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Pirelli P Zero vs Pirelli P Zero Nero — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

P Zero leads, 64–61 Narrow edge

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Tire APirelli

P Zero

Summer

Tests 73 · 3 tests Owners 51 · 3,469 reviews

Best test result: #2 of 10 in 2014 EVO Max Performance Summer Tyre Test (overall ranking)

“I just put PZ5 on my vehicle! I live in Louisiana ! They are absolutely insanely sticky! Especially in the rain! My vehicle came with the P-zeros. I’ve had Pirelli’s on my car’s in the past and yes, Pirelli’s are soft. The trade off is sticking to the road! I am an aggressive driver & was aware the sacrifice. I have to change my tires every oil change. 9-12k miles. These PZ5’s grip in the rain. Crazy awesome! Pirelli knocked these suckers out!!! I love ‘em!!!”

Tire BPirelli

P Zero Nero

Summer

Tests – · none yet Owners 58 · 141 reviews

Best test result: #4 of 8 in 2012 Auto Bild 20 inch Tyre Test (overall ranking)

Category by category

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

  1. 73

    Dry

    P Zero +9
    64
    Why this score
    SourceP ZeroP Zero Nero
    Professional tests (TWG score)79–
    Reviews found online6462
  2. 71

    Wet

    P Zero +10
    61
    Why this score
    SourceP ZeroP Zero Nero
    Professional tests (TWG score)80–
    Reviews found online5758
  3. 50

    Snow

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceP ZeroP Zero Nero
    Reviews found online37–
  4. 62

    Comfort

    P Zero +1
    61
    Why this score
    SourceP ZeroP Zero Nero
    Professional tests (TWG score)70–
    Reviews found online5152
  5. 59

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceP ZeroP Zero Nero
    Professional tests (TWG score)61–
    Reviews found online55–
  6. 53

    Treadwear

    P Zero Nero +6
    59
    Why this score
    SourceP ZeroP Zero Nero
    Professional tests (TWG score)65–
    Reviews found online3454
  7. 58

    Handling

    Level
    58
    Why this score
    SourceP ZeroP Zero Nero
    Reviews found online5858
Scores at a glance
CategoryPirelli P ZeroPirelli P Zero Nero
Relative Score 64 61
Dry 73 64
Wet 71 61
Snow 50 –
Comfort 62 61
Noise 59 –
Treadwear 53 59
Handling 58 58

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
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Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost

Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

Less important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Less important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost

Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Recomputed
Headline score

P Zero

P Zero Nero

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

The professional test results behind the scores

Each result is shown as % of the best tire in that test. “Same test” rows are the strictest comparison: both tires were measured side by side.

DisciplineCategoryP ZeroP Zero NeroΔBoth?
Overall Ranking Overall 50% #2/10 · 2014 EVO Max Performance Summer Tyre Test 25% #4/8 · 2012 Auto Bild 20 inch Tyre Test +25.0 Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A 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

Tire B P Zero Nero

Pros

  • Exceptional dry-weather grip and cornering precision
  • Strong, durable sidewall construction resistant to pothole damage
  • High level of steering feedback and responsiveness

Cons

  • Poor wet-weather traction and hydroplaning resistance
  • Rapid tread wear and short overall lifespan
  • Significant increase in road noise as the tire wears
All owner themes in the P Zero Nero review

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

Pirelli P Zero

Mixed

Community opinions on the Pirelli P Zero lineup are heavily polarized depending on the specific sub-model and application (automotive vs. cycling). While performance summer variants and the newer AS Plus 3 or PZ5 tyres receive strong praise for dry grip, steering feel, and value compared to Michelin or Continental alternatives, older OEM specs and certain summer variants face heavy criticism for poor wet weather traction, fast wear rates, and difficult mounting.

r/GolfGTI ·3 upvotes ·2025-09-23

“Pirelli P Zero AS Plus 3 OR Continental DWS06+ title pretty much says it all. wheel size is 235/35 19. plan on running these year round. TIA pirelli $1004 + tax installed Conti $1233 + tax installed Read more”
r/CarTalkUK ·1 upvote ·2026-01-24

“So many people seem to hate the p zero but I’ve got along with them so well, but yes they can go rock hard when they’re cold but once they’ve got some heat in them especially in the wet they grip so well for me. I have noticed though that anything below 4-5°c is when they become hard to keep heat in but once you work the tyre properly they’re brilliant. I have run them all winter on my 300bhp fwd car and can’t complain, I don’t get why no one likes them🤷‍♂️”
r/mazda3 ·3 upvotes ·2026-04-07

“I put a set of Pirelli P Zero AS3's on my 2019 Mazda 3. After driving about 1,500 miles, I can say that I love them. The steering has a very direct feel - it turns in almost immediately. Needless to say the grip is fantastic. ... and that is only with outside air temps in the 50's. I can't wait to see how they perform when it gets to be in the 70's and they can get some heat in them. One of the reasons I was attracted to this tire is that Pirelli claims to have incorporated technology that helps the tires maintain the same level of performance as they wear over time. I have been frustrated in the past to see how tires loose their grip long before the treadwear gets low. Also, it didn't hurt that Pirelli had a $100 instant rebate!”
Top themes
#Wet weather grip performance#Treadwear and mileage longevity#Ride comfort and low noise#Difficult tire mounting process#Comparison with Michelin and Continental

Based on 107 community posts

Tire B

Pirelli P Zero Nero

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

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Pirelli P Zero B · Pirelli P Zero Nero
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / Crossover—
Sizes available89—
Rim diameters17″ – 22″—
Tread depth10/32″—
UTQG220 A A—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure50 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Pirelli P Zero

Pirelli P Zero Nero

Winner: Pirelli P Zero — better wet and dry. Pick the Pirelli P Zero Nero if treadwear matters most to you.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Pirelli P Zero scores 71 vs 61 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Pirelli P Zero scores 73 vs 64 on dry.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Pirelli P Zero Nero scores 59 vs 53 on treadwear.

Tire A · Pirelli P Zero
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Tire B · Pirelli P Zero Nero
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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.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.

64

Narrow edge

P Zero

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