Tests 85 · 12 tests Owners 53 · 675 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 15 in 2021 Auto Bild 19 inch Summer Tyre Test (noise)
“70k on SC6 ? Mine lasted 17k and now since I have the SC7 they overpassed the 6 without problems. They are better.”
Head-to-head
Updated
Continental SportContact 6 vs Pirelli P Zero (PZ4) — Compared
Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 12 + 33 road tests and 675 + 2,625 owner reviews. How we score
SportContact 6 leads, 72–70 Narrow edge
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Tests 68 · 33 tests Owners 62 · 2,625 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2023 AutoBild UHP Summer Tyre Test (wet handling)
“Pirelli P Zero Tyres But if a rant. Brought my i4 edrive 40 about 14 months ago from a main dealer here in the UK. The front tyres (Hankook) had decent tread, obviously the rears did not, so the dealer swapped them for brand new Pirelli PZero (PZ4) tyres at the rear. Honest to god I have never driven tyres so dam trash in my life. Anything other than a perfect warm dry day, there is little to no grip and car struggles to put its power down. I assume the Zero in P Zero refers to the grip levels. Just wondered if anyone else had any experience with Pirelli’s? Read more”
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
Key facts
- In 3 tests that measured dry braking for both, SportContact 6 won 3 and P Zero (PZ4) won 0 (average 100% vs 98% of the best).
- In 3 tests that measured dry handling for both, SportContact 6 won 1 and P Zero (PZ4) won 2 (average 99% vs 99% of the best).
- In 3 tests that measured wet braking for both, SportContact 6 won 3 and P Zero (PZ4) won 0 (average 94% vs 91% of the best).
- In 3 tests that measured wet handling for both, SportContact 6 won 1 and P Zero (PZ4) won 2 (average 97% vs 100% of the best).
-
83
Dry
Level83Why this score
Source SportContact 6 P Zero (PZ4) Professional tests (TWG score) · 12 / 30 tests 90 89 Reviews found online 72 73 Dry Braking (% of best) · 3 shared tests · wins 3–0 100% 98% Dry Handling (% of best) · 3 shared tests · wins 1–2 99% 99% Dry Handling (tester's mark) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 98% 91% SportContact 6: 60% × 89.6 + 40% × 72.4 = 83
P Zero (PZ4): 60% × 89.3 + 40% × 73 = 83
-
80
Wet
Level80Why this score
Source SportContact 6 P Zero (PZ4) Professional tests (TWG score) · 12 / 31 tests 88 87 Reviews found online 69 70 Curved Aquaplaning (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 84% 87% Straight Aquaplaning (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 1–1 98% 96% Wet Handling (tester's mark) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 90% 100% Wet Braking (% of best) · 3 shared tests · wins 3–0 94% 91% Wet Circle (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 98% 100% Wet Handling (% of best) · 3 shared tests · wins 1–2 97% 100% SportContact 6: 60% × 87.9 + 40% × 68.7 = 80
P Zero (PZ4): 60% × 86.7 + 40% × 69.6 = 80
-
37
Snow
No comparison–Why this score
Source SportContact 6 P Zero (PZ4) Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 52 (est.) – Reviews found online 14 – SportContact 6: 60% × 52.5 (est.) + 40% × 13.8 = 37
No road tests of snow for SportContact 6. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).
-
65
Comfort
SportContact 6 +263Why this score
Source SportContact 6 P Zero (PZ4) Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / 9 tests 72 68 Reviews found online 60 60 Comfort (tester's mark) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 98% 90% SportContact 6: 40% × 72.2 + 60% × 59.9 = 65
P Zero (PZ4): 40% × 68.5 + 60% × 59.5 = 63
-
72
Noise
SportContact 6 +270Why this score
Source SportContact 6 P Zero (PZ4) Professional tests (TWG score) · 9 / 19 tests 74 72 Reviews found online 70 ≈ 66 (est.) Noise (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 100% 99% SportContact 6: 60% × 73.6 + 40% × 70 = 72
P Zero (PZ4): 60% × 71.6 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 70
No owner ratings of noise for P Zero (PZ4). 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.
