The Pirelli Sottozero WRC spiked tires are not available in common shops, and even if you manage to grab a set worth around 2,000 USD, you will not be allowed to put them on a road car. Still, the YouTube team of Tyre Reviews decided to see just how efficient they would prove on exposed ice and show.
Piloting an old Subaru WRX rally car with Pirelli road tires on it, Johnathan Benson managed to make a lap on a snowed-under circuit in 1 minute 7 seconds. Putting on a set of Sottozero WRCs reduced the lap time to 59 seconds. The difference is there, but it isn’t too great because spikes do not help much on snow.
When tested on sheer ice, however, the Sottozero tires were whopping 17.9 seconds faster. Watch the video to see how tricky and dangerous the lap was.
The road-legal winter tires featured in the video are Pirelli Ice Zero, which you can get for around $600.