Pirelli: winter tyres claim top places in tests in Germany and Austria

True to tradition, Pirelli Winter tyres again put on a glitteringly successful performance this year in the rigorous and important tests promoted by the German and Austrian automobile clubs and car magazines

Milan, 23rd October 2006.  When it comes to tackling snow and ice Pirelli's winter tyres are unbeatable.  Proof is provided, yet again, by the toughest and most important tests in Europe - those of the automobile clubs and specialist motorist magazines in Germany and Austria, which test out the safety of a wide selection of winter tyres under typical winter driving conditions.  All the products in the Pirelli winter range, car (Winter Sottozero, Winter Snowsport, and Winter Snowcontrol), SUV (Scorpion Ice&Snow) and camper products (Citynet Winter Plus), have always claimed top rankings - both for safety and comfort - on all road surfaces.  "Pirelli tyres," observes Maurizio Boiocchi, head of Pirelli Tyre R&D, "are the result of non-stop development, both in compounds and in tyre structure, directed at predicting and satisfying the demands of consumers and automotive manufacturers not just for performance, but also for safety - a concern that is ever more keenly felt by drivers."
Winning the seasonal tests in Germany and Austria is now a habit with Pirelli and testifies to its ability to meld Latin temperament with German reliability. This combination has long been appreciated worldwide, and especially in the United States.  There, Pirelli tyres in the Mass-Market/Non-Luxury segment drew the most plaudits from American motorists in a study based on replies from 23,000 consumers and drawn up by J.D.Power and Associates.

Details of the individual tests are presented below.

Pirellis Winter 190 Snowcontrol lived up to its reputation in the ADAC trials (covered in issue 10/2006 of ADAC motorwelt, the magazine of Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobilclub). In recognition of its superior performance on snow and its top scoring results in all the other tests - ranging through safety, comfort, and noise - ADAC adjudged it one of the best and gave it a "highly recommendable" rating.
ÖAMTC, the Austrian automobile club, came up with similar results in its test on winter tyres (see article in issue 10/2006 of auto touring).  The "snow king in the standard class", Pirelli Winter 190 Snowcontrol, earned four stars and was rated as "highly recommendable".  Pirelli Winter 210 Sottozero, too, scored highly for its performance on snow-covered wet roads, its low noise, and its rolling resistance.
A test by the off-road magazine Auto Bild Alles Allrad (issue 11) rated Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow as "excellent", which was described as: "A snow tyre with excellent handling characteristics and the shortest braking distance both on wet and dry surfaces".
In the winter-tyre tests staged by auto motor und sport (issue 21/2006) Scorpion Ice & Snow was ranked among the leaders in the 255/55R18 category - the most common size on SUVs for on- and off-road uses  -  and out of a possible 300 points it chalked up 279.  According to the magazine the Pirelli tyre has "extremely even handling, excellent traction on snow, superb braking performance both in wet and dry conditions, precise steering and progressive cornering."  In stage two of the test (205/55 R 16 H), Pirelli's Winter 210 Sottozero was rated as "recommendable". It scored highly for its "excellent handling with superior precision in steering on dry surfaces, its excellent traction on snow, and its safe vehicle control and braking on wet surfaces ".
The test drivers for Auto Bild (issue 40/2006) awarded Winter 210 Sottozero their top slot. Its number-one position and its rating as "excellent" were due to 'the excellent performance of the tyre with its remarkable steering precision, persuasive handling characteristics on compact snow, and short braking distances on all road surfaces".
The Winter 210 Sottozero was similarly judged to be "excellent" in issue 11/2006 of Auto Bild Sportscars. The magazine's test drivers praised the "superb winter driving characteristics of the tyre with its excellent traction, control of direction, and short braking distances".

Test results reported in issue 20/2006 of the car magazine Auto Zeitung, showed Sottozero (Winter 210) to be a leader for its fast-driving precision and excellent traction.  "Its winning features are its high steering response and short braking distances".
High marks also went to Pirelli Winter 240 Sottozero, a bigger-sized version of Winter 210 Sottozero.  In its 5/2006 issue, Powercar rates the product as "highly recommendable" and stresses its "precise steering for just minimal direction changes, optimal balance, and excellent traction on bends in wet conditions ".
In a test that saw numerous tyres in contention, the sport auto team (see issue 11/2006 of that magazine) hailed Pirelli Winter 240 Snowsport as the best, emphasizing its "unfailingly good traction and remarkable handling in all trials together with excellent driving precision in wet conditions ".
Pirelli is a top brand not just in the HP and UHP segments.  It is also a standard setter in the camper segment.  The German magazine Promobil (see issue 11/2006) tested out eight tyres in the 215/75R16C-size group and Pirelli Citynet Winter Plus was the clear winner.  The view expressed by Promobil was: "Very good when assessed both from an all-round standpoint and, equally, with a view to use in specifically alpine conditions.  Good grip on snow and accurate driving in wet conditions".