First Pirelli AA tyre gains Autobild plaudits

Pirelli’s Cinturato P7 Blue was unveiled to the tyre business at Reifen 2012, where a 17” size claimed the honour of becoming the first EU label rated AA product on the market. Branded as a road tyre cousin to the Pirelli’s wet Formula One tyre, the Cinturato P7 Blue was developed for a wide range conditions while respecting the environment. In a recent Autobild test of eight ecological summer tyres it was rated “exemplary” by the respected consumer automotive monthly.

The test assembled a field of ecologically conscious summer tyres to assess a number of characteristics, including wet and dry braking and handling, in order to build up an accurate overall picture of how well the tyre performs. Autobild described the tyre as exemplary, pointing out its “safe handling, short wet and dry braking distances and good resistance to aquaplaning.” The tyre also has strong environmental credentials, reducing fuel consumption thanks to decreased rolling resistance.

A particularly strong performance was acknowledged in the most treacherous conditions of all: heavy rain. Pirelli’s Cinturato Blue full wet tyre is used in Formula One to shift around 65 litres per second at 300kph, and Pirelli says some features have been carried over into the road tyre, describing F1 as its “biggest test laboratory”.

The Cinturato name itself dates back to the 1950s, describing the ‘cintura’ – which means ‘belt’ in Italian.