Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 Reviews - Page 5

Excellent winter for my 280hp 300tq FWD. Got way more than expected. Traction is really good in almost all winter conditions but the best part is the steering feel, although much lighter that with performance summer tires, is very exact and sensitive which is rather unusual for winter tires, cornering and lateral grip are really good, too, as far as winter tires go, you can really push your car to the limit. Comfort is average. Noise is almost nonexistent in the city but on the highway when you go over 100 they produce a howling ghostly noise that's quite spooky at night. At the same time you can confidently drive as fast as 140-150 miles an hour. This is the tire for speed freaks who don't want to compromise even in extreme wintry conditions with ice and snow on the roads. I used 3 sets of different studded tires before and I was surprised to find the only area where these underperform compared to studded tires is breaking on ice, other than that they are excellent and inspire a lot of confidence. Love them.

I've been running these tyres for a (snowless) year - so whilst I can't comment on their snow performance, I've got a good feel for them year round.

In warm dry temps the grip is as good as premium branded summers I've driven on other cars, they feel progressive when pushing on, and I'm quite confident pushing them. Don't get me wrong - for a similarly priced summer I'm sure the performance would be greater, but if you're running them through summer the performance is solid. To summarise they feel like 'good,' summers rather than 'premium' winters when driving around in 25C+. Driving normally you don't notice that you're driving on winters. But I wouldn't run them year round unless you can avoid it - see below.

In warm/wet conditions they again do well and resist aquaplaning brilliantly - something the last summer has provided ample opportunity to confirm that.

In colder conditions they do what any good winter tyre should - become very grippy. You can feel the traction increase as they temperatures drop and they they start to feel like a 'premium' tyre. From 2C and below the change is very noticeable.

Noise and comfort are good and I haven't noticed any noise as another reviewer mentioned.

But if you're planning on running them year round - don't. Whilst grip and performance are more than adequate for summer use, wear has been pretty bad - I've got through a set of rears (down to about 3mm, so below the limit to be useful in snow) in less than a year/10,000 miles. They haven't always been driven conservatively, but that was a surprise.

But I've got a lot of confidence in the Sottozero 3's, so I've ordered a new pair for the rear and will be switching to dedicated summers when the temp increases. Great tyre and hopefully I'll be able to update this with snow performance in a few months.

Ok, let me start by saying that eyes need their part as well. Very sexy looking tyres on my BMW. grip on dry weather is very good. in the wet it even scared me the first time i engaged in a serious curve at high speed. i actually wanted to drift under the stormy rain...nothing to do, was kissing the asphalt as i would kiss Adriana lima. very good. tyres are very precise on curves and follow direction very accurately. On how well the tyres lasted i can not say a lot because i have done around 5.000 km oonly yet. so far, no sign at all of wearing. I could sell them back after a quick shower and say they have only 10 km. My profile isd very low, for sporty drives and quick response i have a 40 wall profile so i a was not expecting the to be very confortable, well they are, steering got much lighter and the tyres are more gummy so more flexible i guess. or most likely is the 3d lines design that makes feel more gummy. at the same time i have to say that in town they are a bit noisy. i mean you dont hear that much but i9 hear more then the nokkian and continental i had before. maybe in few more km this will stop or reduce, but it does not bother at all. you have to look for the noise, it does not come and knock at the window.On the highway they get very silent. more then nokian and continental i had before. weired ha? on high ways they really are a pleasure. silent soft and precise.mountain road they are very good, and on snow, well i have to say i was amazed. they have a very good grip breaking spefcially, accelerating also but breaking more. yes i would by them again and for what they are, it is not even that expensive. overall i have to say the italians made a good job here. I am not easy to satisfy but i have to say they did a good job.