- PIRELLI CELEBRATES A RECORD NUMBER OF HOMOLOGATIONS FOR THE P ZERO TYRE IN GENEVA: 380 IN TOTAL,AN INCREASE OF MORE THAN 90 COMPARED TO LAST YEAR
- THE CINTURATO P7 ALSO HITS THE HEADLINES: CHOSEN AS ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT FOR 170 MODELS IN JUST FIVE YEARS
- FERRARI CALIFORNIA T, LAMBORGHINI HURACAN AND MCLAREN 650: EACH CAR WITH A PIRELLI TYRE BEST SUITED TO ITS UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS AND PERFORMANCE
Geneva, March 4, 2014. Pirelli’s made-to-measure technology headlines the 84th Geneva Motor Show, where all the most eagerly anticipated cars make their debut wearing P Zero and Cinturato tyres, which have been specifically tailor-made as original equipment for each model. Each car benefits from the tyre best equipped to showcase the model’s characteristics and performance, made-to-measure by Pirelli’s experts in close collaboration with each automotive manufacturer’s engineers – as is the case with the Ferrari California T, the Lamborghini Huracàn and the McLaren 650, as well as the latest models from Audi, BMW, Jaguar and Mercedes.
These tyres have been tested and homologated by the same people who designed the vehicles themselves, and they are characterised by a specific designation on the sidewall that acts as the hallmark of the tyre, making it easy to identify the correct replacements when the time comes.
This concept is supported by all premium car manufacturers, who are constantly on the look out for technologically advanced tyres that work best with the traction control systems and inherent comfort associated with their top models. Including the cars equipped with Pirelli tyres at the Geneva Motor Show, the P Zero tyre has achieved 380 homologations since 2007, meaning that in just seven years Pirelli’s engineers have designed and developed 380 different versions of the P Zero: a bespoke tyre that is tailor-made for the requirements of all models in the premium and prestige sector. The other tyre with a record number of homologations within Pirelli is the Cinturato P7, which has received 170 homologations in its five-year lifespan.
Each homologation is perfectly adapted to the individual needs of every model, which means that it is no longer correct to talk about a single P Zero or Cinturato as original equipment, but instead a family of tyres from which numerous special versions derive, specifically developed for the cars to which they are fitted. Among the most recent new models wearing the latest Pirelli tyres at the Geneva Motor Show are the Audi TT, S1 and S3 Cabriolet, the latest-generation BMW X5, Mercedes C Class and S600, as well as the Jaguar F Type, XFR and XJR. As for the prestige sector, all the most eagerly-anticipated cars in the show are equipped with bespoke Pirelli tyres: the Ferrari California T, the Lamborghini Huracàn and McLaren 650S.
MORE THAN 380 BESPOKE P ZERO TYRES
The base characteristics of the P Zero are extraordinary roadholding both on straights and through corners, high standards of safety thanks to reduced wet and dry braking distances, driveability and comfort. The P Zero uses special Nano-composites in the tread pattern and bead, ensuring both a comfortable drive and sporting performance. The tread pattern design guarantees maximum grip on wet surfaces, thanks to three wide longitudinal grooves and also optimises acoustic comfort, while the asymmetric profile ensures consistent wear. The structure of the P Zero contains any deformation of the profile even at very high speeds (up to 370kph).
Today P Zero is available in a range of sizes from /50 to /25, for rims from 17 to 21 inches. CINTURATO P7: A REFERENCE POINT FOR THE PREMIUM SECTOR The Cinturato P7 – Pirelli’s first ecological high-performance tyre for cars with medium to large engines – has also been destined for continuous evolution in close collaboration with the world’s leading car manufacturers. In just a short space of time it has claimed the market leadership in its sector and won several international tyre tests. In particular, the Cinturato P7 ensures a low environmental impact because of the Nano fillers and special polymers in the compounds, which lead to reduced weight compared to any reference tyre in its category.
Furthermore, Cinturato P7 reduces rolling resistance by 20%, leading to a decrease in CO2 emissions, as well as reduced fuel consumption by 4.2%. The asymmetric tread pattern design, which offers maximum safety even on wet surfaces and through corners, brings down noise by 30% compared to any reference tyre. The sophisticated design mean that the Cinturato P7’s tread pattern wears evenly, ensuring that performance remains consistent through the entire life cycle of the tyre.
A BESPOKE P ZERO TYRE TO TAME LAMBORGHINI’S ‘HURRICANE’
Pirelli has developed bespoke P Zero tyres for the new Lamborghini Huracàn. The latest supercar to emerge from Sant’Agata uses tailor-made P Zero tyres as original equipment, in 245/30ZR20 size at the front and 305/30ZR20 at the back. This personalised approach means that the Pirelli tyres can respond perfectly to the blistering performance offered by the Huracàn, which can accelerate to 100kph from rest in just 3.2 seconds, en route to a top speed in excess of 325kph.
The development of these special P Zero tyres, distinguished by an L on the sidewall to denote the brand they belong to, used a lot of the simulation technology that derives from Formula One. This means that the number of ‘real’ tyre prototypes during the research phase was reduced by 50%. Furthermore, thanks to the use of compounds directly derived from motorsport, roadholding and grip have been increased by 7% compared to the previous-generation P Zero: further proof of the continuous and constant process of evolution within this illustrious family of Pirelli tyres.
In particular, Pirelli’s engineers worked closely with their counterparts at Lamborghini to optimise the profile of the tyres, which provide a bigger contact patch when cornering and better distribution of pressure onto the road surface, ensuring improved stability in all usage conditions. The asymmetric design, highlighted by an external shoulder with large tread blocks, allows optimal stability in sporting driving, reducing braking distances by 5% thanks to the use of new compounds. The internal part, with more grooves, has been designed to help put more power down onto the road in terms of traction. This evolution reduces sliding and ensures perfect grip between the tyre and the road surface, improving safety: Pirelli’s principal objective in every new evolution.
FERRARI AND PIRELLI: P ZERO TYRES FROM THE RACE TRACK TO THE ROAD
The automotive industry as a whole has always drawn its inspiration from the world of Formula One. Nowhere is this truer than in the case of Ferrari: including the tyres that the latest model from Maranello is wearing. The Ferrari California T, one of the most eagerly anticipated cars of the entire Geneva Motor Show, is equipped with Pirelli P Zero tyres as original equipment. The California owes the ‘T’ in its name to a turbocharged engine, which in the spirit of the new Formula One regulations reduces fuel consumption by 15%.
Pirelli has also relied on its experience as sole tyre supplier to the pinnacle of motorsport, in developing a bespoke tyre for the car that uses Formula One know-how, but with a higher working range and a wider usage window. The new tyres, distinguished by the ‘F01’ hallmarks on their sidewalls, are available in 19 and 20-inch sizes. While developing these unique P Zero tyres, Pirelli’s engineers concentrated particularly on the compounds in order to reduce heat generation, and on the internal materials, in order to optimally distribute all the varied forces.
The result of all this work has been reduced rolling resistance in the order of 10-15%. Another priority was the tyre structure, which was designed from the start to adapt itself as closely as possible to the technical advances of the California, especially the new dampers, but without compromising the comfort and sporting experience that is quintessentially Ferrari. The perfect interaction between the new steering system and the tyres has helped to achieve a more reactive drive, particularly on the road, where the P Zero covers contribute to a braking distance of no more than 34 metres.