-
43
Treadwear
SportContact 6 +1033Why this score
Source SportContact 6 P Zero (PZ4) Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 5 tests ≈ 53 (est.) 28 Reviews found online 28 42 SportContact 6: 60% × 52.7 (est.) + 40% × 28.3 = 43
P Zero (PZ4): 60% × 27.7 + 40% × 41.7 = 33
No road tests of treadwear for SportContact 6. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
-
66
Handling (owners)
P Zero (PZ4) +470Why this score
Source SportContact 6 P Zero (PZ4) Reviews found online 66 70 -
69
Efficiency
SportContact 6 +4128Why this score
Source SportContact 6 P Zero (PZ4) Professional tests (TWG score) · 11 / 21 tests 69 28 Rolling Resistance (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 2–0 97% 81%
Scores at a glance
| Category | Continental SportContact 6 | Pirelli P Zero (PZ4) |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 72 | 70 |
| Dry | 83 | 83 |
| Wet | 80 | 80 |
| Snow | 37 | – |
| Comfort | 65 | 63 |
| Noise | 72 | 70 |
| Treadwear | 43 | 33 |
| Handling (owners) | 66 | 70 |
| Efficiency | 69 | 28 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
Weight the categories that matter to you
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.
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
72
/ 100
SportContact 6
70
/ 100
P Zero (PZ4)
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
The professional test results behind the scores
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 3 tests that ran both, Continental SportContact 6 finished ahead 3 times and Pirelli P Zero (PZ4) 0 times.
| Discipline | Category | SportContact 6 | P Zero (PZ4) | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | Dry | 100% | 98% | +2.0 | 3–0 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2021 Auto Bild 19 inch Summer Tyre Test · 235/35 R19 |
| Dry Handling | Dry | 99% | 99% | +0.1 | 1–2 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2021 Auto Bild 19 inch Summer Tyre Test · 235/35 R19 |
| Dry Handling (tester's mark) | Dry | 98% | 91% | +7.1 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2020 EVO UHP Summer Tyre Test · 235/35 R19 |
| Curved Aquaplaning | Wet | 84% | 87% | −3.6 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2021 Auto Bild 19 inch Summer Tyre Test · 235/35 R19 |
| Straight Aquaplaning | Wet | 98% | 96% | +1.6 | 1–1 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2021 Auto Bild 19 inch Summer Tyre Test · 235/35 R19 |
| Wet Braking | Wet | 94% | 91% | +3.5 | 3–0 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2021 Auto Bild 19 inch Summer Tyre Test · 235/35 R19 |
| Wet Circle | Wet | 98% | 100% | −1.5 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2020 EVO UHP Summer Tyre Test · 235/35 R19 |
| Wet Handling | Wet | 97% | 100% | −3.0 | 1–2 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2021 Auto Bild 19 inch Summer Tyre Test · 235/35 R19 |
| Wet Handling (tester's mark) | Wet | 90% | 100% | −9.7 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2020 EVO UHP Summer Tyre Test · 235/35 R19 |
| Comfort (tester's mark) | Comfort | 98% | 90% | +8.0 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2020 EVO UHP Summer Tyre Test · 235/35 R19 |
| Noise | Noise | 100% | 99% | +1.4 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2021 Auto Bild 19 inch Summer Tyre Test · 235/35 R19 |
| Rolling Resistance | Efficiency | 97% | 81% | +16.3 | 2–0 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2021 Auto Bild 19 inch Summer Tyre Test · 235/35 R19 |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Price | Cost | 68% | 73% | −5.1 | 0–2 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2021 Auto Bild 19 inch Summer Tyre Test · 235/35 R19 |
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #3/15 | #4/15 | – | 3–0 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2021 Auto Bild 19 inch Summer Tyre Test · 235/35 R19 |
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A SportContact 6
Pros
- Staggering grip in both dry and wet conditions
- Precise steering feedback and sharp cornering response
- Low road noise and enhanced ride comfort compared to some rivals
Cons
- Rapid tread wear leading to a short lifespan (often requiring replacement under 10,000-15,000 miles)
- Reduced performance and potential snap oversteer in cold or freezing weather conditions
- High cost per mile due to fast wear rates
Tire B P Zero (PZ4)
Pros
- Outstanding dry grip and handling performance
- Precise steering feedback and agile cornering stability
- Low road noise and high comfort on smooth tarmac
Cons
- Rapid tread wear, especially on performance or rear-wheel-drive vehicles
- Subpar performance and susceptibility to aquaplaning in cold or heavy wet weather
- Stiff ride quality that can transmit harsh impacts on rough roads
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Tire A
Mixed
Continental SportContact 6
Community members generally praise the Continental Sport Contact 6 for its strong grip, smooth handling, and impressive wet performance. However, high tread wear is a frequent and significant complaint, with many drivers reporting poor longevity compared to successors like the SportContact 7 and competitors like the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S. Additional mixed feedback notes issues such as road noise, ride stiffness, and occasional sidewall flex during aggressive cornering.
