Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 is a grand touring all-season tire that is developed for sedans, coupes, CUVs, and even the small SUVs that are looking for a sporty driving feeling.
Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 is the new version of Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season II. Well, Cinturato P7 AS 2 was an iconic tire. However, the wearing was the issue. I don’t mean a total disaster. Though, these tires generally last 20,000-25,000 miles less than treadwear warranty (70,000).
It seems like Pirelli solve the issue on the new generation tire P7 AS Plus 3.
The manufacturers generally select one product for dominating the market. I strongly believe that Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 is that tire for Pirelli.
In this article, I’m going to analyze Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 and explain what to expect from this kind of design. Let’s begin!
| Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 | |
|---|---|
| Best for | Mostly warm regions, Handling & smooth driving focused drivers, MPG improvement without sacrificing handling capability Longevity-focused users, Sporty driving feeling |
| Pros | Smooth driving, Dry performance, Wet performance, Relatively decent winter performance for non-3PMSF tires, Fuel efficiency |
| Cons | Not a dedicated winter tire, Due to its stiff compound, tend to slide on wet for a first couple of hundred miles |
| Vehicle | Sedans, SUV, CUV, Sport utility vehicles |
| Test Report | vs DriveGuard Plus & Assurance ComfortDrive (May 23, 2022) |
| Available Sizes | 17”, 18”, 19”, 20” (Check if it fits your vehicle) |
| Made In | Mexico, Brazil |
| Warranty | 70,000 miles |
As a former Bridgestone engineer, from my standpoint, Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 is a unique tire if you’d like to combine smooth and quiet driving with sporty steering. Due to its asymmetrical pattern and full-depth sipes, its wet and light snow performances are quite impressive. Yet, this is a non-3PMSF tire. Its winter performance changes depending on how cold the weather is. On the other hand, Pirelli P7 AS Plus is one of the longest-lasting tires on the market. Besides that, it’s a good option if you’re looking for better fuel consumption.
All-Season Tires Cheat Sheet
My team & I have analyzed 100 different tires and generated this ‘Quick Answer Sheet‘ for those who don’t wanna spend too much time during tire selection.
Before we start, here are the incredibly helpful articles I highly recommend to take a look at;
- How to keep tire noise down:
https://www.discounttire.com/learn/tire-noise - Fuel-Efficiency:
https://www.discounttire.com/learn/rolling-resistance - Tire rating charts & reviews
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/rating-chart&reviews - Tire test report
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests
If you’re in a hurry, here are the tires worth every penny;
- Michelin Crossclimate 2 – Best for All-Round & Heavy Snow
- Michelin Primacy Tour A/S – Best All-Round & Moderate Snow
- Nokian WRG4 – Best for Comfort & Heavy Snow
- Nokian WRG4 SUV – Best for Comfort & Heavy Snow
- Bridgestone WeatherPeak – Best for All-Round & Moderate Snow
- Goodyear ComfortDrive – Best All-Round & Light Snow
- BF Goodrich Advantage T/A Sport – Best for Longevity & Light Snow
Depending on your needs, the below article might help;
Table of Contents
Dry Performance
The dry performance of grand touring all-season tires is generally near perfect.
Dry traction is mostly related to the rubber amount of on the ground. Since we’re talking about the all-season tires, the amount should be high anyway.
In my point of view, discussing traction is kinda unnecessary for this section. Even the cheapest all-season in the market will provide a decent amount of dry traction.
However, Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 has one unique feature that put it forward. Large outboard shoulder blocks.
The easiest way to increase the rubber amount on the ground is by expanding shoulder width (think about the huge shoulder blocks of tracking tires).
So, that’s what Pirelli does. Compared to an older version, Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 has wider shoulder blocks. Hence, better dry performance. Especially for relatively aggressive drivers.
Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 provides excellent dry performance. Even aggressive drivers will feel like driving performance tires.
Wet Performance
All-season tires are built to offer year-round performance. However, sometimes they fail on wet performance.
Well, there are two reasons behind it.
