Pirelli VS Toyo

Pirelli tires will show the best performance when it comes to dry traction for both on-road and off-road tires. Although when it comes to overall performance, Toyo tires will show better results for sports and winter tires. Additionally, if you are looking for tires to sustain in icy conditions then Toyo tires will be the best choice for you.  

With Pirelli and Toyo, you get the classic clash of the titans because in some cases Pirelli tires will show the best result but in others Toyo will dominate. To know more about what to choose for what condition, let’s get started. 

Pirelli VS Toyo Tires: Sports Car Comparison

Let’s start with the battle of the titans. Comparing the performance tires between Pirelli tires and Toyo. We do a detailed comparison between Pirelli P Zero VS Toyo Proxes R1R. The following table shows the difference between the performance tires for Pirelli and Toyo along with some of the relevant factors. 

FactorsPirelliToyo
Dry TractionGood Dry TractionBetter Dry Traction
Wet TractionGood Wet TractionBetter Wet Traction
Steering ResponseGood Steering ResponseBetter Steering Response
Tire Wearing ResistanceBetter Tire Wearing ResistanceGood Tire Wearing Resistance
Tread Life Warranty45,000 -50,000 miles25,000 miles – 75,000 miles
Fuel EconomyGood Fuel EconomyGood Fuel Economy
Notable Tire FamilyP Zero [For Cars]Scorpion Zero [For SUVS]Proxes, Celsius, Extensa
Cost$140 – $500$156 – $380

The table shows a rather even performance between Pirelli and Toyo tires. Let’s get into the details of each factor. 

Dry Traction

Pirelli P Zero tires are made with a special silica and carbon black tread compound that is molded into an asymmetric tread design. Through molding it is formed to provide good contact pitch with the road surface and thus dry traction. 

Toyo Proxes R11R are normally made with high-grip, silica-reinforced tread compound which is molded into and that can be molded into deep directional Arrowhead tread design. The advantage here is that it creates a greater footprint and more contact with the road surface. Therefore, the dry traction will be better. 

Verdict:

Toyo Proxes R1R has better dry traction than Pirelli P Zero. 

Wet Traction

Pirelli P Zero comes with S-treme asymmetric design. This tread design comes with circumferential and lateral grooves that account for easy flow of water and avoid hydroplaning. 

Toyo Proxes R1R tires also have good hydroplaning resistance thanks to a combination of deep circumferential grooves and open shoulders or multi-width EVAC channels that assist in the flow  of water and resist water layer formation beneath the tires. This also helps to maximize contact with the road during the wet season. 

The combination of multi width EVAC channels with good biting edges, make Toyo Proxes R1R the better option for wet traction. 

Verdict:

Toyo Proxes R1R tires have better wet traction than Pirelli P Zero tires.

Steering Response

With Pirelli P Zero the tread compound of this tire has been molded into an asymmetric design which comes with an outer shoulder that can be manipulated. It can be customized by changing the special silica and carbon black tread compound that can improve handling and steering response.

Toyo Proxes R1R tires have the tread compound molded into a very deep directional Arrowhead tread design to have an extra wide footprint to ensure good handling. But its steering response is improved with the use of increased block size from narrow widths at the shoulder. 

Once again, the combination of extra footprint and braking distance means that Toyo Proxes R1R will have better steering response than Pirelli P Zero. 

Verdict:

Toyo Proxes R1R tires have better steering ability and the overall handling in comparison to Pirelli tires.

Tire Wearing Resistance

Pirelli tires have quite a rigid internal structure mainly due to the classic twin steel belts that have either a combination of hybrid nylon and Kevlar Zero degree cap ply to make the tires much more durable. Beyond that Pirelli P Zero tires come with Seal Inside Technology that uses an adhesive seal to fix any puncture and makes sure that the tire works without losing any pressure.

Toyo tires have an exceptionally durable tread compound mainly due to its rigid construction. The twin high tensile steel belts are incorporated into the spirally wrapped jointless cap and edge plies that help in durability. 

Verdict:

Choose Pirelli P Zero tires for more durability.  

