As Worn by all the Big Names…

When UK deliveries of the long-awaited replacement for Jaguar’s S-type began in March, much interest was directed towards what many see as a make or break car for the classic British marque. The new Jaguar XF represents a departure from the company’s strategy in recent years, which has seen its efforts directed towards presenting itself as a volume production rival for the established German luxury car manufacturers. The XF, in contrast, has been planned from the outset to be something different – a more exclusive premium sports car for a discerning clientele. As Jaguar design director Ian Callum said: “Jaguars should be perceived as cool cars, and cool cars attract interesting, edgy people.”

Included in this deliberately cool package is Pirelli. The Italian manufacturer’s partnership with Jaguar continues, with homologation for the XF covering sizes for all road and weather conditions. Pirelli tyres approved for the Jaguar XF include the P Zero, P7, Nero M + S and Winter Sottozero in four rim sizes – 17, 18, 19 and 20-inch. At the top of the new Jaguar range is the supercharged XF 4.2 V8, and Pirelli’s 20-inch P Zero is the exclusively supplied tyre for this model.

The XF’s fusion of sports car style and performance with the refinement, space and sophistication of a luxury saloon should be, if initial reviews prove to be correct, a winning formula for Jaguar, and from a technical perspective the car has much in its favour. The Coventry based manufacturer has pushed the boat out when it comes to the steering, suspension, braking and driving dynamics technology built into the XF, creating a package Jaguar describes as “the future, now.” And Pirelli has been a part of this; the tyremaker reports having worked closely with Jaguar engineers to achieve the status of ‘preferred supplier’ to this important new car.

The tyres homologated for the Jaguar XF were drawn from a comprehensive Pirelli high performance product portfolio, including those sold under highly regarded P Zero name. The P Zero Collection represents a line of tyres developed in collaboration with leading car manufacturers to enhance the performance, comfort and safety of today’s cars. The portfolio is comprised of the P Zero Corsa System, P Zero, P Zero Nero, P Zero Rosso, P Zero System, Scorpion Zero Asimmetrico and Scorpion Zero.

P Zero Corsa System

Pirelli reports this tyre to be the ultimate expression of the P Zero Collection, the absolute benchmark in its category. The P Zero Corsa System includes two tyres with different tread patterns working in unison – the Direzionale front and Asimmetrico rear – this combination, the Italian manufacturer adds, is ideal for use on both road and track. Whilst the engineering qualities of the system – strong grip when cornering, accelerating and braking – stand out in extreme use on both road and track, the synergy developed by the action of the two different tread designs is perhaps most accentuated in wet driving conditions. The Direzionale’s lateral water expulsion capacity prepares the road surface for the Asimmetrico, allowing it to maximise grip and adding to driver safety.

Designed in collaboration with leading ultra-high performance sector car manufacturers, the P Zero Corsa System is intended not only to meet the specific demands of road cars; Pirelli set out to produce a tyre that allows drivers to savour the thrill of the racetrack experience. Performance cars on which the P Zero Corsa System has been chosen as original equipment include the Ferrari Challenge Stradale, Maserati MC12, Porsche GT3 RS and GT2.

P Zero

Released early 2007, Pirelli views the P Zero as representing the most technologically advanced product to emerge from the company’s research, and a revolutionary product for the tyre industry. As the latest addition to the P Zero Collection, the P Zero benefits from numerous significant features developed by Pirelli and protected by five exclusive patents. The brand new tread pattern, compounds and structure are the culmination of a rigorous twenty-four month development and testing program that has already resulted in P Zero being chosen as original equipment for fifteen of the latest and most prestigious supercars.

The principal feature of P Zero, says Pirelli, is that it guarantees optimum performance in wet and dry conditions throughout the lifetime of the tyre, whilst combining sports handling with comfort. The tyre boasts nano-composites in the compounds of the tread and the bead that guarantee a comfortable ride together with sports performance. Thanks specifically to the tread compound, optimum performance is even provided during the first few kilometres when the tyre is still cold.

Original equipment fitment of the P Zero has been approved for the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, Lamborghini Murcielago and Gallardo, Audi R8 and S8, Aston martin DB9, Maserati Quattroporte, Jaguar XK, Mercedes AMG, Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione and top Porsche and BMW models.

P Zero Nero

With its asymmetric tread pattern and ultra-low profile, the P Zero Nero is aimed at those who want performance with comfort. The tyre is based on the Pirelli P Zero project platform, from which Pirelli has drawn numerous innovative technological solutions in the field of ultra-high performance tyres. Aimed predominantly at the replacement market, the P Zero Nero, with its larger than standard rim diameter sizes on offer, is an attractive option for increasingly powerful sports cars and is, above all, able to integrate with their sophisticated set up. The tyre’s primary development objective was to fully exploit the advantages of ultra-low profile tyres by targeting the “soft” and “hard” tuning sector – the adoption of the highest performance wheel/tyre specifications instead of the standard tyre fitment offered by the car manufacturer.

P Zero Rosso

The P Zero Rosso, says Pirelli, is regarded as the quietest, most comfortable ultra-high performance tyre ever to come out of Italy. The asymmetric tyre can be opted as an all round fitment or fitted in conjunction with the “Direzionale” version on the front wheels to provide a greater emphasis upon wet weather performance. The P Zero Rosso is approved as original equipment by a number of prestigious manufacturers including Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche and Jaguar.

P Zero System

With the P Zero System, drivers can again select an all round or different front and rear fitment. The two tyres in this range are designed with different primary functions in mind – the Asimmetrico, with its three-element design, to transfer engine power to the road and improve torque management, and Direzionale, with its arrowhead design, to emphasise wet weather performance. The “System” concept thus offers the choice of fitting Asimmetrico to all four wheels for optimum grip and exceptional steering response or Direzionale front with Asimmetrico rear to improve aquaplaning resistance. The P Zero System is fitted to Jaguar, Porsche and Ferrari amongst other marques.

Scorpion Zero Asimmetrico

An ultra-high performance, low profile tyre offered in V, W and Y speed ratings, the Scorpion Zero Asimmetrico was created for extreme conversions aimed at boosting the performance of the most powerful SUVs. The tyre is manufactured exclusively using Pirelli’s MIRS join-free manufacturing process, and available in rim diameters between 17 and 30 inches.

Scorpion Zero

The Scorpion Zero is the tyre that extended the P Zero concept to the rapidly developing SUV/SAV segment; vehicles fitted with off-road tyres but with sports performance. To meet this demand, the Scorpion Zero features a reinforced structure, a “Double Z” tread pattern and sizes up to 20-inch diameter to meet all conversion needs. Although predominantly for road use, it also performs well off-road, especially on sand. Scorpion Zero is fitted as original equipment to the New Range Rover, Discovery and Freelander.