Pirelli releases new P Zero

Tyre giant Pirelli has announced the launch of its latest P Zero high performance rubber. According to the Italian brand, the new P Zero promises improved braking performance and longevity. It is available in several sizes to suit rims ranging from 16 to 20-inch.

The new P Zero is available at Pirelli approved dealers, starting from $336 each. It will be offered alongside the P Zero Nero and P Zero Rosso designs, with the P Zero Corsa road-race tyre at the top end of the range.

Development of the new design, taking two years, was primarily to suit particular "special" original equipment contracts. Pirelli is OE supplier for marques including Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Maserati and Ferrari.

The new P Zero has a redesigned tread pattern incorporating what Pirelli calls DA.Co (Dynamic Asymmetric Contour). This is designed to promote even wear and maintain a consistent footprint on the road, the company says.

The tyre compounds consist of nylon and aramid pulp (Kevlar), and "nano-composites" chosen for high thermoplastic stability.

Pirelli says the P Zero's new Hybrid Cord system minimises tyre deformation at high speeds (tested up to 370km/h), promoting durability. Designers aimed for minimal change of the road footprint under centrifugal forces at speed, trying to match the tyre's static properties to those while in motion.

The redesign has brought improvements in braking, in both wet and dry conditions, "by around 10 per cent". The centre channels in the P Zero's tread pattern now use a slightly circular angle which helps to whisk away water.

Pirelli says this has also made the tyre quieter, claiming the P Zero's rating at under 75dB.

The new P Zero was launched at Phillip Island, applied to the likes of Subaru WRX, BMW M3, Audi S3 and Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. Although these are all decent handlers and there was no competitor comparison, the new P Zero showed no fatigue after several slalom runs. The tyres performed well during wet and dry braking tests.

Pirelli ambassador Craig Lowndes even made light work of the track and tests with a P Zero-shod Falcon renter.

The P Zero is the spearhead range for the Italian manufacturer, which produces tyres for buses, trucks and motorcycles and is the control tyre supplier for the World Rally Championship. The original P Zero was launched over 20 years ago, in 1987.

The performance market has changed considerably since then; creating new challenges for tyre manufacturers says Roberto Righi, managing director of Pirelli Tyres Australia.

The ultra-low profile tyre range promptly evolved to include sizes and applications that were "almost from the future", he says.

"It's only taken 20 years but we're now in a situation where an 18-inch or even 19-inch tyre for original equipment supply is not something particularly exotic."

Righi suggests there is now a stabilisation of the increase in wheel rim diameter, however.

"In the last ten years the development, in terms of inches for the rim diameters, has not been as big as it was from 1985 and 1987, and the following ten years. It shows how the product range of a tyre manufacturer needs to suit the market's needs, and the choices made by the car manufacturers."

Of its 160 markets worldwide, Pirelli is strongest in Europe and Latin America, and more recently has generated strong sales growth in the USA.

Aside from the company's famous calendar -- featuring local model Catherine McNeil and an Asian influence for 2008 ('The Cal' this year was shot in Shanghai and artists aimed to "bring the world of Pirelli to the public of the Orient") -- Righi says the tyre maker will focus on increasing its profile in the Asia Pacific region over the next few years.

"We now have an industrial presence here that we could not rely on in the past, which gives us a substantial advantage compared to the situation before, especially in terms of transit time," says Righi.

Pirelli Tyres Australia recently made its best sales growth since it began distribution in 1979.

"Over the last 18 months we have produced our strongest sales results in decades... and we expect to continue to keep outperforming the market growth," says Righi.

Pirelli has 274 approved dealers in Australia across six states (except NT). See the Dealer Locator tool at pirelli.com.au

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