Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 3 + 3 road tests and 3,151 + 3,486 owner reviews. How we score
Sport Contact 5 leads, 67–64 Narrow edge
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Tests 73 · 3 tests Owners 59 · 3,151 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 8 in 2020 Gute Fahrt SUV Summer Tyre Test (dry braking)
“In the end I went with Bridgestone Potenza RE 050's Very happy. Grips as well as the Conti Sport5's without disintegrating after a few hard mountain passes. On a light car sport contact5's, For a heavier car RE 050's are fantastic completely sold. Pilot Sports are far too soft these cars.”
Tests 74 · 3 tests Owners 47 · 3,486 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2019 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test (dry handling)
“New rubber for the road wheels Pirelli P-Zero RS TLR 30mm, measuring 33mm on 25mm inner rim width. Rides like a dream, but the center thread is narrow, so I'd not feel confident if I raced anything with tighter cornering.”
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
| Source | Sport Contact 5 | P Zero |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / 3 tests | 76 | 80 |
| Reviews found online | 70 | 61 |
Sport Contact 5: 60% × 76.2 + 40% × 69.6 = 74
P Zero: 60% × 79.6 + 40% × 61.4 = 72
| Source | Sport Contact 5 | P Zero |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / 3 tests | 75 | 81 |
| Reviews found online | 72 | 55 |
Sport Contact 5: 60% × 74.6 + 40% × 72 = 74
P Zero: 60% × 81.1 + 40% × 54.9 = 71
| Source | Sport Contact 5 | P Zero |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | – | ≈ 60 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | – | 36 |
P Zero: 60% × 59.7 (est.) + 40% × 36.4 = 50
No road tests of snow for P Zero. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).
| Source | Sport Contact 5 | P Zero |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests | 61 | 70 |
| Reviews found online | 60 | 46 |
Sport Contact 5: 40% × 61.3 + 60% × 60.4 = 61
P Zero: 40% × 69.8 + 60% × 46.2 = 56
| Source | Sport Contact 5 | P Zero |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 1 tests | 66 | 61 |
| Reviews found online | ≈ 66 (est.) | 53 |
Sport Contact 5: 60% × 66.3 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 66
P Zero: 60% × 60.7 + 40% × 53.1 = 58
No owner ratings of noise for Sport Contact 5. The owner half is the owners’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.
| Source | Sport Contact 5 | P Zero |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests | ≈ 55 (est.) | 65 |
| Reviews found online | 34 | 28 |
Sport Contact 5: 60% × 54.9 (est.) + 40% × 34.4 = 47
P Zero: 60% × 65.3 + 40% × 28.1 = 50
No road tests of treadwear for Sport Contact 5. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
| Source | Sport Contact 5 | P Zero |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews found online | 66 | 56 |
| Source | Sport Contact 5 | P Zero |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 1 tests | 74 | 59 |
| Category | Continental Sport Contact 5 | Pirelli P Zero |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 67 | 64 |
| Dry | 74 | 72 |
| Wet | 74 | 71 |
| Snow | – | 50 |
| Comfort | 61 | 56 |
| Noise | 66 | 58 |
| Treadwear | 47 | 50 |
| Handling (owners) | 66 | 56 |
| Efficiency | 74 | 59 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Sport Contact 5
P Zero
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.
In the overall rankings of 13 tests that ran both, Continental Sport Contact 5 finished ahead 10 times and Pirelli P Zero 3 times.
| Discipline | Category | Sport Contact 5 | P Zero | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | Dry | 100% #1/8 · 2020 Gute Fahrt SUV Summer Tyre Test | 92% #17/49 · 2020 Tyre Market Overview Braking Test | – | Different tests |
| Dry Handling | Dry | 98% #4/10 · 2017 Sport Auto UHP and Track Day Test | 100% #1/20 · 2019 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Straight Aquaplaning | Wet | 98% #3/8 · 2020 Gute Fahrt SUV Summer Tyre Test | 93% #14/20 · 2019 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Wet Braking | Wet | 99% #3/8 · 2020 Gute Fahrt SUV Summer Tyre Test | 83% #28/49 · 2020 Tyre Market Overview Braking Test | – | Different tests |
| Wet Handling | Wet | 97% #4/10 · 2017 Sport Auto UHP and Track Day Test | 99% #3/20 · 2019 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Comfort (tester's mark) | Comfort | 67% #4/8 · 2020 Gute Fahrt SUV Summer Tyre Test | 67% #14/20 · 2019 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Noise | Noise | 99% #5/9 · 2017 Auto Bild UHP Tyre Test | 97% #18/20 · 2019 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Rolling Resistance | Efficiency | 96% #3/8 · 2020 Gute Fahrt SUV Summer Tyre Test | 73% #16/20 · 2019 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #1/16 | #3/16 | – | 10–3 in 13 shared tests Newest: 2016 ADAC Tyre Test - 225/45 R17 · 225/45 R17 |
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Community feedback on the Continental Sport Contact 5 highlights strong grip and effective braking in both wet and dry conditions, along with good cornering feel. However, opinions are mixed regarding treadwear and durability, with multiple users raising concerns over rapid tire wear and degradation under heavy loads or spirited driving. While some drivers prefer them over competing models, others view them as inferior to subsequent Continental generations or rival brands.
