2025 TUV Test of Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 vs Rivals

As this is currently the only public test data available for the new Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3, I thought it would be useful to share it. But please understand the following:

This test was conducted by TÜV SÜD Product Service GmbH between February and March 2025 (report number 713367367), testing five premium winter tires in size 225/45 R17 94V XL. The test was commissioned by Pirelli as part of their final product benchmarking for the Cinturato Winter 3, with the Pirelli tire compared against the Bridgestone Blizzak 6, Continental WinterContact TS 870, Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3, and Michelin Alpin 7. While TÜV SÜD is a fully independent testing organization with a strong reputation for objectivity, it is important to note that this test was requested and paid for by Pirelli.

Please also note, the TÜV SÜD report presents all results as percentages relative to the Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3, which is shown in the report as 100% in each category. The report does not include the actual measured values such as stopping distances, lap times, or other raw data. For this review, we have calculated estimated absolute values by applying the percentage differences to assumed baseline figures. These baseline values (such as 115 feet for wet braking or 3 seconds for snow acceleration) are not from the TÜV report and should be treated as illustrative only. The percentage relationships between tires are accurate as reported by TÜV SÜD, but the absolute values are estimates created for easier comparison.

Now that we've got that out of the way, it looks like a strong start for the new Italian winter tire!

Dry

Dry Braking

Wet

Wet Braking

Wet Handling

Straight Aqua

Snow

Snow Braking

Snow Traction

Snow Handling

Value

Rolling Resistance

Results

1^st

Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3

225/45 R17 94V XL

Dry98%

Wet98.8%

Snow100%

Rolling Resistance88%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (8)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tires in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	3rd / 5	131 ft	+2 ft
Wet BrakingLower is better	3rd / 5	115 ft	+3 ft
Wet HandlingLower is better	1st / 5	85 s	Best in this discipline
Straight AquaHigher is better	1st / 5	53.4 mph	Best in this discipline
Snow BrakingLower is better	1st / 5	57 ft	Best in this discipline
Snow TractionLower is better	1st / 5	3 s	Best in this discipline
Snow HandlingLower is better	1st / 5	80 s	Best in this discipline
Rolling ResistanceLower is better	4th / 5	7.5 kg/t	+0.90 kg/t

3PMSF

Yes

2^nd

Continental WinterContact TS 870

225/45 R17 94V XL

Dry96.8%

Wet96.4%

Snow97.4%

Rolling Resistance91.7%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (8)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tires in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	4th / 5	133 ft	+4 ft
Wet BrakingLower is better	4th / 5	115 ft	+3 ft
Wet HandlingLower is better	3rd / 5	87.7 s	+2.70 s
Straight AquaHigher is better	3rd / 5	49.2 mph	-4.2 mph
Snow BrakingLower is better	2nd / 5	59 ft	+2 ft
Snow TractionLower is better	2nd / 5	3.11 s	+0.11 s
Snow HandlingLower is better	3rd / 5	81.7 s	+1.70 s
Rolling ResistanceLower is better	3rd / 5	7.2 kg/t	+0.60 kg/t

3PMSF

Yes

3^rd

Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3

225/45 R17 94V XL

Dry100%

Wet99.1%

Snow95.8%

Rolling Resistance81.5%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (8)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tires in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	1st / 5	129 ft	Best in this discipline
Wet BrakingLower is better	1st / 5	112 ft	Best in this discipline
Wet HandlingLower is better	2nd / 5	85.9 s	+0.90 s
Straight AquaHigher is better	2nd / 5	51.2 mph	-2.2 mph
Snow BrakingLower is better	4th / 5	60 ft	+3 ft
Snow TractionLower is better	4th / 5	3.15 s	+0.15 s
Snow HandlingLower is better	4th / 5	83.2 s	+3.20 s
Rolling ResistanceLower is better	5th / 5	8.1 kg/t	+1.50 kg/t

3PMSF

Yes

4^th

Bridgestone Blizzak 6

225/45 R17 94V XL

Dry98.7%

Wet96.1%

Snow93.2%

Rolling Resistance100%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (8)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tires in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	2nd / 5	130 ft	+1 ft
Wet BrakingLower is better	2nd / 5	112 ft	0 ft
Wet HandlingLower is better	4th / 5	90 s	+5.00 s
Straight AquaHigher is better	5th / 5	46.8 mph	-6.6 mph
Snow BrakingLower is better	5th / 5	62 ft	+5 ft
Snow TractionLower is better	5th / 5	3.23 s	+0.23 s
Snow HandlingLower is better	5th / 5	85.4 s	+5.40 s
Rolling ResistanceLower is better	1st / 5	6.6 kg/t	Best in this discipline

3PMSF

Yes

5^th

Michelin Alpin 7

225/45 R17 94V XL

Dry95.6%

Wet92%

Snow97.4%

Rolling Resistance95.7%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (8)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tires in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	5th / 5	135 ft	+6 ft
Wet BrakingLower is better	5th / 5	121 ft	+9 ft
Wet HandlingLower is better	5th / 5	92.3 s	+7.30 s
Straight AquaHigher is better	4th / 5	48.5 mph	-4.9 mph
Snow BrakingLower is better	2nd / 5	59 ft	+2 ft
Snow TractionLower is better	3rd / 5	3.13 s	+0.13 s
Snow HandlingLower is better	2nd / 5	81.1 s	+1.10 s
Rolling ResistanceLower is better	2nd / 5	6.9 kg/t	+0.30 kg/t

3PMSF

Yes