The first one is tread life. If you’re making an all-season tire, it should last longer. Otherwise, using an all-season tire doesn’t make sense. For this reason, using a stiff compound is a must and it decreases the wet grip.
The second one is fuel efficiency. To avoid the stiffness of the compound, using notches and sipes on the tread is the best way. Yet, these dudes decrease the rolling resistance and increase fuel consumption.
Even though manufacturers optimize these two very well, it isn’t mean that they have the best-wet performance.
To achieve perfection, they should also handle hydroplaning resistance.
I know it’s getting complicated. Let me explain these two in two different sections.
Wet Traction
The easiest way to evaluate wet traction is by checking the UTQG rating.
The UTQH rating is actually the universal way of defining compound features. Since manufacturers use different compounds of different sizes, they can differ from size to size.
For instance, Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 has two different UTQG ratings. 740 AA and 800 AA.
While 3-digit numbers explain the stiffness of the compound, the first letter stands for wet traction and the second one stands for heat resistance.
So, even though Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 has an ‘A’ grade regarding wet traction, this test isn’t applicable for today’s vehicles because most vehicle has anti-locked brakes and this test performs on locked brakes.
So, in this case, the ‘A’ grade actually means the tire sipes provide enough traction for a decent wet grip. Yet, this isn’t enough.
For decent wet traction, my limit UTQG number is actually 700.
Since Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3’s 740-800, I can confidently say that Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 will have traction issues on cold days. However, if you’re living in warm conditions, Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 is a great option for you.
Hydroplaning Resistance
Hydroplaning resistance is basically the water evacuation capability of the tire.
It’s crucial because this feature is what helps you to don’t lose control while going through the puddles. Especially if you’re driving fast.
In this case, open shoulder blocks and wide circumferential grooves work best.
Due to 4 circumferential groove designs and open shoulder blocks, Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 provides trustworthy hydroplaning resistance.
Winter Performance
The winter performance of all-season tires isn’t something to trust.
Unlike most people think, the compound of all-season tires loses grip performance below 7 Celcius degrees (at or below 40º F).
So, in this case, you should know that if the tire doesn’t have 3PMSF, expecting decent winter performance is a bit meanless.
Regarding Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 things are quite the same.
First of all, Pirelli P7 AS Plus has an asymmetrical pattern that is notched vertically and horizontally. In fact, that’s why it has an ‘A’ grade UTQG rating regarding traction.
For this reason, its light snow performance is decent. Though worth reminding, this tire can get you out of unexpected situations. However, for instance, if you’ll wake up on a snowy and cold day, you should warm these tires up for decent traction.
Regarding deep snow traction, I like the wide and blocky shoulder blocks, yet, tread depth is key out here. If you see deep snow often, I don’t recommend this tire.
Regarding ice, I think Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 is one step ahead of the competition because of its compact pattern. Yet, still not a tire for ice usage.
In summary, Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 isn’t a dedicated winter tire. Yet, it’s good enough to solve unexpected situations.
Longevity
Longevity is the biggest improvement of this tire.
Pirelli was pretty happy with the traction performance of the Pirelli P7 All Season Plus 2. Yet, due to its highly notched pattern, this tire is wearing quickly if you’re an aggressive driver.
So, that Pirelli made out here is quite simple. They keep the working pattern and increase the compound stiffness.
Increase compound stiffness, decrease the uneven wearing and actually wearing rating.
Due to its stiff compound, Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 is one of the longest-lasting tires in its segment. I strongly recommend it if longevity is your priority.
Getting maximum wear life from a tire is related to you as well as your tire,
If you’d like to learn how to get maximum tread life:
Warranty
- Pirelli offers 70,000 miles and an unlimited-time treadwear warranty for Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3. An unlimited time expression is crucial in this case. It actually means they believe in their mileage warranty.
- Pirelli offers a uniformity warranty for the first 2/32” of wear. That means in case of any uneven wearing, you can get new ones for free.
- Pirelli offer 30 days of trial for Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3
Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 Warranty Document:
Handling
The handling capability of grand touring all-season tires is reliable. Especially for premium brands like Pirelli.