mbworld.org
“Quote: Originally Posted by ///Bruce Do not buy the 6's. I had a set on my '18 Macan Turbo. Bald in 9,000 miles. The Macan is heavier than the C63S. But still... The other thing I noticed was going into a tight corner, the tires gave the impression they were rolling off the tread and folding under the tire. Weird sensation. Thanks for the feedback...I have read a few reviews on the Contact 6 and what your describing sounds like what everyone says in the review about the Contact 5P (tire before the Contact 6). And one review they specifically talked about the issue you described in the Contact 5P and said it no longer exist in the Contact 6...interesting. Look I am not trying to be cheap but based on Discount Tire prices after install and taxes I can save close to $300 for a set of Contact 6 vs PS4S. Heck that is almost the cost of the two front tires alone even if I don't get as many miles out of them. IDK? I may give them a shot...I figure the worse that can happen is I blow through them (like you said) in 9K miles and if so then next time I go with PS4S???”
r/TyreReviews
·4 upvotes ·2026-05-12
“Back when it was released, John reported something along the lines of: “Continental says the wear issues of the SportContact 6 are resolved in the new SportContact 7, and that they should match the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S in terms of wear.” I’ve had both generations, including on the same car, and can confirm the SC6 wears much quicker than the SC7, which I’m running at the moment, BTW. I didn’t even manage to get to 20k km on either of my two AMGs with the factory-fitted SC6, so your high mileage is quite the feat IMO haha. I reckon you’ll be just fine with the SC7 with your setup (car + driving style).”
f30.bimmerpost.com
“CSC6 is excellent tire indeed and the wear is top notch, too. The only sight negatives I am aware of is poor rim protection, quite high noise and harsh ride.”
Top themes
#rapid tread wear#strong wet performance#dry grip and handling#comparison to Michelin PS4S#longevity versus SportContact 7#road noise and comfort#cornering and sidewall stiffness
Based on 27 community posts
Tire B
Negative
Pirelli P Zero (PZ4)
Community sentiment regarding the Pirelli P Zero (PZ4) is largely critical, with users reporting extremely rapid tread wear and severe grip issues outside of warm, dry conditions. While some drivers consider them for OEM run-flat availability, multiple posts highlight concerns over poor longevity and lackluster wet and cold weather performance compared to competitors like Michelin.
Top themes
#rapid tread wear#cold and wet grip#run flat availability#comparison to Michelin#OEM tire lifespan#luxury versus sport variants
Based on 7 community posts
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Continental SportContact 6 | B · Pirelli P Zero (PZ4) |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 97 | 193 |
| Rim diameters | 18″ – 24″ | 17″ – 24″ |
| Tread depth | 8/32″ | — |
| UTQG | 240 A A | — |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | — |
| Max pressure | 50 psi | — |
| Sizes in common | 88 | 88 |
Which one should you actually buy?
72
/ 100
Continental SportContact 6
70
/ 100
Pirelli P Zero (PZ4)
Narrow edge: Continental SportContact 6 — better efficiency and treadwear. Where the Pirelli P Zero (PZ4) is ahead, it is by less than 3 points.
Pick tire A
You want lower fuel or energy use
Continental SportContact 6 scores 69 vs 28 on efficiency.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Continental SportContact 6 scores 43 vs 33 on treadwear.
Pick tire B
Your priority is dry handling
Pirelli P Zero (PZ4) won 2 of 3 shared dry handling tests.
Tire A · Continental SportContact 6
Tire B · Pirelli P Zero (PZ4)
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SportContact 6 or P Zero (PZ4)?
Which is better in the wet, SportContact 6 or P Zero (PZ4)?
Neither, by our numbers: 80 vs 80 on the wet score, within 3 points.
Which grips better on dry roads, SportContact 6 or P Zero (PZ4)?
Neither, by our numbers: 83 vs 83 on the dry score, within 3 points.
Which is quieter, SportContact 6 or P Zero (PZ4)?
Neither, by our numbers: 72 vs 70 on the noise score, within 3 points.
Which is more comfortable, SportContact 6 or P Zero (PZ4)?
Neither, by our numbers: 65 vs 63 on the comfort score, within 3 points.
Which lasts longer, SportContact 6 or P Zero (PZ4)?
Continental SportContact 6, 43 vs 33 on our treadwear score.
Which rolls more easily, SportContact 6 or P Zero (PZ4)?
Continental SportContact 6, 69 vs 28 on our efficiency score.
How do we compare tires?
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