Skip advert
Advertisement

Pirelli P Zero

Back in 2008, the P Zero won our test of 17-inch tyres, finishing ahead of 15 other challengers. Over the years, the design has no doubt been tweaked – Pirelli tells us it has even made further modifications since we conducted our test – but the P Zero remains fundamentally the same tyre, and must be nearing the end of its life.

Advertisement - Article continues below

While other premium manufacturers have come up with new designs and developed the almost universal asymmetric pattern in the run-up to the introduction of tyre labelling, this tyre retains its same distinctive tread.

Still, despite its advancing years, the Pirelli still felt planted on a wet track, with no rear movement, despite the strong front-end grip. You could get on the throttle early, with little or no risk of the front wheels pushing wide.

The Pirelli also fared well in our wet cornering and braking tests, albeit some way behind the remarkable Continental in both assessments. Its limitations came to the fore in our aquaplaning tests, however – here, it propped up the results table, and found itself some way off the pace of the leading performers.

The tyre did little better in the dry, but was closer to the best in our braking tests and finished in the midfield in the closely matched handling test. Although it was unable to do the lap times, it felt good, with positive turn-in and a stable rear. Yet there was another poor showing in the rolling resistance test – the P Zero would get through about five per cent more fuel than the most efficient tyre, the Dunlop.

Test results
Dry braking 93.7%
Dry handling97.1%
Wet cornering93.5%
Wet braking86.6%
Wet handling99.1%
Straight aqua87.6%
Curved aqua86.6%
Cabin noise97%
Rolling resistance68.2%
Overall95.4%
Skip advert
Advertisement
In This Review
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Hot Land Rover Defender Octa in high demand with close to 3,000 orders at £150,000 each
Land Rover Defender Octa - front action

Hot Land Rover Defender Octa in high demand with close to 3,000 orders at £150,000 each

Buyers aren’t being deterred by the hefty asking price for the most powerful Defender yet, with 2,900 already signing up worldwide
News
12 Nov 2024
Car Deal of the Day: no-nonsense MG ZS EV for £226 per month
MG ZS EV - front tracking

Car Deal of the Day: no-nonsense MG ZS EV for £226 per month

Our Deal of the Day for 10 November comes from Carwow’s new leasing arm, Carwow Leasey
News
10 Nov 2024
Car Deal of the Day: premium Nissan Ariya has a 319-mile range for £278 per month
Nissan Ariya - main image

Car Deal of the Day: premium Nissan Ariya has a 319-mile range for £278 per month

The Airya marked a step-change for Nissan and this ‘Sky Pack’ model is our Car Deal of the Day for 12 November
News
12 Nov 2024