Handling can be evaluated under two different sections. Cornering stability and steering response.
Since these tires are generally used on relatively lightweight vehicles, handling generally isn’t an issue.
Let’s evaluate these two features one by one.
Steering Response
Quick steering response is the key to a sporty driving feeling.
In fact, I think that sport driving feeling is one of Pirelli’s goals for this tire.
Well, this generally isn’t something to pay attention to for grand touring all-season tires. However, I think there is a good market catch out here.
Most people want long-lasting rubber and a sporty driving feeling. Especially for these sizes.
So, what does Pirelli do to achieve this?
In this case, the wide and robust shoulder blocks of the Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 work perfectly. Besides that, this tire has a stiff compound which is great for a quick steering response.
If we were talking about fluffy compound tires like Vredestein HiTrac All Season, the relatively blocky center rib could be an issue. Yet, this stiffness level of the compound doesn’t flex that much. So, no issue at all.
Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 provides unique responsiveness. Strongly recommend it for aggressive drivers.
Cornering Stability
Cornering stability is mostly related to the inner structure.
In this case, strong sidewalls and robust shoulder blocks work perfectly.
Pirelli P7 All Season Plus 2 was an efficiency-oriented tire. For this reason, it was lightweight. Yet, some people have sidewall issues with this tire which is kinda prof of a weak internal structure.
So, Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 is different than the previous version.
First of all, its compound is stiffer and it has wider shoulder blocks.
Well, these two could negatively affect the cornering stability if the sidewall of the tires isn’t durable and stiff enough.
In this case, Pirelli uses polyimide reinforcement ply that goes from bead to bead. While this ply helps the tire to keep its shape at high speeds, it also strengthens sidewalls.
Due to its unique internal structure, Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 offers perfect cornering stability. For this reason, it’s a good option for SUV and CUV owners.
Riding Comfort
Riding comfort is mostly related to the inner structure and tread pattern.
So, grand touring all-season tires generally offer a smooth ride because of their rib-type patterns.
Pirelli P7 AS Plus has an asymmetrical rib-type pattern. Depending on the asymmetrical level, these tires could offer a rough ride. However, regarding Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3, things are a bit different.
If you check the Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 closely, you can see that its outer and inner shoulder block design is different. Besides increasing handling capability, this design actually works regarding comfort.
Basically, increasing the rubber amount on the ground works best also in this case. However, the real game changer is its inner structure.
The inner structure of the Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 consists of one extra single-ply polyester casing. This ply covers the tire’s inner structure from bead to bead and absorbs most of the road dumb.
Due to its extra polyester casing and shoulder block design, Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 is one of the most smooth tires on the market.
Road Noise
Road noise is caused by the airflow inside the tire tread.
The tires which have angled notches tend to make more noise. For this reason, most grand touring tire offers a deaf ride.
Regarding Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3, things are better.
- First of all, just like the off-road tires, Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 has interlocked center rib which is excellent for a quiet ride because the starting point of airflow is generally the center section.
- Secondly, its shoulder section may be blocky, though, if you can check closely, you can clearly see the outer circumferential grooves are halfway closed on the shoulder side. This actually breaks the airflow and reduces road noise significantly.
- Since Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 doesn’t mark with 3PMSF and its winter performance is limited, this tire doesn’t need that much aggressive pattern.
Because of the above reasons, Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 is quiet as a church mouse.
Fuel Efficiency
Fuel efficiency is related to rolling resistance. Lower rolling resistance means better MPG.
So, in fact, all-season tires without 3PMSF are the best option in this case.
Even though these tires have tons of sipes on them, their stiff compound decreases the rolling resistance significantly.
Since I’ve already mentioned the relatively soft design compared to its competitors. This is a huge advantage. Besides that Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3’s UTQG rating is 800-740 which means the tire has a way much stiff compound than its competitors.
According to the above information, I can confidently say that Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 is alpha plus option if efficiency is your priority.
