Pirelli launches commercial tyre all-rounder R:01 Triathlon

Pirelli has launched its new tyre line for commercial vehicles, the R:01 Triathlon, at Reifen 2016. Designed as third generation products, the tyres provide performance characteristics not only to replace the existing R:01 II, but also to overlap the winter W:01 and long-haul H:01 ranges. While the new tyres are “not designed to replace” Pirelli’s specialist models, the manufacturer’s CEO Europe, Renato Zilli told Tyrepress that the R:01 Triathlon range represents its recognition of users’ “variable needs” and the evolution of European goods transportation; in 2010 the ratio between regional, long-haul and winter applications was 76:20:4, while in 2015 this has changed to 81:15:4. Commercial tyres featuring all-round performance are naturally attractive to dealers as an aftermarket solution, but European fleets also require adaptability between the more popular regional applications and long-haul routes, taking in different climates.