Pirelli adds two P Zero Porsche Taycan tyres to its Elect range

Porsche has chosen Pirelli P Zero R and P Zero Trofeo tyres for its restyled Taycan and has exclusively appointed Pirelli to supply tyres for the Taycan Turbo GT. According to the company, the first tyre is designed for “supercars’ everyday driving”, while the second is a street-legal semi-slick tyre. Both were launched earlier this year and have been specifically adapted in collaboration with the German carmaker. And both feature the Elect marking on the sidewall, indicating a package of technological solutions to suit the characteristics of electric vehicles and made its debut in 2019 on the first generation of the Porsche Taycan. Porsche’s range includes over 30 Pirelli homologated tyres bearing the Elect designation, accompanying Porsche’s electric transition on different models, such as the Macan.

Pirelli’s P Zero R tyres homologated for this model are “dedicated to daily driving while also being suitable for sportier outings”. This objective was achieved thanks to Pirelli’s experience as a supplier of the most high-performance models, as well as the development of the Elect technology package. Pirelli’s patented Resin Blend technology as well as its reinforced structure and multi-compound tread reportedly helps manage the sudden accelerations typical of electric motors.

Safe for road driving but track-oriented, the P Zero Trofeo RS is the sportiest variant supplied by Pirelli for the new Taycan. In fact, it is the top high-performance tyre in Pirelli’s road range, a semi-slick tyre made with specially designed compounds derived from rally products. Both Pirelli and Porsche reportedly put a big effort into the joint development of the tyres. Testing them together with the driving dynamic engineers from Porsche and the development driver Lars Kern was key to achieving the superb driving behaviour and the highest performance especially adapted to the aims of Taycan Turbo GT on the Nürburgring, where the EV sportscar travelled at speeds over 300 km/h. A series of construction solutions were adopted to optimize the tyre’s contact patch even at high speeds: the dedicated compound provides grip and stability, the outer shoulder of the tread has a low number of grooves to provide support in conditions of strong lateral acceleration, and the pattern is designed to ensure quick and uniform heating along the entire contact patch. Indeed, even for the most demanding track sessions, this tyre does not require electric blankets. To make the development process faster and more efficient, Pirelli’s Virtual Geometry Development system compared a very high number of possible profiles and tread models in a digital environment to define in detail the characteristics and behaviour of the tyre.

Both the P Zero R and the P Zero Trofeo RS developed for this model are available in 265/35ZR21 and 305/30ZR21 sizes. To complete the range of Pirelli options for the Porsche Taycan, over the years the company has developed the P Zero, P7 All Season, P7 Blue, and P Zero Winter, with sizes ranging from 19 to 21 inches.