Fuel Economy

For better fuel economy from the tire you need to have low rolling resistance. Rolling resistance is the difficulty the tire faces while moving through the surface. Rolling resistance has a direct relation with the tire tread design especially tread depth which makes it have better or worse fuel economy.

Deeper the tread depth, more will be the rolling resistance. This is because you normally need more rubber compound to have better control and ease of rolling. So, let’s check the tread depth of the tires between Pirelli and Toyo. 

Tire ParametersPirelliToyo
245/40ZR189/32 of an inch8/32 of an inch

From the table it can be observed that the trend for tread depth is not shallower fr Toyo Proxes R1R tires. Therefore, it will have better fuel economy.

However, tread depth is not the only factor on which the fuel economy is dependent. There are other important factors like tire size, inflated pressure. But this is a comparison done when other factors are assumed to be constant. . 

Verdict:

Go for Toyo Proxes R1R for better fuel economy.

Cost

In terms of cost breakdown you can observe that Toyo tires are much less costlier. This means that you get good options with a less expensive range.

On an average for Toyo tires you need to pay around $200-$250 but for Pirelli tires that average price rate goes more than $300. So on average, you will pay more with Pirelli tires. 

Verdict:

Go for Toyo tires if you are looking for a less costly tire option. 

Pirelli VS Toyo Tires: Off Road Comparison

Let’s compare the all terrain and mud terrain tires between Pirelli and Toyo. Here, we make a detailed comparison between the Pirelli Scorpion ATR VS Toyo Open Country AT3. The table below shows some of the key performance factors for off-road tires between Pirelli and Toyo.

FactorsPirelliToyo
Off Road PerformanceGood PerformanceBetter Performance
On Road PerformanceGood PerformanceGood Performance
Tire Wearing ResistanceGood Tire Wearing ResistanceBetter Tire Wearing Resistance
Notable Tire FamilyScorpionOpen Country, M55
Cost$180 – $550$360 – $1200

The table above shows that Toyo tires have better results when it comes to off-road tires. With the likes of Open Country ATIII you should get the best result from Toyo tires. However, you need to get into the details of this performance and that’s what the next step deals with. 

Off Road Performance

Performance in Mud

Pirelli Scorpion AT3 comes with rugged tread design. But it has a narrow groove which makes it harder for the tires to evacuate away the mud. This leads to relatively less traction and losing grip on muddy conditions. 

On the contrary,the Toyo Open Country AT3 has wider stud grooves. This makes it easy to remove the mud and enable strong grip in such conditions. So, when it comes to muddy terrain Toyo Open Country AT3 is the better choice. 

Performance in Rock

Both Pirelli Scorpion AT3 and Open Country AT3 come with stone ejectors and aggressive tread design that make them good options in rocky terrain. However, the difference is in the size of the stone ejector feature in these tires.

Normally, for good performance in rocky conditions, your tires need to have stone ejecting features and strong tread design to protect against puncture. Open Country AT3 comes with wider stone ejectors and is better built against cut and chips. So, Open Country AT3 is the better choice for rocky conditions. 

Verdict:

Choose Toyo Open Country AT3 over Pirelly Scorpion AT3 for better off-road performance. 

On Road Performance 

Pirelli Scorpion AT3 is built with a minimal void ratio. This makes it have a better contact patch with the road surface and a shorter braking distance. Therefore, in dry conditions Scorpion AT3 is better than Open Country AT3.

But in wet conditions, both Open Country AT3 and Scorpion AT3 showed good results. This happens because of the wide grooves. But the grooves are wider in Open Country AT3 and that’s why the tires will have slightly better hydroplaning resistance than Scorpion AT3.  

Verdict:

Pirelli Scorpion AT3 will show better performance in dry condition but Toyo Open Country AT3 will have better results in wet conditions.

Tire Wearing Resistance

The internal construction of Pirelli tires shows promising results when it comes to durability and longevity. It has the polyester casing that ensures durability but beyond that it has the high strength steel belts and the multiple nylon reinforcement plies that supports the tread area and result for better control and overall wearing resistance.

Toyo tires take it a step further by using a double layer of polyester casing making it more durable. This is incorporated with the twin high strength steel belts and the nylon reinforcement plies to ensure good durability.