“I've just had a set of these Continental Sport Contact 5 fitted to my car and I'm quite impressed with them. They seem to be really good in the wet, stopping distances were notable shorter, more so than I'd expect with the extra tread depth. They are also really good in the dry and give a nice "feel" on tight corners. They have replaced the Eagle F1's in my mind as the best day to day tyre. Anyone else had them fitted?”
“I run Accelera PHI2's on my 20's and have done for the last 3-4 years with absolutely no problems. I'm a biker and like to press on in all my vehicles. Never had a scary moment in the van in any weather and drive just as fast in that as I do the car (conti sport contact 5's on that). Only cover about 6K in the van per year so don't want anything that lasts too long as it would deteriorate before it was anywhere near worn out. Mike likes banging on about Michelins but they can have problems as well as anything else. Michelin Agilis 51's had problems with bulges and tyre failures in the past. Other michelin tyre problems (I know how much Mike likes Yankee sites!) And Michelin have tyre factories all over the world including India and Asia. Not all cheaper tyres are bad tyres. Pirelli P6000 were notoriously bad for example, and Pirelli are not classed as a budget tyre. Mike will still bang on like a broken record though about VW and 16 and 17 inch tyres though. Its probably an old age thing”
“Quote: Originally Posted by bret In the end I went with Bridgestone Potenza RE 050's Very happy. Grips as well as the Conti Sport5's without disintegrating after a few hard mountain passes. On a light car sport contact5's, For a heavier car RE 050's are fantastic completely sold. Pilot Sports are far too soft these cars. Back in the day I had numerous sets of Potenza's on a Saab 900 Turbo...that's been a good tire for a long long time. Check out the Cooper Zeon when you get a chance, heckuva tire at any price.”
Based on 14 community posts
Community sentiment regarding Pirelli P Zero tires is polarized across its automotive and bicycle product lines. While users praise the tire lineup for sharp steering responsiveness, comfortable ride quality, and strong dry grip—especially on newer models like the AS Plus 3 and PZ5—many drivers report fast tread wear, wet grip issues on certain summer variants, and vulnerability to sidewall bubbles. Additionally, cyclists frequently note that the tubeless road variants offer impressive rolling speed but can be exceptionally difficult to mount.
“I switched my Z4C from Pirelli P Zero's to Asymmetric 3's, as I was fed up with the noise from the Pirelli's. I find the Asymmetric 3's much quieter, more comfortable and more predictable. The Pirelli's felt like they have more grip in ideal conditions, but got more easily caught out by damp, poor surfaces etc.”
“So I had ditched the horrible pirelli pzero run flats a few months ago for my 335 and got non run flat michelin pilot sports 4s on my 19 in wheels though they were hard to source and loved them. Xmas day driving at 40mph hit a pothole and immediately the low tyre pressure warning came on and the pressure was .2 bar! The air pump and goo thing did nothing for me ie despite switching it on the tyre pressure would go up to 1.2 and as soon and would deflate within a minute when pump was stopped back to .2 bar. I had family over and absolutely needed the car which was stranded away from home so an emergency tyre firm came and installed a accelera phi R tyre(the opnly tyre they could source in all of the city) callout fee in total £200! Incidentally I notice no change in the cars charecteristics if anything the accelera phi R seems softer and quieter? Should I get another michelin PS4 now and ditch the new accelera? I'm also quietly wondering if I made an error by ditching run flats thought he ride and handling are so much better they wouldn't have left me stranded perhaps?”
“Quote: Originally Posted by ruined_c55 Since I've had mine, I've had Pirelli PZeros with stock wheels, Purely fronts/Accelera PHI R rears with my old wheels and now Lionhart LH Fives. Pirellis lasted 12ish K in the rear, Acceleras about 8K, and the Lionharts are too new to give lifespan feedback on. They did surprisingly well up in the canyons in the rain though. I'm not brave enough to run cheap Chinese tires on my dirtbike, let alone my daily driver pushing almost 400hp. I get between 15-20k out of much more expensive Michelins but the longer life and tons better grip more than make up for it.”
Based on 277 community posts
| Attribute | A · Continental Sport Contact 5 | B · Pirelli P Zero |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 84 | 194 |
| Rim diameters | 17″ – 22″ | 17″ – 24″ |
| Tread depth | — | 10/32″ |
| UTQG | 280 - 420 A - AA A | 220 A A |
| Sidewall | — | Blackwall |
| Max pressure | — | 50 psi |
| Sizes in common | 59 | 59 |
Continental Sport Contact 5
Pirelli P Zero
Narrow edge: Continental Sport Contact 5 — better efficiency, handling and noise. Pick the Pirelli P Zero if treadwear matters most to you.
Continental Sport Contact 5 scores 74 vs 59 on efficiency.
Continental Sport Contact 5 scores 66 vs 56 on handling.
Continental Sport Contact 5 scores 66 vs 58 on noise.
Continental Sport Contact 5 scores 61 vs 56 on comfort.
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Continental Sport Contact 5, 74 vs 71 on our wet score.
Neither, by our numbers: 74 vs 72 on the dry score, within 3 points.
Continental Sport Contact 5, 66 vs 58 on our noise score.
Continental Sport Contact 5, 61 vs 56 on our comfort score.
Pirelli P Zero, 50 vs 47 on our treadwear score.
Continental Sport Contact 5, 74 vs 59 on our efficiency score.
Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.
Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.
Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology
