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Head-to-head Updated

Nitto NT555 vs Pirelli P Zero — 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 0 + 3 road tests and 13 + 3,492 owner reviews. How we score

P Zero is ahead, 62–51

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Nitto NT555
Tire ANitto

NT555

Summer

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 43 · 13 reviews

Pirelli P Zero
Tire BPirelli

P Zero

Summer

± 7

Tests 74 · 3 tests Owners 47 · 3,492 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.”

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 54

    Dry

    P Zero +18
    72
    Why this score
    SourceNT555P Zero
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests≈ 59 (est.)80
    Reviews found online4761

    NT555: 60% × 59.3 (est.) + 40% × 47.1 = 54

    P Zero: 60% × 79.6 + 40% × 61.4 = 72

    No road tests of dry for NT555. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 51

    Wet

    P Zero +20
    71
    Why this score
    SourceNT555P Zero
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests≈ 56 (est.)81
    Reviews found online4455

    NT555: 60% × 56.2 (est.) + 40% × 44.3 = 51

    P Zero: 60% × 81.1 + 40% × 54.9 = 71

    No road tests of wet for NT555. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 42

    Snow

    P Zero +8
    50
    Why this score
    SourceNT555P Zero
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 55 (est.)≈ 60 (est.)
    Reviews found online2336

    NT555: 60% × 55.3 (est.) + 40% × 22.6 = 42

    P Zero: 60% × 59.7 (est.) + 40% × 36.4 = 50

    No road tests of snow for NT555. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

    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).

  4. 51

    Comfort

    P Zero +5
    56
    Why this score
    SourceNT555P Zero
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 64 (est.)70
    Reviews found online4346

    NT555: 40% × 63.5 (est.) + 60% × 43.2 = 51

    P Zero: 40% × 69.8 + 60% × 46.2 = 56

    No road tests of comfort for NT555. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 59

    Noise

    NT555 +1
    58
    Why this score
    SourceNT555P Zero
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 66 (est.)61
    Reviews found online4953

    NT555: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 48.8 = 59

    P Zero: 60% × 60.7 + 40% × 52.9 = 58

    No road tests of noise for NT555. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 52

    Treadwear

    NT555 +1
    51
    Why this score
    SourceNT555P Zero
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 58 (est.)65
    Reviews found online4429

    NT555: 60% × 58.3 (est.) + 40% × 43.6 = 52

    P Zero: 60% × 65.3 + 40% × 28.7 = 51

    No road tests of treadwear for NT555. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 49

    Handling (owners)

    P Zero +7
    56
    Why this score
    SourceNT555P Zero
    Reviews found online4956
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    59
    Why this score
    SourceNT555P Zero
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests–59
Scores at a glance
CategoryNitto NT555Pirelli P Zero
Relative Score 51 62
Dry 54 72
Wet 51 71
Snow 42 50
Comfort 51 56
Noise 59 58
Treadwear 52 51
Handling (owners) 49 56
Efficiency – 59

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
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Recomputed
Headline score
± 8

NT555

± 7

P Zero

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A NT555

Pros

  • Exceptional dry grip and sticky, hot-tar-like road adhesion
  • Enhanced handling and high-speed stability
  • Sporty aesthetic and semi-slick feel favored by enthusiasts

Cons

  • Subpar wet weather traction and dangerous in winter/cold conditions
  • Can struggle to maintain traction on higher-horsepower vehicles (e.g., V8 setups)
  • Notable road noise that increases as the tire wears
All owner themes in the NT555 review

Tire B P Zero

Pros

  • Outstanding dry grip and handling performance
  • Precise steering feedback and high-speed stability
  • Good wet-weather braking and cornering when warm

Cons

  • Rapid and uneven tread wear, often requiring replacement much sooner than expected
  • Poor grip and unpredictable traction in cold temperatures (below 7°C/45°F)
  • Prone to tramlining and tracking road imperfections
All owner themes in the P Zero review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Nitto NT555

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Tire B

Pirelli P Zero

Mixed

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.

r/Velo ·6 upvotes ·2026-05-07

“I've used the old P zero SL in a 26, was happy with grip and feel but they did not last very long, 2000k for me before they're basically started puncturing every second ride. That would have to be my only complaint”
mustang6g.com ·1 upvote ·2016-12-27

“hard to answer I switched out the stock wheels and tires for the GT PP wheels and tires when i first bought the car. Compared to the stock GT PP Summer P-zeros i would say the P-zeros have better dry traction while the Sumitomos live up to the All Seasons designation and provide better wet traction/handling but that isn't to say dry traction is bad you can tell it falls into the performance category. Also, you can tell when the Pzeros would get hard in cold weather whereas you don't experience that with the sumitomos. Overall, they are a good relatively inexpensive performance All Season tire with good wear. I would never buy another set of Pzeros considering the cost to benefit comparison. if i may recommend the CONTINENTAL EXTREMECONTACT DW tires which i currently have now they have better wet/dry traction than the p-zeros and not as expensive as them or any higher offerings like the michelins. regardless of what you go with keep an eye out for tirerack.com the prices fluctuate a lot and many times you can get away with a steal also your local discount tire will price match”
weightweenies.starbike.com ·2019-02-10

“I've been using 26mm on a set of Lightbicycle AR46 that has 21mm inner and 28mm outer. At 73psi, they measure roughly 27.6mm.”
Top themes
#rapid tread wear#wet weather grip#difficult tubeless mounting#sharp steering response#ride comfort and quietness#sidewall bubble issues#AS Plus 3 performance

Based on 277 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Nitto NT555 B · Pirelli P Zero
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available53194
Rim diameters15″ – 22″17″ – 24″
Tread depth10.3/32″10/32″
UTQG300 A A220 A A
SidewallBlackwallBlackwall
Max pressure50 psi50 psi
Sizes in common3838

Which one should you actually buy?

Nitto NT555

Pirelli P Zero

Winner: Pirelli P Zero — better wet, dry and snow. Where the Nitto NT555 is ahead, it is by less than 3 points. Nitto NT555 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 13 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Pirelli P Zero scores 71 vs 51 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Pirelli P Zero scores 72 vs 54 on dry.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Pirelli P Zero scores 50 vs 42 on snow.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Pirelli P Zero scores 56 vs 49 on handling.

Tire A · Nitto NT555
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Tire B · Pirelli P Zero
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NT555 or P Zero?

Which is better in the wet, NT555 or P Zero?

Pirelli P Zero, 71 vs 51 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, NT555 or P Zero?

Pirelli P Zero, 72 vs 54 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, NT555 or P Zero?

Pirelli P Zero, 50 vs 42 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, NT555 or P Zero?

Neither, by our numbers: 59 vs 58 on the noise score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, NT555 or P Zero?

Pirelli P Zero, 56 vs 51 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, NT555 or P Zero?

Neither, by our numbers: 52 vs 51 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.

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