Pirelli P Zero PZ5 Reviews - Page 2

Purchased these tyres off the back of Jonathan's YouTube review. Replaced a set of Pilot Sport 4S star marked tyres.

Despite the overwhelmingly good review, I was still a little skeptical about getting some Pirelli tyres. I'm glad I pushed through my prejudice and got them.

My god do they stick you to the road. Same corners, same speed with the PS4S the car would step out on me, even with traction control fully on. With the PZ5, not a hint of oversteer unless you turn off traction control and try to put down more power.

I haven't had much chance to try performance in the wet due to the dry weather we've been having in the UK, but I have no doubt it is excellent given Jonathan's review.

Steering responsiveness is a noticeable improvement from the Michelin's and they just overall feel a lot more predictable and has given me complete confidence in the car.

Only downside I have experienced is that fuel economy is about 5% worse on a long run, but that's a non-issue considering the performance. Update April 2026: After 12,000 miles of commuting and the occasional spirited drives, the fronts are down to 4.5mm and the rears are at 2.7mm. I plan to replace the rears before they hit 2mm so I predict they'll last a total of 14-15k miles in total.

I’ve always bought Michelin Pilot Sport 4S (PS4S), on a track-spec BMW 335i and then on my Audi S4 Avant. I tried Continental SportContact7 (SC7), I was blown away by the difference vs PS4S; but only I got 6k miles out of them - the rear treads on 275/30ZR19 cracked and were at 3mm of tread, my front toe settings/suspension setup also caused inner tyre balding. So I used PS4S on the S4, I managed 18k miles out of them but always felt they lacked feedback, ultimate grip and progressiveness. The PZ5 came out and after watching the review, I decided to try them. The S4 is stage 1 tuned at 450BHP//550NM with a tastefully modified adaptive suspension (springs, bushings, roll bars and drivetrain inserts) - to test these tyres, this review is based on a trip to North Wales and now recently back from the Swiss/Italian Alps, German Autobahns (including a top speed run) and finally the Nurburgring. The car was given hell in a variety of road conditions, albeit mostly hot, dry and twisty - though I was very impressed even in the cold, wet and very wet - they were still very sticky and better than PS4S without question, leagues ahead even (realistically not a even the real competition). Now... these are better than SC7, they’re more progressive and the front and rear axles in my Sport Diff’ed Quattro really felt in synch, it was far more difficult to get the back to step out vs PS4S. These Pirellis overall offer more steering feedback, feel more responsive and also more agile when making inputs at any speed. They're slightly stickier but definitely more comfortable vs SC7. And, after a lap of the Nordschleife they were fine - the SC7 let go earlier for sure (tested in the Scottish Highlands & even more local spirited driving - at least 3000 miles of driving them at ten tenths to prove them). After 2756 miles, the fronts are at 5.9mm and rears at 6mm - giving them a projected range of at least 11000 miles with this manner of driving and assumed higher rolling resistance due to higher temperatures abroad. I’d estimate greater longevity in the UK being daily driven with occasional spirited driving. Highly recommend this tyre, definitely my go-to, Pirelli have gotten their act together and taken down the SC7 (I didn’t think this was possible) whilst also doubling the range? Just a final thing to note - the PZ5 got better after a few hundred miles, they lost the softness and gained a sharpness when it came to the steering, I also felt they required less heat to feel like you were on rails. I am also directly comparing these most recently to PS4S which were worn down to 2mm which, at that tread depth, felt so much sharper vs when they were new.

Initial thoughts on PZ5 compared to SportContact 7 which I had previously fitted on 235/35R19 size.

The PZ5 sits a lot more square on a 8.5 inch wheel on this size. Previous SportContact 7 almost had a slight stretched look whilst the PZ5 looks like it fits a wider rim more comfortably.

PZ5 is significantly more comfortable on small bumps and unevenness of the road and quieter and than SC7. There is a slight "howling" noise at around 80-90kmh on the PZ5 that I didn't notice on SC7 but they also were significantly louder all around.

Steering feel I find on the PZ5 to be a lot poorer on the initial input. The SC7 felt super sharp almost go-karty whilst the PZ5 feels you need to load the tire a lot more to get the same reaction. This feeling is amplified at highway speeds 120-140kmh where the PZ5 feels way more unstable on sharp direction changes compared to the SC7. Once the PZ5 is loaded to its side after the poorer initial reaction during cornering the grip feels to be the same.

Conclusions: If you want a tire that offers the best feel whilst sacrificing comfort and noise choose the SportContact7. If you want a more comfortable and quieter tire and you are willing to sacrifice initial steering feel go for the PZ5.

This is probably the first review anywhere as these tires are brand new and just came out on the EU market. I bought the PZ5s completely blind so I wanted to provide some preliminary opinions for others.

In the dry these have loads of grip. Their overall feel is very sporty and firm. There is a nice degree of stiffness that makes turning on winding roads really fun. They feel safe and stable - there is no significant tendency to oversteer or understeer and predictability is good. I like the balance. At the limit, on the border of understeer, these bite-in nicely and tighten the trajectory. On bumps and uneven surfaces the PZ5s feel solid and impeccably comfortable.

I like their overall feel, responsiveness, comfort, sportiness and stability much more than the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires I had previously. The launching traction provided by the Pirellis is also miles better than that of the Michelin set. This is very important in a 204HP FWD car.

I can't say anything about wear or wet performance yet, as we've had a very sunny and dry early spring this year and I haven't covered enough distance on these tires thus far.