Pirelli Cinturato P7 review
The Pirelli Cinturato P7 has good refinement and great economy, but the latter comes at the expense of wet performance in particular
While never too far off the pace, the Pirelli (dubbed the P7C2 to separate it from other iterations) failed to shine in all but fuel efficiency – which it topped – and refinement, where its low noise on different surfaces and its ability to take the edge of all manner of bumps and ridges helped it to second place.
It was seventh fastest around the wet handling circuit, which was consistent with its measured performances. It was sixth in wet braking, although less than 1.5m behind the best, fifth in wet cornering, and seventh and eighth respectively in the curved and straight-line aquaplaning tests. Around the wet circuit, the Cinturato was only 1.3sec off the fastest tyre, but it wasn’t an easy ride, because the front end promised lots and then abruptly pushed wide, while the rear would also let go with little warning, which made it hard to be relaxed or consistent.
It was only equal sixth fastest on the dry handling circuit and seventh in dry braking. At the limit, it was quieter than its rivals and although its responses felt a little soft, it generated good grip and was willing and exploitable. Its strongest suit was economy, its low rolling resistance making it by far the most economical tyre in this test. In fact, by our measurement, the Pirelli was a whisker away from being rated B rather than the C of its EU label.
Blackcircles.com says…
“Customers note that the tyres meet their expectations, with good performance and low road noise.”
Results
| Pirelli Cinturato P7 | ||
| Overall | 99.00% | |
| Price | £120.20 | |
| Wet braking | 95.8% | 6th |
| Wet handling | 98.10% | 7th |
| Wet cornering | 98.6% | 5th |
| Curved aquaplaning | 85.90% | 7th |
| Straight aquaplaning | 95.20% | 8th |
| Dry braking | 94.80% | 7th |
| Dry handling | 98.50% | =6th |
| Cabin noise | 96.00% | 2nd |
| Rolling resistance | 100.00% | 1st |