Verdict:

In case of tire durability, you should go for Toyo tires instead of Pirelli tires. 

Cost

From the table you can see a major disparity in the cost range of Toyo off-road tires. This is because of the speed rating and the tire size.

Let’s go with the least costly option first. It costs around $350 and it is just a radial tire with the speed rating of P. 

But the most expensive option has the upper hand because it is much larger in size and the speed rating of Q. It means that it can sustain higher speed compared to the previous option.

All of these factors related size, speed rating and purpose makes the tire more expensive or less costly.

Verdict:

If cost is the main priority for you then choose Pirelli tires. However, if you want a wide cost range of tire products then choose Toyo tires. 

Pirelli VS Toyo Tires: On-Road Comparison

Now the on-road tires mainly used for passenger cars and SUVs need to be compared. We make the comparison between Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season VS Toyo Celsius. Let’s check the table shown below to see the performance comparison between Pirelli and Toyo tires. 

FactorsPirelliToyo
Dry TractionBetter Dry TractionGood Dry Traction
Wet TractionGood Wet TractionGood Wet Traction
Tire Wearing ResistanceGood Tire Wearing ResistanceBetter Tire Wearing Resistance
Tread Life Warranty50,000 – 70,000 miles*55,000 – 75,000 miles*
Fuel EconomyBetter Fuel EconomyGood Fuel Economy
Notable Tire FamilyCinturato, ScorpionCelsius
Cost$110 – $260$105 – $200

*The tread life warranty may vary depending on the tire family of these two brands.

From the table you can observe that in most cases, Pirelli tires have relatively better performance.

Dry Traction

Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season are made with a tread pattern which has a robust shoulder and continuous ribs on the outer surface of the tire surface that maximizes contact with the road surface. More contact means the grip will be good.

Toyo Celsius tires are made with an asymmetrical tread pattern that normally has variable sipe density or three-rib tread design which helps the tires to have maximum contact with the dry road surface. But due to greater contact with the road, Pirelli Cinturato P7 will have better dry traction. . 

Verdict:

Go for Pirelli Cinturato P7 All season tires instead of Toyo tires if you are looking for optimal dry surface traction. 

Wet Traction

Pirelli Cinturato P7 All season tires come with efficient hydroplaning resistance thanks to its four wide circumferential channels that allow for the flow of water beneath the tire surface. This means the water will not get clogged between the grooves and the tire will not slip. Besides, it has independent tread block and multiple sipes that account for biting edges on wet surface

On the contrary with Toyo Celsius, the tires have three wide circumferential grooves that allow for efficient water evacuation. This protects the tire from hydroplaning. That along with 3-D multi wave sipes result in biting edges during slippery surfaces. 

The combination of more circumferential channels along with greater biting edges mean that Pirelli Cinturato P7 All season will have better wet traction compared to Toyo Celsius. 

Verdict:

Go for Pirelli Cinturato P7 All season over Toyo Celsius for better protection against wet traction.

Tire Wearing Resistance

The internal construction of Pirelli tires make it a more robust option to choose. It is made with Seal Inside technology that consists of an adhesive sealant to protect the tire againsts any resulting hole. This means that the tire will not immediately lose pressure when faced with any potential danger. 

Toyo tires are also made with two steel belts that incorporate a single-ply polyester casing. Along with that it has the nylon reinforcement ply for stabilizing the tread. All of these make Toyo tires durable. 

But the incorporation of Seal Inside technology, makes Pirelli Cinturato P7 All season a more durable option. 

Verdict:

Go for Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season over Toyo Celsius for better protection of the tires.

Fuel Economy

Let’s compare the tread depth of different Pirelli and Toyo tires and identify which option will have better fuel economy. 

Tire ParametersPirelliToyo
205/45R178/32 of an inch10.1/32 of an inch
245/45R1710/32 of an inch10.6/32 of an inch

From the table it can be observed that for all the tire parameters, Toyo Celsius tires have consistently deeper tread depth. This is why it will have higher rolling resistance and higher fuel consumption rate.