Sizes
| 17” | 18” | 19” | 20” |
|---|---|---|---|
| 205/50R17 93V XL | 215/55R18 95H SL | 235/40R19 96V XL | 245/40R20 99V XL |
| 205/50R17 93H XL | 225/45R18 95V XL | 245/40R19 98V XL | 245/45R20 99V SL |
| 215/45R17 91V XL | 225/50R18 95V SL | 245/45R19 98V SL | |
| 215/50R17 95V XL | 225/55R18 98H SL | 255/40R19 100V XL | |
| 215/55R17 94V SL | 235/50R18 97V SL | 255/45R19 104V XL | |
| 225/45R17 94V XL | 245/45R18 100V XL | ||
| 225/45R17 94H XL | 245/50R18 100V SL | ||
| 225/50R17 94V SL | |||
| 225/50R17 98V XL | |||
| 225/55R17 97V SL | |||
| 225/55R17 97H SL | |||
| 225/60R17 99V SL | |||
| 225/60R17 99H SL | |||
| 235/45R17 97V XL | |||
| 235/50R17 96V SL | |||
| 235/55R17 99H SL |
Price
The tire market has a dynamic price policy. Hence, in my point of view, sharing tire price is pointless.
Though, I’ve analyzed the top 10 brands of most popular tire brands.
Here are the dealers with a reasonable price range,
DiscountTire
- Biggest dealer in the US. Founded in 1960
- 1000 stores in 35 states. You most probably find one on your parallel street
- Free rotation and balancing
- 5% off for DiscountTire cardholders on online purchases
- Highest-rated online tire dealer in Consumer Affairs
- Almost all brands are available
- Delivery takes 2-4 days (30% shorter average waiting time when you book online)
- Frequent discounts and promotions
Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3: https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/pirelli-p7-all-season-plus-3
TireRack
- Fast and Free shipping
- Usually delivered in 1 day
- Joint venture with DiscountTire(their installers and dealers are on your service)
- Tons of installer options, and they also help you to choose the best one
- Mobile installers in many areas, your tires will be replaced while you’re working in the office
- Tire test results and comparisons can be found on the most product page
- 4.6/5 points on Google rate
Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/pirelli-p7-as-plus-3
SimpleTire
- Free shipping
- Delivered in 2 days
- Verified shops near you(for mount and balance)
- Mobile installation option
- 7 million customers since 2021
- 4.7/5 points on Google rate
- Top-notch customer service, you may even request a price match
Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3: https://simpletire.com/brands/pirelli-tires/p7-all-season-plus-3
Amazon
- Fast and free shipping (mostly in a day)
- Get your tires shipped to a selected service center or get them installed at home or work (how does it work?)
- Installation on Mavis Discount Tire (15$ per tire)
- Installing new stem valves supplied by pro
- Balancing your tires
- Road/safety test
- Since Amazon provides wholesale and affordable prices, they don’t offer a road hazard warranty
Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Pirelli+p7+as+plus+3
While choosing dealers, I especially pay attention to reliability. All of the dealers on this list have 15-20 years of experience in the online tire business. Therefore, I can guarantee a smooth and fast tire-buying process.
Conclusion
Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 is an all-round tire that is a great option for mostly warm regions. Due to its stiff compound, it also performs perfectly on SUVs and as well as large SUVs.
You can also use the below table for a quick summary.
| Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3 | |
|---|---|
| Best for | Mostly warm regions, Handling & smooth driving focused drivers, MPG improvement without sacrificing handling capability Longevity-focused users, Sporty driving feeling |
| Pros | Smooth driving, Dry performance, Wet performance, Relatively decent winter performance for non-3PMSF tires, Fuel efficiency |
| Cons | Not a dedicated winter tire, Due to its stiff compound, tend to slide on wet for a first couple of hundred miles |
| Vehicle | Sedans, SUV, CUV, Sport utility vehicles |
| Test Report | vs DriveGuard Plus & Assurance ComfortDrive (May 23, 2022) |
| Available Sizes | 17”, 18”, 19”, 20” (Check if it fits your vehicle) |
| Made In | Mexico, Brazil |
| Warranty | 70,000 miles |
I hope the article was helpful, if you need any further support please leave a comment below. Have a safe ride folks!