Pirelli P4 Four Seasons Plus Review: One of the Best Touring Tires Right Now

Usable in most conditions, dependable, reliable, and budget-friendly – that’s what the average buyer wants from a set of tires these days. However, there is no tire that we know of that achieves all those things. At least not the last one. If you want the best tires in their category, be ready to splash out the cash.

For example, if you want the best set of touring tires, you’re looking into Michelin, Bridgestone, Continental, and Pirelli territory. The Italian manufacturer, for example, recently launched the P4 Four Seasons Plus – a touring tire designed to offer a combination of excellent traction throughout the year, great braking performance, and outstanding durability.

Pirelli is mostly known for its high-performance portfolio – every car enthusiast dreams about P Zeroes. That said, they also have great comfortable-oriented tires. The P4 Four Seasons Plus is an heir to the P4 Four Seasons, and it brings several improvements to the table. Not that it needed to – the predecessor was already one of the best touring tires on the market. But we won’t complain much, of course.

Specifically designed to cover the needs of drivers of sedans, minivans, crossovers and coupes, the P4 Four Seasons Plus competes in the most hotly contested category in the tire industry. Nonetheless, some may find the size range limiting. Pirelli offers the P4 only in 15-inch, 16-inch, and 17-inch configurations. This means that most new higher-grade cars are not covered. For example, if you own a new crossover and it happens to have 18-inch tires, you’re out of luck. The same can be said for vehicles such as the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and Ford Fusion.

In other words, even though Pirelli says that the P4 Four Seasons Plus is directed at owners of minivans, sedans, and coupes, we think that it’s more geared towards subcompact and compact vehicles. The Corollas and Civics’ of the world. That is of course if you own the newer models – older minivans and crossovers are usually equipped with 16-inch or 17-inch wheels, which makes them great candidates for the P4 Four Seasons Plus. If you want larger sizes, though, Pirelli can cover you with the Cinturato P7.

Size availability aside, the Pirelli has a lot going for when it comes to technology – continue down below to check its features, and then check what we think about the P4 Four Seasons Plus in the detailed review further down the article.

What are the features of the Pirelli P4 Four Seasons Plus?

As its name implies, the P4 is an all-season tire specifically designed to work throughout the year. Pirelli put a lot of focus into optimizing the profile and reinforce the shoulders to improve wear, which is one of the strongest points of the P4 Four Season Plus.

The high-silica tread compound is also optimized for a quiet ride and low-rolling resistance, which as you probably already know, improves fuel consumption and lower emissions. The all-season aspect is covered with the variable angle grooves and continuous center ribs, which gives the P4 great traction throughout the year. In the end, the pretty obvious central longitudinal grooves limit hydroplaning, thus improving traction and stopping performance in heavy rain.

Pirelli didn’t stop there, though. They also used innovative materials and modern processing methods for even lower rolling resistance, and they optimized the casing profile with an internal structure that includes twin steel belts and spirally wrapped nylon for long wear, better ride quality, and durability. The optimized tread is also carefully designed to limit noise, which should result in a much quieter tire.

Overall, Pirelli tried to achieve everything in one tire. According to their marketing materials, the P4 Four Seasons Plus should be comfortable and quiet, it should work in dry, wet, and snowy conditions, and it should also be very durable. Let’s see if they succeeded.

What are maintenance indicators?

The Pirelli P4 Four Season Plus has tread wear indicator bars that are built into the design of the tire. They are almost invisible when the tire is new, but become partially visible as the tread wears down. As soon as the tread is flush with these indicators, you’ll need to replace your tires.

Luckily, that won’t happen soon – the P4 Four Seasons Plus comes with 90,000-mile treadwear warranty for an unlimited time. That’s one of the best warranties on the market right now, even when compared to other premium competitors. This also translates into the real world – according to owners, the P4 Four Seasons Plus seems to have a tread that lasts forever!

As for uniformity warranty, Pirelli covers the first 2/32” of wear for 1 year, which is pretty good for the category. Also, they offer a free replacement in the first year of 2/32” wear and will give you a 30-day trial period to try the tire and see if it suits you.

Overall, you shouldn’t have treadwear related problems with the P4 Four Seasons Plus. It is more likely that uniformity issues will come first, even if your car has faulty suspension.

Is it good for off-road driving?

The P4 Four Seasons Plus is absolutely not a tire that you can use in off-road conditions. Simply put, it will get stuck on any slippery surface, such as rocks, mud, or sand. That said, you can still use the P4 on gravel, as long as you’re not pushing your car too much. Truthfully, if you want good off-road performance, you should at least install all-terrain tires on your car.

How does it behave on the dry tarmac?

The Pirelli P4 Four Seasons Plus isn’t the most magnificent tire to drive on the road, especially if you own a more powerful vehicle. However, this is a touring tire, and you shouldn’t even expect high-performance handling. The P4 is not as responsive as sporty tires, and in my opinion, there are competitors that are better in that regard as well.

However, most drivers of sub-compact and compact vehicles don’t really care about responsiveness and precision – they want to know if the tire is safe and reliable. And you know what? In that regard, the P4 Four Seasons Plus is one of the best in its category.

Traction is excellent, even during hard acceleration, both in warm and cool conditions. The grip is also very good, while braking performance is one of the best in the category. I also liked the straight-line stability of the P4 Fours Seasons Plus on the highway, something that’s often important to buyers in this category.

In other words, the P4 is a tire that won’t give you the most enjoyable driving experience, but a tire that will be supremely safe.

How is it over wet and slippery roads?

Pirelli’s focus on wet performance really pays dividends here. The optimized tread design with two central longitudinal grooves gives the tire excellent resistance to hydroplaning. Even in heavy rain or when driving over puddles of water, the Pirelli manages to get you through without a lot of fuss. Thanks to the advanced tread compound, the P4 Four Seasons Plus is also very good in damp conditions – traction, grip and stopping power are all near the top of the category.

With that being said, how is it in snowy roads?

Pirelli advertises this tire as being usable in any weather you encounter, which also means that you should expect good traction in the winter. That’s only true if the conditions are dry, but certainly not if it snows. The P4 Four Seasons Plus is usable in light snow, but still far from a proper winter tire. In its defense, most competitors in the touring category are also on the same level od the Pirelli.

Is it comfortable and refined?

You bet it is! That’s one of the main reasons why you would want to buy the P4 Four Seasons Plus. Ride quality is one of the best, if not the best in the category. Smaller imperfections are easily eaten from the tire, leaving the suspension of your car with a lot less work to do. Noise is also a non-issue, even at higher speeds. As a matter of fact, the P4 is one of the quietest tires you’ll encounter.

You can see more Pirelli P4 Four Seasons Plus Review here: videos created by Fusion Kidd

Should I buy the Pirelli P4 Four Seasons Plus?

I’d say you should, especially if the tire store near you has them in stock. The P4 Four Seasons Plus may not be the most responsive tire in the world, but for most drivers of sub-compact and compact vehicles, it offers all-weather traction and braking performance that few in its category can touch. The Pirelli is also environmentally-friendly – it will lower the fuel consumption of your car, and it is supremely comfortable. In the end, the 90,000-mile treadwear warranty (unlimited time) is simply unbeatable.