've definitely gone for those due to efficiency alone, but I've dealt with tires that aren't great in rain and it can be really, really scary. Didn't want to take that risk again.

 

[bd7349]

Sure, sample size is a bit small though.
Original pick up of the VH was 9/23(ish)/2019. Drove the PS from then to 12/26/2019 and then the II's from then till now.
Driving habits were the same as well as the places driven. Didn't get to drive much with the PS's though as the car was in the shop for about a month and a half. During the time I had the PS, the average was about 299-301. That is with most of the driving done in fall weather.
With the II's, I'm averaging 279 and that was with me driving in the eye of winter so for winter driving, 279 is not bad at all. I'm sure the efficiency would've been a lot better if I started of with the II's.
That being said, I cannot stress enough the change in feel of engagement of the car(some will take this as a negative while others, like my SO, took it as a positive). Everything for sure feels a lot more muted with the II's.

I'm curious what your driving style is like? I've never seen numbers as low as 279 Wh/mi in the winter with any tire on the 19" or 20" rims, so that's amazing. I'm not a very aggressive driver either, but even I don't usually don't see numbers in the 260-270 Wh/mi range until summer temps get here and even at those temps on the highway at 80mph I'd get about 295-300 Wh/mi. I don't think there's anyway I'd ever be able to achieve your numbers, especially in winter.

 

[Danny Brown]

Thanks BD.

I'm coming from 20" Sports w/PS4S's and have 18" forged wheels on-order. I'm trying to decide how far "down" the tire performance ladder I want to go. On the more eco-side of the continuum, I've got the original P7+ and the PureContact LS as top contenders.

I noticed the differences between the P7+ II's from the I's. But even with the II's, I expect an efficiency gain since I'm coming from 8.8" wide Max Perf Summer PS4S's (just like the OP).

 

[bd7349]

Thanks BD.

I'm coming from 20" Sports w/PS4S's and have 18" forged wheels on-order. I'm trying to decide how far "down" the tire performance ladder I want to go. On the more eco-side of the continuum, I've got the original P7+ and the PureContact LS as top contenders.

I noticed the differences between the P7+ II's from the I's. But even with the II's, I expect an efficiency gain since I'm coming from 8.8" wide Max Perf Summer PS4S's (just like the OP).

No problem. I didn't realize you were coming from those, but going down to 18's with the II's would definitely see a noticeable efficiency increase from the 20's and PS4S's. Everything I've read about those seems to say they use the most energy out of any tire combination which isn't surprising since they're the heaviest and grippiest option. Wouldn't be surprised if your efficiency jumped 15% or more by moving to smaller rims with more efficient tires.

As for the PureContact LS, I just got them put on yesterday and early impressions are very good so far. On my 35 mile drive back home from the tire shop I noticed that they seemed quieter than the II's were. Didn't notice much difference in initial handling, but I feel like I can definitely notice the difference in weight of the tires -- it's almost like they seem to respond quicker when accelerating from a stop (not sure if getting rid of unsprung weight has this effect, but it seems like it). It was a sunny 60 degrees during the drive and when I got home my efficiency was about 315 Wh/mi compared to the 350 Wh/mi I averaged on the same drive home (it was also sunny that day but a bit colder at 50 degrees) when I got the Pirelli's installed.

It'll be sunny again this weekend so I'll take it out for a drive to see if I can get more numbers on efficiency. Guessing it'll take a few weeks till I can post anything definitive.

 

[Danny Brown]

As for the PureContact LS, I just got them put on yesterday and early impressions are very good so far. On my 35 mile drive back home from the tire shop I noticed that they seemed quieter than the II's were. Didn't notice much difference in initial handling, but I feel like I can definitely notice the difference in weight of the tires -- it's almost like they seem to respond quicker when accelerating from a stop (not sure if getting rid of unsprung weight has this effect, but it seems like it). It was a sunny 60 degrees during the drive and when I got home my efficiency was about 315 Wh/mi compared to the 350 Wh/mi I averaged on the same drive home (it was also sunny that day but a bit colder at 50 degrees) when I got the Pirelli's installed.

It'll be sunny again this weekend so I'll take it out for a drive to see if I can get more numbers on efficiency. Guessing it'll take a few weeks till I can post anything definitive.

Great to hear! Can you remind me the sizes you were/are running? (both the P7 AS+2's & the PureContact LS?)

I may pull the trigger on my new rubber before you have efficiency numbers, but even your initial review is already helpful. Like you said, the OP and I both were coming from the grippiest/widest factory setup... I'm sure I'll pick up SOMETHING in terms of efficiency

 

[bd7349]

Great to hear! Can you remind me the sizes you were/are running? (both the P7 AS+2's & the PureContact LS?)

I may pull the trigger on my new rubber before you have efficiency numbers, but even your initial review is already helpful. Like you said, the OP and I both were coming from the grippiest/widest factory setup... I'm sure I'll pick up SOMETHING in terms of efficiency

I’m running these on the stock 19” tire size of 235/40R19. I’ll try to put a couple hundred miles on this weekend (supposed to be 65 out, so I’m thinking of driving up to Maine for a nice scenic hike away from people) to get some early efficiency numbers that way I can at least give some decent early data points. I also kinda want to compare the early numbers to see if breaking in the tire really has any effect on efficiency.

