Pirelli Cinturato C3

I've been driving my BMW with Pirelli Cinturato C3 tires only for a week now, but what I noticed right away is that I can now drive my car as if it were a toy I'm holding in my hand and I can turn it quickly and safely in any direction I want. All I have to do now is turn the wheel in the direction and degree I want without worrying at all if the car will skid or lose control, that's how safe these tires are. The tires are not noisy and maybe they can be even quieter over time, I don't know if there are other tires that could be even quieter...comfort?! The tires give the feeling as if the car is moving on a single large, very balanced tire and not on four of them, and I mean that in the most positive sense possible. At higher speeds, the tires do not seem to be glued to the asphalt nor do they prevent the car from moving promptly at the desired speed, nor will you experience the tire as the main factor that dictates the dynamics at high speed, on a straight road they become one with the car, for the moment, but when you need to maneuver the car quickly or brake, in the smallest to the largest maneuvers, then the tires come alive and oh boy, so alive, to remind you that they are there for you to keep you safe and in control. Of course I can't know how long they can be there for you but for as long as they will be, you and your car are in safe hands. I am really impressed how good these tires are.

I just put this model on my Superb and did a "test" on a day of heavy rain and day after on dry and behavior looks great. I had P7 Blue years ago which I did not really like. In the meantime I had Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2 that I liked and I definitely like these new C3.

Above all, ride comfort and steering response on dry roads, parking or leaving the garage are very good. Lane changing is also pleasant, but not as precise as Michelin Sport. They are not very noisy tires, although depending on the condition of the road, we can say that they are remarkable, they have no weak points.

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Happy new year peeps!

Below are my initial ownership impressions of C3 in 225/45/17 size used on my Honda Civic 2019, 1.6 diesel, 120hp/300nm.

It is early days with C3, but since there are not too many opinions of these, quite new design, tires I thought I will give you my impressions. I have done maybe 2.5-3k km on them so far and also since it is winter here with temps mostly in 0 to 7'C range I am not getting them in their temperature sweet spot.

They seem to shift their behaviour into something very promising in 5+ Celsius (which is expected). Pzero Nero (original version of PZ Nero, so UHP vs touring) were waking up around 14+'C.

So in this limited running in less than optimal temperatures I can tell you the following:

1. These are the first tires I used that are that eager to turn in (yes, even more so than original PZero Nero). All other tries I used on any car in the past felt like understeering on turn-in (they did not, but that is how eager these C3 are to turn-in in compare). I actually had to adjust a bit how I drive as after all these past tries these feel so neutral on entry that in compare to usual tries they feel like they are going to oversteer on initial turn-in.

2. Sidewall is stiffer than Bridgstone Turanza R33 (OE tire for my Civic) I had on Honda, and probably not too far off from PZero Nero.

3. Wife says these are quieter than ER33. For me they are similar.

4. They dampen road chatter better than ER33 (so small imperfection of asphalt, like stones etc, joints) but due to stiffer sidewall they are more jarring and harsher on bigger road defects (like pot holes). I mean with pot holes the initial thump is softened due to softer rubber but then stiffer sidewall takes over and makes for harsher jolt action.

5. Breaking grip is night and day but that is expected when moving from worn to brand new (and more advanced) rubber.

6. You can feel what each tire is doing independently from others. The communication is very good (for touring tire).

7. I ran ER33 2.2bar all corners. These seem to like 2.5F 2.4R (ER33 were normal load vs extra load (XL) for C3, so the need for higher pressure is expected). For reference real life weight of my Civic, with full tank and no occupants is 1450kg.

In general so far I like them very much, and cannot wait for warmer temperatures to kick-in so I can truly get to know them.

But they do not feel like any tire that I had before due to turn-in (I like it about them but it requires some adjustment).

These are certainly built to be sportier of touring tires, with all the blessings of heightened communication and responsiveness but also with drawbacks of a tad harsher ride on bigger impacts or more uneven tarmac (jolting).

It is very early into the ownership, but so far, based on initial characteristics, I would probably buy them again.

If you want to know anything else, let me know and I will try to reply.

ohh, yes, almost forgot, I enjoy spirited driving and 99% of the time I drive on deserted b-road / country side roads.

EDIT: One extra note. 225/45/17 is one of the "sportiest" sizes in the range. To the extent that they are even rated 1db lauder than rest of the popular sizes. So keep it in mind, as my remarks about sidewall stiffness and turn-in characteristics might be muted in compare in versions with proportionally taller sidewall.

...about 6 months later and I must add to my first review that I am sure that my Pirellis have saved my life on a couple of occasions, once because of the ability of these tires to stop the car in time and another time because these tires do not know what a skid is.

It is truly incredible how safe it is to turn the car as you please with these tires.

I think it is rare that a company comes out with a product that exceeds even its own company promises because even the company's own advertisements could not adequately appreciate its own work.

Thank God for Tyre Reviews that convinced me to buy these tires.

I can say that I am impressed with the performance of the new Pirelli C3 tires. They are extremely quiet and comfortable. I had to drive over a road with sharp rocks for about 7 km and I thought I would damage them, but they didn't even have a scratch on the tread blocks! It remains to be seen how durable they will be!

MAMMA MIA!!!

Perfect summer tyre in ALL conditions, feeling totaly safe while driving roughly.
Recommended!

Excellent tyres also in wet or dry conditions.Safe and progressive tyre.
Highly recommended for Greece's road conditions

Realy realy good tyres especially in dry handling and wet handling and they look so promising so we will see about the wear but they are also really quiet and with a good rolling resistance.