“A high performance tyre for everyone”: Pirelli

Pirelli may now be the brand most associated with a definition of “high performance” most concerned with high speeds and quicker lap times thanks to its high profile role in the UK’s highest profile motorsport series, Formula One. Having said that, the high performance tyre segment has for a long time taken a much broader definition in commercial terms, forged by the long-term move to larger sizes and faster speed ratings on small medium and even supermini segment vehicles; Pirelli say it remains optimistic about the future of the segment, since “the word ‘performance’ is taking on a new and more relevant definition in today’s world”. The brand says its range of high performance products “has never been more relevant than it is now… there really is a high performance tyre for everyone”.

At the top end of the high performance market Pirelli pitches its PZero Corsa System, developed as original equipment tyre for uncompromising sports cars. It combines a directional tyre on the front axle with an asymmetric tyre on the rear axle: two tyres with different tread patterns working in unison for road use and occasional track sessions. Developed from Pirelli’s motorsport activities, the tyres are made with a racing-type compound for improved steering precision, braking and wet performance on cars manufactured by Aston Martin, BMW, Ferrari, Maserati and Porsche. 

Yet Pirelli says it understands that for “ordinary motorists” interest in performance tyres lies in maintaining the integrity and control that they have been accustomed to since their vehicles left the showroom. It argues that “having chosen to drive these premium cars in the first place, it’s clear that these people are looking above all for value in the abstract sense rather than economy”. The PZero Rosso range offers the company’s “optimum balance between comfort and performance on both wet and dry surfaces”, developed for modern sports cars with electronic drive and stability control systems. Meanwhile the PZero Nero offers improved sports driving pleasure together with optimum safety for the most fashionable city cars in addition to extreme tuning professionals, it says.

Pirelli argues that high performance also applies to its more eco-friendly range, with its Scorpion Verde SUV tyre labelled “the first SUV performance tyre developed with a completely green philosophy”. The brand says environmental concerns “have always been high on Pirelli’s agenda – even in the upper echelons of Formula One, where special arrangements have been made for the recycling of used competition tyres”. While it seems incongruous to talk green capabilities at the same time as high performance, Pirelli argues that it is its “mission is to ensure that this is no longer the case”. Its Cinturato P7 is an “expression of Pirelli’s ‘Green Performance’ philosophy”, with low rolling resistance, reduced road noise and high mileage.

Pirelli concludes that its performance tyre range has never been more relevant than it is now: “there really is a high performance tyre for everyone out there”.