Tires Pirelli or OEM FORD

Well i went from 18s to 17s last winter... Originally i bought a set of Pirelli Sottozero3 225/40/18 on 18x7.5 wheels (might have been x8 i cant remember). The traction in cold was unreal and amazing, the price was not.

I had Pirelli p6000 for my 1st gen Clio 1.8, I loved them, I knew about the fact they last not as long, but I loved having so much grip.

Not because of F1, but when I bought full winter rims/tires I had Scorpion Ice & Snow for my X5M. They worked very well actually, and with the combination of the vehicle and those tires I never had any issues in the snow

I have a set, they are pretty good. for a 320 TW tire, the grip is awesome, and should last a lot longer than the OEM Pirellis. These tires are much better at the track (turning) not so much at the quarter.

Today I was able to return the Bridgestone Alenzas and have a different shop set me up with Pirelli Scorpion Verde 235/55/R18 All Season Plus tires and..... AWESOME. These tires are big feeling and grippy, quiet at highway speeds, AND the car is so much more responsive. I can;t compare to tires that I have not tried on this car, but these are a major upgrade from the Continentals that came stock and a very awesome place to be.

Noticable noise and handling difference after I switched them to Prirelli Cinturato P7 A/S+.

My clear favourite for our winter is the Pirelli Sottozero 3. It drives exactly like a real summer tire in the dry but is still excellent in the snow.

Bought 2012 TDI sport with 18" wheels new at dealer 2 months ago. Vehicle sat on dealer lot for 5 months or so. Test drove vehicle, steering wheel shook enough to see it at any speed over 50 mph. THIS was probably from flat spots on tires from sitting, we bought vehicle and dealer agreed to put new tires on and replaced with exact same Pirelli's that vehicle was equipped with.

I have these tires and despise them. Noisiest new tire I've had in at least a decade.

That said, if you're not looking for a performance tire but a quiet, smooth, comfortable tire that holds air and hates to change direction the Cinturato P7s are for you. If you want to drive your GTI like it's a sporty car with some fun and enthusiasm, you'll find that the P7s spin, lose traction, squeal, hate to change direction chatter on braking and generally suck when driving with more vigor than an 80 year old, blind coot who doesn't want to spill his beer.