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Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3Reviews

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  • SimpleScore™

    Our proprietary rating system
    for the modern tire buyer.

    8.9

    Great

    Score breakdown:

    8.0

    Long lasting

    Good

    9.4

    Handling

    Excellent

    9.7

    Traction

    Excellent

  • 24 reviews

    6 on SimpleTire18 from Google Shopping

    4.6

    overall rating

    83%

    Would you buy again?

    Review breakdown

    • 6 out of 100
    • 0 out of 100
    • 0 out of 100
    • 0 out of 100
    • 0 out of 100

    If you live in a place that has hard winters with lots of snow, you need a winter tire that delivers confident traction in deep snow, slush, and ice. But traction isn’t the only priority you need to worry about – you also need a tire that can deliver good control and handling, with great braking and minimal oversteer or understeer in snow and slippery conditions. Hopefully, it’ll also be a tire that can provide good ride quality and minimal noise on the highway in dry conditions, with good road manners and wear properties.

    We’re happy to report that the Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 can check all those boxes. The Winter Sottozero 3 is Pirelli’s third generation performance snow tire (Sottozero being Italian for “below zero”) and it’s truly a premium tire that can handle all sorts of ugly, unpredictable weather conditions with ease. That’s all with the kind of handling and ride quality you’d expect from a top-tier touring or all-season tire.

    So what is it about this tire from Pirelli that makes it a standout in an already-crowded field of winter tires? Let’s drill down and take a closer look with this Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 review.

    Features and Benefits

    Pirelli is a company that’s always been ahead of the curve with innovation, and the Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 is no exception:

    • Innovative tread compound with high-tech silica, carbon black, polymers, and binders enhance the tire’s thermal and mechanical properties while staying supple for traction at subfreezing temperatures
    • Directional tread pattern with optimized contact patch puts more rubber in contact with the road for better traction and stability
    • Arrow-shaped center blocks and rounded shoulders work together to expel snow and slush as the tire turns
    • High-density 3D sipe pattern improves braking performance and snow-to-snow traction with hundreds of sharp, biting edges to dig into snow and slush
    • Twin steel belts with spiral-wrapped polyamide layer for improved thermal stability and less sensitivity to road and air temperature changes
    • Tread pitch computer is tuned to keep road noise low
    • Wide grooves make for better expulsion of water and slush
    • Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certified for severe winter service
    • Available with run-flat design, allowing a driver to keep going for up to 50 miles at speeds less than 50 mph even after complete loss of air pressure
    • Thanks to the traction qualities of the Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3, Pirelli recommends that these tires be installed in sets of four

    Pros and Cons

    PROS:

    • Amazingly quiet and comfortable ride on dry or snowy pavement
    • Very good performance and handling on snowy, wet or dry pavement
    • Good resistance to hydroplaning

    CONS:

    • Cannot be used when temperatures are consistently above 45 degrees Fahrenheit
    • Not pre-drilled for installation of studs

    SimpleTire’s view on Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 tires

    You shouldn’t have to sacrifice ride quality, handling, and low noise to get great traction in winter weather. Pirelli knows that, and that’s their goal with the Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3. This is a tire that really lives up to its promise, one that won’t wear you out on long trips due to loud road noise and a rough ride, but still provides the kind dependable traction you need to get through the worst winter weather. The tire industry doesn’t hand out the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake rating for tires that can’t perform, after all.

    The quibbles listed above are pretty minor, really. Winter tires like the Sottozero 3 use a softer, more flexible tread compound for enhanced traction in subfreezing weather (when other tires might stiffen up and lose grip), but they will wear quickly in warmer weather and on dry roads. Tire manufacturers advise against using them when temperatures are consistently above 40-45 degrees Fahrenheit. As for studs, you only really need studs for the most extreme ice and snow – they’re really hard on pavement surfaces, which is why they’re illegal in many states and are restricted to certain months of the year in others.

    It’s our opinion that if you need a winter tire, the Winter Sottozero 3 from Pirelli is a great choice. It might be a little on the expensive side, but it’s really worth it and lives up to the reputation for quality and performance that Pirelli tires are known for.

    Vehicles the Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 is a good replacement tire for

    The Winter Sottozero 3 from Pirelli is designed for sedans, coupes, minivans and crossovers. It could be a great fit for vehicles like the Buick Envision, Chevrolet Traverse, Dodge Grand Caravan, Ford Explorer, Honda Accord, Hyundai Elantra, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Kia Forte, Mazda CX-5, Nissan Murano, Subaru Forester, Toyota Highlander, or Volkswagen Passat.

    Scorecard

    Dry

    5

    Wet

    4.8

    Winter

    5

    Comfort

    5

    Noise

    4.8

    Treadwear

    5

    6 SimpleTire reviews

    Matt
    5
    Volvo S60 2013 T5
    Verified Customer
    Mar 24, 2022

    Tread wear so far is good for the aggressive driving style of mine. They hold onto corners very well and grip great under hard acceleration. Wet conditions don't really phase them either, resistant to hydroplaning at very high speeds. Snow traction was better than my previous Michelin X-Ice x2 and Ice grip was good for non studded tires. 2013 Volvo S60 T5 modified including Hilton Tuning Stage II + tune 358hp and 411tq at the crank.

    Alex
    5
    Verified Customer
    Jan 11, 2021

    Tires are good. I like them. I bought them for Ford Mustang 2017. But they are too weak.. side wall is weak... easy do damage. Actually it's my fault but when I touched road border while I'm parking with Continental Tires I got just couple scratches. But with Pirreli all season and winter tires got cut side damage... need to buy new tire. Not secure from barriers damage...

    Hector
    5
    Verified Customer
    Dec 6, 2020

    I could not be happier with the Pirelli's Sottozero 3. It was hard to find winter tires for my 2020 Mustang GT with the Performance Pkg. The size is not very popular, and one expects snow tire performance (noise and lower performance). Not these! In dry conditions are as good as summer tires, and in wet, slushy and snowing conditions obviously they outperform. One feels secure and in control. Do not make the mistake of thinking they will be infallible though, with precipitation, any tire, specially with rear 460HP, will need moderation. I would not recommend any other winter tire for your Mustang 5.0.

    Valerie
    5
    Verified Customer
    Dec 28, 2018

    I was able to use in the first winter storm. Awesome tires and handled extremely well.As far as tread life don't know cause these are winter tires and I will be buying the all season tires after winter. I do recommend these tires.

    Eric
    5
    Verified Customer
    Jan 9, 2017

    I purchased these Sottozero 3's because I have been a loyal fan of the brand for some time and Simple Tire had an amazing sale on Black Friday coupled with a rebate from Pirelli. As this was the first winter my new car would be subjected and not owning a garage, I wanted to be sure that it would be well-equipped for whatever Mother Nature decided to throw at it. Snow has been rather sparse in Chicago thus far (unseasonably dry), but I have had the opportunity to utilize these tires for their intended purpose a few times. Traction is amazing in either rain or snow. Even dry road performance has been incredible. As most of these tires are working best at 45 degrees or colder, they have performed admirably thus far. I couldn't be more confident about the purchase. Hopefully they will last multiple seasons!

    Pablo
    5
    Verified Customer
    Feb 3, 2016

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