The Pirelli P Zero range was born 40 years ago, first equipping the Lancia Delta S4. At the fifth generation, it preserves the sporting soul on the road and for the track, with innovative technological solutions such as the Cyber Tyre
There are components of the cars of which we often underestimate the importance, giving them for granted, but which are instead fundamental to allow us to exploit them to the end. This is even more true when it comes to high performance cars, where safety and control are essential aspects to allow us to use them at best. PirelliMilanese manufacturer of tires with a century and a half of history, he was able to enter this sector with the line P zerowhich debuted in 1985 on Lancia delta s4 road and has equipped, among others, unforgettable models such as the Ferrari F40. In 2025, to celebrate the fortieth birthday of this family, the fifth generation debuts: four different tires that respond to the specific needs of a series of high -performance cars. At the base we find the P zerodesigned for large SUVs and luxury cars; there P zero rdesigned for sportsmen who are mainly used on the road; there P zero RS Trophya semi-slick that equips supercar and hypercar that are often used on the track; there P zero ewhich responds to the specific needs of electricity.
An increasing challenge
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Modern high -performance cars place tire manufacturers in the face of ever -growing challenges: not only the continuous increase in powers, but also the increasing weight of the vehicles due to electrification and the need to contact a large and varied audience, which has an interest in both road comfort and in the track performance. Just to respond to these difficulties, the process of design and implementing a new tire sees an increasing involvement of virtual reality and artificial intelligencewhich are joined to the still fundamental physical tests to receive real feedback. Thanks to these procedures it is possible Reduce development time by 50% And to create models of behavior with an almost absolute loyalty to reality. Pirelli then remains very active in Motorsport, which is linked to double thread to series production: the benefits of development travel in both directions.
Pirelli P Zero: how they go on the track
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On the Monza Autodrome, which welcomed us with wet track conditions for the night rain, we were able to test the behavior of the different tires of the range. To try the behavior of the P Zero R we climbed the wheel of one Porsche 911 GTSthe version with hybrid turbo and all -wheel drive that delivers 541 hp. The tires made it possible to immediately become confidence with the route, despite the not simple conditions, and to push quickly, finding a ready -to -adherence response, road holding and braking, also reaching the first variant at over 270 km/h. We then had the opportunity to observe the performance of the Semi-Slick RS Trophy on one Pagani Utopia conducted by a professional pilot: the Pistaiola attitude of this tire becomes even more evident, which was brought to the limit on a car that delivers 864 hp power and 1,100 Nm of torque.
Pirelli P Zero: how it goes on the road
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The range of tires available for road test was made up of Pirelli P Zerothat we tried on one Mercedes Cle Coupé 450 4Matic and on electricity Polestar 4 Dual Motor. Both have shown their sporting attitude on the hairpin bends to reach Lake Como, resulting in reliable in braking and stable in curves. The rolling noise is reduced to a minimum and this is particularly evident with electric cars, where the absence of the sound of the engine highlights other aspects more. The great study work of the noise carried out in the Milanese plant, equipped with a semi-anecotic chamber with microphones to record the sound produced by the tire in all conditions and to various speeds, has made it possible to develop a performance rubber, comfortable and devoid of vibrations at each pace.
Cyber Tyre: the intelligent tire
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Pirelli has been working for years in the development of an intelligent tire and has chosen Pagans as a partner to launch it for the first time: we saw the debut Cyber Tyre Last year on the Utopia Roadster. This rubber is equipped with a sensor drowned inside which records different information, starting from the type of tire to switch to Longitudinal and vertical temperature, pressure and acceleration. These data are sent through Bluetooth technology to the car, which receives and processes them thanks to the software integrated in the ESP Bosch. By doing so it is possible Improve guidanceto shorten the braking spaces and adapt the guide to the different conditions, even going so far as to be able to predict aquaplang. This technology is currently available only at the request of the manufacturers, due to the need for integration with the software, but Pirelli’s goal is to expand its presence and skills in the future.
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