What kinda efficiency numbers do you usually see on the PS4S’s? I bet going down to 18’s will put you at 280 Wh/mi even at highway speeds which is awesome.

 

[youtalking2me]

Thank you! I'm eyeing your tire (II's) or some closeout I's for a purchase soon.

I forgot to ask: what size did you go with? I couldn't tell from the pictures your posted. I'm assuming you're still on the 20" Sport wheels.

I went with the II's as they were the newer model (I mean new models are always better than the old ones, right!?) and also they were advertised to address the originals weakness which was wet performance. I don't push my car hard in the rain but it's good piece of mind to have that my tires are superior than the predecessor in wet situations.
I downgraded the 20's to 19's due to pothole concerns. Size wise, should be the same tire size as what the 19" sport rim crowd has.

I'm curious what your driving style is like? I've never seen numbers as low as 279 Wh/mi in the winter with any tire on the 19" or 20" rims, so that's amazing. I'm not a very aggressive driver either, but even I don't usually don't see numbers in the 260-270 Wh/mi range until summer temps get here and even at those temps on the highway at 80mph I'd get about 295-300 Wh/mi. I don't think there's anyway I'd ever be able to achieve your numbers, especially in winter.

I don't gun my car off the line but at the same time its not a turtle acceleration. Car is rated for 0-60 in 3.2. I can safely say, I probably accelerate 0-60 in about 4.1. Kinda like a half mash.
My commute is also all local roads with a little bit of traffic in the morning. For example this week, my drive to work which is about 20 minutes away, 8.5 miles one way, with some spirited driving and because the battery is not cold, when I arrive to work the Wh is about 255. Its not a fair comparison as I think on the highway going to VA, if I'm averaging about 70-75, even with little to no traffic, my Wh works out to be about 285-300. I personally think me being on local roads and averaging about 45-60mph (LIKE I SAID SPIRITED), is the reason why my Wh is so low.

 

[bd7349]

I don't gun my car off the line but at the same time its not a turtle acceleration. Car is rated for 0-60 in 3.2. I can safely say, I probably accelerate 0-60 in about 4.1. Kinda like a half mash.
My commute is also all local roads with a little bit of traffic in the morning. For example this week, my drive to work which is about 20 minutes away, 8.5 miles one way, with some spirited driving and because the battery is not cold, when I arrive to work the Wh is about 255. Its not a fair comparison as I think on the highway going to VA, if I'm averaging about 70-75, even with little to no traffic, my Wh works out to be about 285-300. I personally think me being on local roads and averaging about 45-60mph (LIKE I SAID SPIRITED), is the reason why my Wh is so low.

Ahh that explains it then. Yeah, my commute (and the majority of my driving) is all highway at 75-80mph so my Wh/mi is always going to be close to 290-300 for the most part, although I'm hoping these tires will change that. If I had a commute like yours I think I'd be much closer to those numbers even with some spirited driving.

 

[Danny Brown]

What kinda efficiency numbers do you usually see on the PS4S’s? I bet going down to 18’s will put you at 280 Wh/mi even at highway speeds which is awesome.

I'm in an area of northern Alabama that has some rolling hills. After ~12,000 miles, my trip meter shows "Lifetime" at 282 wh/mi. Of that 12k, I'd say ~6k is on the highway @ 70-75 (I seldom drive faster) and the other 6k is in the efficiency sweet-spot of 40-55 mph speeds on county roads.

*On the highway at 70-75 mph, I see 300-380 wh/mi depending on temperature (and thus heater usage).
*County roads at 40-55 mph, I see 230-260 depending on temp.

I have two trips (Huntsville-Nashville-Huntsville) and (Huntsville-Birmingham-Huntsville) that I can't quite do without hitting a SC for 5 minutes. While both are easy to get to, even a 5% improvement from getting away from the 8.8" wide TO-spec PS4S will allow me to do these trips WITHOUT supercharging.

I don't do the trips often (4-6x a year) but the range anxiety they induce is real. It'd be nice to know I can go & come back without SC. Plus weight, plus sidewall with a switch to 18" for pothole avoidance, etc etc.

 

[Mohain]

@bd7349 How have the purecontact LS held up after all this time? I'm nearing 34k miles on my 2018 LR M3 was thinking of switching to them. Are they quiet?

 

[dovish knower]

@Danny Brown what did you ultimately decide, or still thinking it over?

@youtalking2me are you still happy with the efficiency of the P7 II's?

 

[Danny Brown]

I went with Pirelli P Zero All Season Plus (235/45 R18 98Y XL). I have ~10,000 miles and am very happy with them. Will likely get them again in (hopefully) a few years.

If I remember correctly, the main discriminator for me was the poor wet rating mentioned with some reviews for the P7's. The AS+ has been good in the rain we get here in Alabama, which can be fairly significant.