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Last updated 11/20/2024 - Originally published 11/20/2024
Written by SimpleTire
So what’s really the story with all-weather tires, and are they even so much different from all-season tires? The answer to the second question is an unequivocal yes. All-weather tires are part of a rather recent development in the tire world, designed for situations where all-season tires often are going to fall short of successfully getting the job done. If you’ve ever tried to get from A to B and back again when the snow has piled up several inches deep on the roads, you probably found out that (usually) most all-season tires are not going to be able to deliver the kind of control, braking, and grip you need. The tread features and design of all-weather tires are focused on giving you an advantage in winter driving conditions.
That means notable differences in tread compounds, more aggressive tread patterns, optimized sipe networks, and other features that are all designed around more consistent traction in snow and slush. In other words, you can think of them as tires that answer a need between all-season tires and winter tires, without the seasonal headache of having to remove winter tires and store them once temperatures get above 40-45 degrees F.
In the course of this product comparison, you’ll see us make reference to SimpleScore for the two tires. If you’re not acquainted with it, SimpleScore is the proprietary system that the SimpleTire team has developed to give you a quick at-a-glance idea of a tire’s capabilities and performance. We look at the tire’s spec sheet, reviews, manufacturer information, and other data points, then take that and distill it down to a 1-10 score for the categories of traction, handling, and longevity, as well as an overall average SimpleScore for each tire. For the Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive and Cooper Discoverer EnduraMax, the SimpleScore numbers break down this way:
Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive
- Traction: 9.8
- Handling: 9.8
- Longevity: 9.2
- Overall average SimpleScore: 9.6
Cooper Discoverer EnduraMax:
- Traction: 8.5
- Handling: 8.6
- Longevity: 8.9
- Overall average SimpleScore: 8.6
As you can see, the Pirelli and the Cooper have some sizable gaps in their SimpleScore rankings. As handy of a resource as SimpleScore is, though, it’s still the 30,000-foot view that doesn’t tell the whole story. Let’s get into it in a bit more depth in this product comparison review of the Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive and Cooper Discoverer EnduraMax:
Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive tires
First up, we’ve got the Cinturato WeatherActive from Pirelli. For many, many decades, Pirelli has had a keen focus on innovation, value, and quality, and the Scorpion WeatherActive is a tire that’s a worthy heir to that reputation. The Cinturato WeatherActive is one of the newer additions to the popular Cinturato product line and is certified with the tire industry’s Three Peak Mountain Snowflake rating for severe winter service.
On the highway, the Cinturato WeatherActive’s braking, cornering, and steering responses are all predictable and precise, with a 3-rib directional tread pattern, stiffer sidewall, and shoulder that give it extra rigidity and mitigate tread deformation for excellent cornering dynamics. On wet or snowy/slushy roads, the Pirelli WeatherActive fights any tendency towards hydroplaning with a system of a zigzag central groove and angled grooves, easily routing water and slush away from the tire’s contact patch.
Ride quality is quiet and controlled with the WeatherActive too, with a tread pitch that’s arranged and computer-tuned to neutralize certain resonances and frequencies and keep highway noise to a minimum. In winter conditions, the tread compound of the Cinturato WeatherActive is designed to stay flexible for traction in extreme cold but still has the durability it needs to put in long miles. Pirelli covers the Cinturato WeatherActive with a 60,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty. SimpleTire’s price on the Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive starts at $208.55 per tire.
Cooper Discoverer EnduraMax tires
The Cooper Discoverer EnduraMax is a great example of the kind of innovative thinking that goes into the best all-weather tires. Like the Pirelli, the Cooper has the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certification for harsh winter service; it features a unique WinterGrip technology package that augments grip and control in snow, rain, or slush with a dense network of sipes with sawtooth, angled, and circumferential grooves.
Launched in 2019, the Discoverer EnduraMax's ArmorBelt internal design includes extra-strength, high-tensile steel belts in its ply layers, and its highly durable tread pattern with reinforced tread blocks gives the Cooper Discoverer EnduraMax great control, braking and handling properties in tough situations. With its continuous center rib, steering response and straight-line stability are solid and confident, and ride quality is forgiving and quiet. For buyer satisfaction, Cooper offers a 45-day satisfaction guarantee in addition to a 60,000 mile limited manufacturer's tread life warranty. SimpleTire’s price on the Cooper Discoverer EnduraMax starts at $146.99 per tire.
Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive vs Cooper Discoverer EnduraMax tires on traction
In the traction category, it’s not really close: a SimpleScore of 8.5 for the Cooper going up against a near-perfect 9.8 for the Pirelli. First let’s remember that both tires are 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake rated for severe winter service, so winter traction shouldn’t be a problem for either tire. So why the big gap in SimpleScore numbers? The advanced tread formulation of the Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive is designed for enhanced grip in subfreezing weather, and its system of sipes, circumferential and angled grooves all work together for outstanding grip and short braking distances on wet or dry pavement. It’s pretty hard to beat a SimpleScore like that, and our call is:
ADVANTAGE: Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive
Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive vs Cooper Discoverer EnduraMax tires on handling
It’s axiomatic that handling and cornering ability are going to be a function of traction as well. If your tires aren’t getting a good grip on the pavement, you’re going to run the risk of plowing outside of the arc of your turn (understeer) or kicking the rear wheels out (oversteer), with the possibility of a loss of control. Any tire that’s going to respond well when cornering needs to be fairly rigid to resist the inertia that tries to keep your vehicle pointed straight as you make your turn, and the internal design and reinforced shoulder blocks of the Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive give it the stiffness it needs for cornering ability that’s crisp and precise. Our call:
ADVANTAGE: Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive
Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive vs Cooper Discoverer EnduraMax tires on longevity
Considering that both the Cooper and the Pirelli are protected by 60,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranties, it would make sense that the SimpleScore ratings for longevity would be pretty close. The spread on SimpleScore rankings is definitely tighter here, with a 9.2 for the Pirelli vs 8.9 for the Cooper. When there’s that kind of disparity in longevity scores but tread life warranties are the same, that generally reflects customer reviews moving the needle a bit. In this case, we’re going to defer to the customers and make our call:
ADVANTAGE: Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive
When to use each
So what are your expectations and needs with an all-weather tire? If you live in a place like New England or the upper Midwest and you experience hard winter weather with several inches of snow that lingers on the roads for days, then dedicated winter tires might be a better choice. The chief drawback there is that winter tires use a softer and more pliable tread compound for grip in subfreezing conditions, but they’ll also wear quickly on warmer days and tire manufacturers advise against using them if temperatures are above 40-45 degrees F.
That leaves you with the yearly chore of dismounting those tires and storing them until the snow starts flying again next year. If you’ve got a sporty sedan or crossover and you love to really push the envelope of your car’s handling performance, the Pirelli and Cooper might fall a little short for you, and maybe performance tires might be a better option. If, though, you just need an edge in winter traction that all-season tires can’t deliver (along with very capable handling, long wear, soft ride comfort, and solid road manners), then the Cooper Discoverer EnduraMax or Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive could both be great options for you.
Which one should you choose?
With overall SimpleScores of 9.6 for the Pirelli and 8.6 for the Cooper, on the surface, it seems that the Pirelli is the better performer. Handling is more crisp, traction is more dependable year-round and the Pirelli just presents better performance. That’s not to sell the Cooper Discoverer EnduraMax short, though; it’s covered by a very respectable limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty and of course, both tires are 3PMSF rated for severe winter service. Let’s put prices into the equation, then: the SimpleTire price on the Pirelli starts at $208.55 per tire vs $146.99 per tire for the Cooper. That’s a price spread that will come to about $250 over the whole set of four tires, after figuring in taxes, disposal fees, mounting, etc. and that’s nothing to sneeze at. We’d just break it down this way.
If you can afford the Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive, it’s an excellent all-weather tire that will make a great choice for you. If you’re a little more budget-conscious and want to save a considerable chunk of money on your purchase, the Cooper Discoverer EnduraMax is a tire that won’t let you down. Either way, it’ll be hard to make a bad call here.
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.