Pirelli Cinturato P7 vs Continental ContiSportContact 5 tires

Pirelli and Continental are well-known brands dominating the global tire market. Continental is the world's oldest tire firm, established a year before Pirelli, while Pirelli is closely linked to autosport racing. With more than 150 years of existence, both brands offer a wide range of tires such as all-season, all-terrain, all-weather, winter, and UHP for various types of vehicles and weather situations.

Continental has emerged as one of the leading businesses in tire technology committed to producing quiet tires with minimum environmental impact. Designed for use on sports cars and luxury sedans, the Continental ContiSportContact 5 offers reduced stopping distances, enhanced traction during turns, and increased fuel economy.

The Cinturato family of high-performance tires, made by Pirelli, provides maximum fuel economy for your vehicle with superior handling, grp, and stability. With exceptional ride comfort and mileage, as well as robust performance on dry and wet roads, the Pirelli Cinturato P7 is an ultra-high performance summer tire meant for medium- to high-powered vehicles.

Although both tires work well, is one superior to the other? Let's use SimpleScore to compare the Continental ContiSportContact 5 and Pirelli Cinturato P7 to help you decide the right one.

Pirelli Cinturato P7 tires

An ultra-high-performance summer tire, the Pirelli Cinturato P7 strikes a balance between rolling resistance, aural comfort, and mileage. This is made feasible by sophisticated chemicals, a unique structure, and a tread pattern design. This also offers great braking and handling performance. Because of its balanced pressure distribution, the cutting-edge hybrid material helps to ensure even tread wear. Its four wide longitudinal grooves remove water from the tread to reduce the risk of hydroplaning and aid in maintaining control. Sturdy exterior tread and compact middle blocks provide steering responsiveness and cornering. In addition, its optimized tread design contributes to a calm and comfortable driving experience. Select sizes feature Run-Flat technology, which is supposed to assist drivers to have greater control and drive up to 50 miles under specified situations in the case of a sudden loss of air pressure.

With its remarkable longevity (8), exceptional traction (9.7), and excellent handling (9.6), the P4 Persist AS Plus boasts an average SimpleScore of 9.6.

Continental ContiSportContact 5 tires

When accelerating and cornering, the ContiSportContact 5 provides better handling and grip by adjusting to the road surface. Because of its Black Chili Technology, the ContiSportContact 5 provides grip for greater traction and handling performance. There is substantially less rolling resistance due to the unique tire composition, which leads to greater mileage and reduced fuel consumption. In addition, the ContiSportContact 5 has a big footprint that allows for shorter braking distances, while its sturdy construction boosts extended tread life. With its ability to seal 80% of all tire punctures and lower the likelihood of flat tires, Continental's ContiSeal technology prevents tread damage. It is also backed by Continental's Total Confidence Plan which includes Road Hazard, Limited Warranty, Customer Satisfaction Trial, Flat Tire Roadside Assistance, and Mileage Warranty (restrictions and limitations apply).

On average, the Continental ContisportContact 5 sports an excellent SimpleScore of 9.1 thanks to its excellent handling (9.9), outstanding traction (9.8), and solid longevity (7.8).

Pirelli Cinturato P7 vs Continental ContiSportContact 5 tires on traction

Summer tires use tread patterns and durable tread compounds to ensure traction in wet and dry situations, making them suitable for usage in warm areas.

The Pirelli Cinturato P7 sports an excellent traction score of 9.7. Its four large grooves drain water to improve control in hydroplaning conditions and provide wet traction. An asymmetric tread design gives the Cinturato P7 a sporty grip on dry and wet surfaces.

Boasting an excellent traction score of 9.8, the Continental ContiSportContact 5 has a tread with Continental's exclusive Black Chili compound, which promotes grip and traction. Four wide grooves remove water from the tread and prevent hydroplaning to enhance wet traction.

Regarding traction, the Continental ContiSportContact 5 is marginally better than the Pirelli Cinturato P7.

ADVANTAGE: Continental ContiSportContact 5

Pirelli Cinturato P7 vs Continental ContiSportContact 5 tires on handling

Performance tires, also called summer tires, are frequently utilized in cars with excellent handling and braking qualities.

The Pirelli Cinturato P7 sports an excellent handling score of 9.6 thanks to the advanced rubber compounds, a specific structure, and tread pattern design which provide solid handling and braking. Sturdy exterior and compact central blocks offer cornering control and steering response. Additionally, it has an asymmetrical tread pattern that contributes to its enhanced handling.

Boasting an exceptional handling score of 9.9, the Continental ContiSportContact 5 features outer shoulder tread blocks that improve cornering performance. These blocks increase the number of biting edges that grip the road surface for improved handling performance. The rubber compound stabilizes the tread area during braking, reducing braking distances. In addition, its Black Chilli component also improves its handling performance.

In terms of handling, the Continental ContiSportContact 5 outperforms the Pirelli Cinturato P7.

ADVANTAGE: Continental ContiSportContact 5

Pirelli Cinturato P7 vs Continental ContiSportContact 5 tires on longevity

Summer tires are the best option for warmer conditions; however, they have a soft compound that wears faster. Hence, the longevity of the Cinturato P7 and ContiSportContact 5 is not as good as their handling and traction.

The Pirelli Cinturato P7 features a compact central block that allows the tire to maintain its shape during quick cornering, reducing uneven wear and giving it a great longevity score of 8. Contrarily, the Continental ContiSportContact 5 has a tough tread pattern which ensures a longer tread life and has a good longevity score of 7.8.

In terms of longevity, the Pirelli Cinturato P7 outlasts the Continental ContiSportContact 5.

ADVANTAGE: Pirelli Cinturato P7

When to use each

UHP summer tires are suitable for high-performance vehicles as they are designed for speed and agility. However, these tires are not Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certified and cannot be used in harsh winter weather conditions.

Performance-wise there isn't much of a difference between the Pirelli Cinturato P7 and the Continental ContiSportContact 5. Hence, it becomes difficult to choose between these two tires.

Which one should you choose?

So, which is the best summer tire? Considering SimpleScore, the Continental ContiSportContact 5 has a marginally higher score than the Pirelli Cinturato P7 (9.1 vs 9). Since there is hardly any difference between the two tires, it is difficult to select the best tire just on their characteristics. Let us look at the pricing to know if there’s any difference.

The Pirelli Cinturato P7 costs $96 for each tire, while the Continental ContiSportContact 5 costs $128 per tire. This means you pay around $512 for four Continental ContiSportContact 5s and around $384 for four Pirelli Cinturato P7s.

Based on SimpleScore, you should choose the Pirelli Cinturato P7 if you:

• Drive performance vehicles like the Audi and BMW.
• Want better longevity (8.0 vs 7.8).
• Desire an excellent UHP summer tire at a more affordable price.
• Look for a run-flat tire (certain tire sizes).

In contrast, you should purchase the Continental ContiSportContact 5 if you:

• Drive a muscle car like the Dodge Challenger or a sedan like the Cadillac ATS.
• Prefer superior handling (9.9 vs 9.6)
• Want better traction (9.8 vs 9.7)
• Loves the extra protection from the Continental Total Confidence Plan

Some of the best UHP summer tires are made by Pirelli and Continental, including the Cinturato P7 and ContiSportContact 5. The choice to purchase one over the other ultimately comes down to your vehicle and the factors that are most important to you—price, longevity, traction, and handling.

Still not sure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help as our helpful agents are more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.