Pirelli unveils Cinturato All Season SF3

Introducing the new Cinturato All Season SF3, a tyre Pirelli has “designed specifically for city drivers of medium and compact cars who need a safe solution all year round.” The SF3 arrives in April in sizes for 16- to 20-inch rim diameters, following on from the Cinturato All Season SF2 that debuted just three years ago.

Developed through virtual design, Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF3 offers a “high level of braking control in a variety of different weather conditions.” The tyre achieves the top EU tyre label rating of A for wet grip across all sizes. Furthermore, Pirelli says “snow control is guaranteed” by the 3PMSF marking. On dry roads, the Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF3 delivers stability, reduced noise, and rolling resistance performance closer to that of a summer tyre than a winter model. Certification body TÜV SÜD confirms this package of strengths in various driving conditions by awarding the Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF3 its ‘Performance Mark’.

SF3 technologies

The Pirelli development team has evolved the SF2’s adaptive tread technology with 3D sipes to give the Cinturato All Season SF3 better grip on snow throughout the tyre’s life. As the tyre wears, these sipes transform from a straight line into a zigzag pattern, increasing the surface area capable of gripping snow despite diminishing tread depth. The sipes also can open and close according to the energy transmitted through the tyre, transitioning from a winter configuration into a much stiffer and more compact summer pattern as required. This versatility enhances braking performance, road holding, and driving precision.

Compared to the previous model, the SF3 features wider grooves and sharper angles in its directional tread pattern, further enhancing snow performance while also facilitating efficient water dispersion to mitigate the risk of aquaplaning. This optimisation of the land-sea ratio not only improves safety but also contributes to enhanced comfort. Noise levels are low across the entire Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF3 range, with all variants achieving an A or B label rating for this criteria.

Leading in dry braking

Advancements in material technology aid the evolution of the SF3’s tread pattern grooves. The wider grooves traditionally found on cold weather tyres can compromise performance in summer conditions, but Pirelli says the compound it uses for the SF3 effectively balances the tyre’s stiffness, stability and responsiveness, even in high temperatures. Dekra testing substantiates this balance, highlighting the Cinturato All Season SF3’s “leading position in dry braking.”

Moreover, the all-season tyre maintains its effectiveness in winter as the compound does not harden in the cold, resulting in enhanced grip. Pirelli credits this to the presence of innovative ingredients, including a new blend of polymers with unique microstructures that retain high mobility in cold temperatures while ensuring adequate stiffness when temperatures rise. Additionally, the Cinturato All Season SF3 features new resins of natural origin that promote grip in low temperatures, alongside liquid polymers that optimise snow performance without compromising wet road grip.

Bringing tread & compound together with virtual modelling

Virtual modelling played a pivotal role in the design process, allowing the parallel development of compounds and tread patterns to synergise their respective characteristics. Virtualisation also made it possible to precisely engineer the distribution of physical stresses on the tyre, ensuring uniform energy dispersion across the footprint of the Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF3. This leads to several advantages in terms of wear, noise and rolling resistance. This results in increased mileage, enhanced driving comfort, and a positive impact on fuel consumption and emissions.

Elect yes, SUV no

As mentioned, Pirelli is offering the Cinturato All Season SF3 in 16- to 20-inch sizes. This range includes a selection of sizes with the Elect marking, indicating the presence of technologies that enhance the characteristics of BEVs and PHEVs. On the other hand, the SF3 is not available in a SUV version – for high centre of gravity vehicles that require specific tyre characteristics, Pirelli states that it “offers the Scorpion range in different seasonal variations, including all-season.”