Pirelli Cinturato Winter review
The Pirelli Cinturato Winter is generally regarded as a highly capable winter tire, particularly excelling in wet, icy, and snowy conditions. While users praise its initial comfort and winter-weather traction, there is a consensus that performance, particularly regarding dry-road grip and noise levels, tends to degrade noticeably as the tire ages.
Owners rate it 13.7 points higher than the instrumented road tests do — see the two score breakdowns below for where they disagree.
Two scoring systems, side by side
Owner scores come from reviews on retailer and review sites; road-test scores come from instrumented tests. Where they disagree, it is usually a discipline owners rarely push to the limit.
By owner reviews
78%By road tests
64.3%What owners like and dislike
Themes extracted from 7 owner reviews across retailers and review sites.
The Pirelli Cinturato Winter is generally regarded as a highly capable winter tire, particularly excelling in wet, icy, and snowy conditions. While users praise its initial comfort and winter-weather traction, there is a consensus that performance, particularly regarding dry-road grip and noise levels, tends to degrade noticeably as the tire ages.
Pros
- Exceptional traction on snow and ice
- Strong performance in wet conditions
- Competitive pricing compared to premium rivals
- Comfortable ride quality when new
Cons
- Noticeable increase in road noise over time
- Average to poor dry-road handling and emergency braking
- Significant degradation of performance characteristics after several seasons
- Soft sidewall construction affecting steering feedback
Worth knowing
- Users driving smaller, efficiency-focused vehicles like the Toyota Prius report high satisfaction with the tire's wet and icy road performance.
- Drivers note that the tire's soft sidewall design may not be ideal for those seeking sharp, sporty handling characteristics.
13 published test appearances
Placement within each field. Open a test for the discipline-by-discipline result.
2021 AMS Winter tire Test · 195/55 R16
7th of 10
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 10th of 10 | |
| Wet Handling | 8th of 10 | |
| Dry Braking | 6th of 10 | |
| Dry Handling | 10th of 10 | |
| Snow Braking | 4th of 10 | |
| Snow Traction | 1st of 10 | |
| Snow Handling | 5th of 10 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 6th of 10 | |
| Straight Aqua | 1st of 10 | |
| Noise | 5th of 10 | |
| Price | 10th of 10 |
2021 Winter tire Market Overview · 205/55 R16
27th of 49
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 25th of 49 | |
| Snow Braking | 23rd of 49 |
2020 Auto Zeitung Winter tire Test · 205/55 R16
7th of 14
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 8th of 14 | |
| Dry Braking | 9th of 14 | |
| Snow Braking | 9th of 14 | |
| Snow Traction | 4th of 14 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 9th of 14 | |
| Straight Aqua | 4th of 14 | |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 13th of 14 | |
| Subj. Comfort | 12th of 14 | |
| Subj. Wet Handling | 8th of 14 | |
| Subj. Snow Handling | 5th of 14 |
2020 Auto Express Winter tire Test · 205/55 R16
5th of 9
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2020 ADAC Winter tire Test - 205/55 R16 · 205/55 R16
11th of 15
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2019 ADAC 185/65 R15 Winter tire Test · 185/65 R15
3rd of 16
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2018 AMS Winter tire Test · 205/55 R16
5th of 11
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 4th of 11 | |
| Wet Handling | 5th of 11 | |
| Dry Braking | 9th of 11 | |
| Dry Handling | 11th of 11 | |
| Snow Braking | 4th of 11 | |
| Snow Handling | 6th of 11 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 9th of 11 | |
| Straight Aqua | 2nd of 11 | |
| Noise | 3rd of 11 | |
| Price | 9th of 11 |
2018 Auto Express Winter tire Test · 205/55 R16
5th of 9
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2018 ACE All Season and Winter tire Test · 185/65 R15
11th of 12
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2018 Auto Bild Winter tire Test · 195/65 R15
13th of 20
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 9th of 20 | |
| Wet Handling | 2nd of 20 | |
| Dry Braking | 11th of 20 | |
| Dry Handling | 17th of 20 | |
| Snow Braking | 3rd of 20 | |
| Snow Handling | 3rd of 20 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 17th of 20 | |
| Straight Aqua | 6th of 20 | |
| Noise | 3rd of 20 | |
| Value | 20th of 20 | |
| Price | 18th of 20 | |
| Wear | 20th of 20 | |
| Total Cost of Ownership | 20th of 20 |
2018 ADAC Winter tire Test - 175/65 R14 · 175/65 R14
10th of 12
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2018 ADAC Winter tire Test - 205/55 R16 · 205/55 R16
14th of 16
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2018 51 Winter tire Shootout · 195/65 R15
7th of 51
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|