Pirelli gains OE tyre approval for BMW X5 M and X6 M

Pirelli is now an original equipment provider of both summer and winter tyres to the BMW X5 M and X6 M. For the warmer months, Pirelli has 100 per cent OE on the 20-inch fitment, supplying its P Zero in size 285/40R20 104Y for the front wheel and 325/35R20 108Y for the rear. And when summer comes to an end, the Pirelli Scorpion Winter has been homologated for the sporty BMW SUVs in size 285/40R20 108V XL. The tyres’ status as products tailor-made for BMW is indicated by the presence of the (*) sidewall marking.

Winter tyres are still very much a minority purchase in the UK, and upon announcing these latest homologations Pirelli has quoted a couple of figures to help convince consumers that two sets of tyres are better than one – the tyre maker notes that performance drops when temperatures sink below seven degrees centigrade; in winter conditions, summer tyres have a braking distance that is approximately 20 per cent longer than winter tyres. And winter tyres aren’t optimal in summer, either: “Looking at overall performance, summer tyres are only 50 per cent as effective as winter tyres in winter. However, winter tyres are 80 per cent as effective as summer tyres in summer.”

In addition to supplying OE tyres to the X5 M and X6 M, Pirelli summer and winter tyres are also homologated for the BMW X1, X3, X4, X5 and X6. For the X5 and X6 Pirelli offers 18, 19, 20 and 21-inch fitments for summer, 18, 19 and 20-inch for winter and 18 and 19-inch for all season. X3 and X4 approvals include 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21-inch fitments for summer, 17, 18 and 19-inch for winter and 18-inch for all season, while Pirelli tyres are approved for the BMW X1 17, 18 and 19-inch fitments for summer and 17 and 18-inch fitments for winter. Pirelli’s BMW original equipment portfolio includes a variety of run-flat fitments for the entire range.

“BMW is another premium marque that we’ve enjoyed a long-term partnership with,” states Pirelli UK managing director Dominic Sandivasci. “We worked closely with BMW to develop and homologate leading edge technology tyres to deliver and enhance the performance for their vehicles, and these latest fitments are great news.”