Tires Pirelli or Vredestein

I’m a winter tire guy. Have been since my MK6 TDI. I’ve never been stuck. With the manual transmission and grabby tires, I just rip through that shit. Vredstein set for me. “Performance” winter set.

I run Pirelli winters on my Mk8 in Canada and they are fantastic.

I did not end up purchasing Vredestein (I was considering the HT), but it was the only tire I felt was worth the money below $250/tire that I was looking at, which was Continentals, Pirellis, and MIchelins. Agree they rate much better than similarly or cheaper-priced tires in most rankings.

I'm running the Pirelli AS+3 at 225 40 r18. A noticeably quieter tire coming from the stock Michelin Pilot Sport 4. Feeling wise they're definitely all season tires, in that they feel less precise (don't feel initial turn in as much as with the summer tires). However, for daily traction and occasional goofing off they're good.

Had great experiences with Pirelli winter tires

Pirelli Scorpion WeatherActives so far have been great on my XC90.

Our XC90 just got fitted with Pirelli scorpions... Smooth as butter.

I had the Vredestein Sportrac 5 previously.

Positives:

+ Quiet and smooth ride

+ Very reliable on flooded highways

Negatives:

- Soft sides, tires looked deflated at the recommended pressure (2.2/1.9 bar - if the car is not loaded, which is most of the time). If I inflate more the drive gets extreme hard and uncomfortable.

I have not driven a lot of tires but wonder if that soft side somehow dampens accuracy?

- Surprisingly bad at braking on the dry, even at low speed in the city, they slide.

The P-Zeros on my 991.2 are WAY too loud.

I’ve replaced at least 7 Pirelli’s in 4 years on my 540. They bubble at the slightest hit. Some of them bubbled after two weeks. I know the roads are not the greatest here in Long Island, but come on. Never again.