Pirelli Sottozero 3 Winter Tires - Pictures and Updates

[carpenj]

Hey everyone,

I mounted Pirelli Sottozero 3 tires (245/45R19) on 19x8 PP1 replicas this past summer, and put them on the car a week ago (despite the warmest November since I've lived in Indianapolis). So far I've only put a few miles on them but I'm going to try to provide updates as I go. From the side view, these look pretty much identical to my factory PP1 setup. I'm just hoping to provide some information for future users, as there wasn't a ton of it seemingly available when I was doing my research on these. Feel free to ask any questions any of you may have, and I'll answer to the best of my ability.

35-45F: I can tell the tread depth and pattern are much different than the PS4S, doesn't feel as "tight" is the easiest way for a dummy like me to describe it. They grip a little better at this temp than cold PS4s (first couple miles) but about the same once both are warmed up.
25-35F: The tires are significantly better than PS4S at this temperature, where the PS4S would feel pretty sketchy and these feel right at home. I drove in about 1-2" of snow today just to see how they'd do: compared to my Civic Si on DWS06's, I'd say these accelerate a little easier, brake notably better, and have similar control through turns (probably would be significantly better if not for comparing FWD to RWD).

More to come as I get some different experience on them.

Below is the most ringing endorsement to date. I couldn't even walk up the driveway, but these tires got me up pretty easily with the tiniest bit of momentum.



Couple more videos from the recent snow storms...2-3" one day, 10" the next, 3" the next, so your guess is as good as mine as to how much was on the road. I will say I didn't shovel my side of the driveway at any point before the driveway video. These things feel pretty unstoppable in really deep snow, to be honest. If I ever struggled to get going, a little gas would speed me right up. It definitely felt more capable in deep soft snow than the heavy, icy snow we'd been getting. To give you an idea of the depth, i was plowing snow with the front bumper in my driveway (see pic below).

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[spaz mk will]

I will be curious to hear your opinions on these, as I’m also in Indy. I’m riding out the last tread on my factory (and mostly junk) pirelli A/S tires. I’m working remotely indefinitely so it was an easy choice for now, and was helped by my next tire choice being unavailable in the factory size. I’m planning to use Michelin AS4s on my oem wheels going forward, and am really hoping they add the 255/40 size in 2021. Were I driving more this year, I would have been forced to choose between a 35 & 45 profile @255, and probably chosen the 45 given that I’m already lowered some and these would be for fall/winter. So, it will be interesting to see some local opinions on a winter tire vs my continued use of A/S in winter. I’ve not had issues the last two years with these pirellis in winter, even coming home during some of our evening snow/ice. I still strongly dislike them in the dry though

 

[carpenj]

A note on how they don't feel "tight". You're probably experiencing tread squirm. They are brand new and use a softer compound than the summers. At relatively higher temperatures (I feel they work best between 20-30 degrees) they get very squishy. Once it gets a bit colder, and as you break them in, they will settle down.

I personally run 255's, but the experience is likely very similar.

Yep, that's exactly what it feels like. It's definitely not a knock on the tire, as I can only compare it to arguably the best summer performance tire on the market. I'm excited to see how they do driving in cold temps where the PS4S completely falls apart performance-wise. Cold (but also heavily worn) PS4S's last March were a little scary when temperatures dipped into the 30s.

 

[Reddirocket27]

I've got a brand new set of Blizzaks ready to do when NJ temps finally hold in the 40's. I've driven every winter with every car on them, and the squirming is just the softer compound. That extra squish is amazing on ice, and let the weight of the car push down much better without getting rock hard and sliding. I used to think winter tires were a scam, but the first time I rolled out on an inch sheet of ice with no slip at all? I was hooked.

 

[carpenj]

I went for another drive during a pretty heavy active snow a couple nights ago. I saw two minor single-car accidents over the course of about 15 minutes (one car slid into/over a center median in a roundabout, the other overshot a turn, bounced over the curb, and got stuck with one wheel in the grass), got spooked, and went home. It was very slick out, and a very wet/heavy snow, just below freezing. Turning and braking had great grip, but acceleration is still nowhere near a 4x4 SUV (I know this because I tried to keep up with a new Grand Cherokee from a stoplight, wasn't close). That said, these tires DO chew through snow and I never even remotely felt like I'd get stuck. I'll probably cut back on my bad-weather driving a bit now that they've been tested well, mostly because I don't trust other drivers.

 

[carpenj]

Just dropping another data point here for potential buyers. The (inclined) driveway was so slick with ice that I couldn't even walk up it a couple days ago. You can see this when I'm backing down and hit the brakes, how the car just keeps sliding at full speed. With the tiniest but of momentum, these tires crawl right up.

In case you're wondering, no, I haven't shoveled my side of the driveway this year (just my wife's side)...for science. I haven't had an issue getting up it yet in 2-4" of snow and, more impressively, glassy sheets of ice.

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