Verdict:

Go for Pirelli t Cinturato P7 All Season tires instead of Toyo tires if your main priority is better fuel economy. 

Pirelli VS Toyo Tires: Winter Tire Comparison

Let’s start comparing the winter tires from Pirelli and Toyo. The detailed comparison will be between Pirelli Sottozero 3 VS Toyo Observe GSI-6. The table below shows the brief result between them.

FactorsPirelliToyo
Snow GripGood Snow GripBetter Snow Grip
Tire Wear ResistanceGood Tire Wear ResistanceBetter Tire Wear Resistance
HandlingGood HandlingBetter Handling
Notable Tire FamilySottozero, Cinturato, ScorpionObserve
Cost$200 – $460$115 – $220

The table above shows that Toyo tires dominate the race when it comes to winter tires. Let’s get into the reason for this in the details. 

Snow Grip

Pirelli Sottozero 3 is made with special polymers that are molded into a directional pattern to feature a large contact patch. This contact patch comes with arrow shaped center blocks and rounded shoulders to expel out any water and provide good grip on snow. 

But the Toyo Observe GSI-6 also comes with directional tread design. Its advantage is in the microbit technology in its tread compound that helps the tires to dig deeper and provide a good bite into the icy surface. Moreover, its tread design includes large inner blocks with saw toothed edges. The combination of which make Observe GSI-6 show better performance in snow. 

Verdict:

Go for Toyo Obserive GSI-6 tires over Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 if your main priority is having the maximum snow grip. 

Tire Wear Resistance

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 means good durability. This is because of its internal structure that includes twin steel belts reinforced by spirally wrapped polyamide. All of which enhances the tire wearing resistance. 

Toyo  Observe GSI-6 tires have aggressive tread design along with high density 3D multi–wave sipes that help to bring good durability to the tire. The use of all the new technology makes Toyo the more attractive option if you are looking for durability. 

Verdict:

Go for Toyo Observe GSI-6 tires if your main priority is durability. 

Handling

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 tires have high density 3D sipe technology which uses more biting edges through longitudinal and lateral stability and retains maximum contact patch for good handling with the tire. 

But Toyo Observe GSI-6 tires have serrated stability ribs. This continuous center rib adds for more stability and steering response while driving. Moreover, the spill offset shoulder blocks also account for better grabbing power and handling in snow and ice.

Verdict:

Choose Toyo Observe GSI-6 tires for better handling performance. 

Cost

From the table it should be quite clear that Toyo tires are the more affordable option. The cost depends on the size and the speed rating of these tires. 

Verdict:

Choose Toyo tires if you want to have a more affordable tire option. 

FAQs

Can I Drive With Toyo Proxes 4 On Snow?

No, you cannot drive with Toyo Proxes 4 on snow. The tires are better suited for driving on summer road conditions due to its tread design that offers for much better grip on dry conditions rather than slippery and icy roads. 

Can Scorpion Zero All Season Be Used On My F15?

Yes, you can use Scorpion Zero All Season on your F15. Scorpion Zero is compatible for use on any rough terrain and you can incorporate it into any SUV and light trucks. It comes with a sound canceling device in the interior of the circumferential wall that helps to reduce the noise of the tire and its aggressive design helps with the durability. 

Are Toyo Open Country AT III 10 Ply Rating?

Yes, Toyo Open Country AT III has 10 ply rating tires. Of course not all of the tires have 10 ply rating on them but if you are specifically looking for 10 ply rating tires then you will find them 16 to 18 inches size and 20 to 22 inches. Look for the load ID on your tire and it has the load ID E in it then your Open Country AT III is a 10 ply rating tire. 

Conclusion

Hopefully this article has guided you to go for the best choice between Pirelli VS Toyo tires. Always remember to evaluate your main priority and consider the cost as a key option before you make a decision. Finally, for an even better picture, narrow down your options into a few tire models and make comparisons between them to make the ultimate decision.

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William Baldwin

This Is William Baldwin, The Founder & Managing Editor of this website. Me and my team share automotive tips, tricks, and news

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Talha Atta

Talha Atta, a Mechanical Engineer and experienced technical content writer and editor at Autoglobes.com with a passion for the automotive industry.