New Addition to Pirelli PZero Road Range the “Best Handling”

Those of you with around £180,000 stashed away in your piggy bank may wish to add Lamborghini’s new Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera to your new car shopping list, and if your budget does stretch to this latest supercar from Sant’Agata Bolognese, your next set of wheels will come fitted with the finest Pirelli has to offer. In the countdown to the start of the International Motor Show in Geneva, the Italian tyre maker has bolstered its ongoing technological partnership with Lamborghini and announced the premiere of its new PZero Corsa System at the exhibition.

The latest addition to the PZero line-up is, states Pirelli, specifically designed for use on the highest-performing next generation of vehicles. In designing the PZero Corsa System, the company says its research department set out to develop a tyre that reduces environmental impact through the use of compounds and technology that minimises rolling resistance – yet at the same time maximises performance characteristics. For the Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera fitment, sizes 235/35ZR19 and 295/30ZR19 have been selected.

The PZero Corsa System, Pirelli continues, combines a directional tread design on the front tyres with an asymmetric design on the rear in order to decrease susceptibility to hydroplaning, a problem experienced when using tyres derived from semi-slick sports designs. The front PZero Corsa tyres maintain the previous tread design, however Pirelli states that “innovative materials and technology choices” have been introduced to help balance the “increased sportiness” of the new asymmetric rear tyres. The rear tread includes “robust blocks and a full shoulder to maximise the performance on dry, even under the most extreme driving conditions,” Pirelli reports. The inclusion of longitudinal channels also facilitates water expulsion and decreases susceptibility to hydroplaning, despite the reduced tread depth. The new combination of designs and the use of motorsport derived materials allows the new PZero Corsa System to achieve higher levels of performance both on dry and wet surfaces, the Italian tyre maker adds.

“PZero Corsa System is the best handling road tyre in the PZero collection, the line of Ultra High Performance products developed by Pirelli for the most prestigious and high-performance cars. PZero represents a revolution for the tyre industry, and offers drivers performance without precedence in every aspect: handling, comfort, and safety,” states Pirelli in a release, adding that the tread design, tyre structure and compound developments incorporated into the new tyre are protected by no less than five patents.

“The racing heart of PZero is guaranteed by the tread compounds and by special nano-composites that ensure comfortable driving combined with extreme sports performance,” the manufacturer elaborates. “Additionally, the tread design of Pirelli’s new tyre also delivers maximum grip on wet roads and reduces noise. The asymmetric profile DA.Co (Dynamic Asymmetric Contour) gives even wear and tyre-ground contact remains the same at all speeds. Moreover, P Zero is produced with compounds which contain no aromatic oils. Pirelli’s decision on this came three years ahead of the European directive, which will enforce this act from 2010.”

The established collaboration between Pirelli and Lamborghini is not limited to the development of road tyres, and extends to racing and the main events organised by the car maker. The Italian tyre maker is the sole supplier to the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo and the Lamborghini Track Academy.