Pirelli is currently in the process of relaunching the Pirelli P Zero. The updated tyre keeps the same name, but has three versions of tread pattern depending on the targeted car. The new tyre naturally offers plenty of improvements over the outgoing P Zero tyre.

We're due to find out more at the end of May, for now here's the official Pirelli press release on the update.

Press Release

Once more, Pirelli is relying on the “Zero” to consolidate its worldwide leadership of the prestige sector and enhance its presence in the premium category. So it’s fitting that 30 years after the very first P Zero appeared, Pirelli is now launching the latest version of the tyre that has made history over the last few decades in all its variants: from the P Zero System to the Rosso, not forgetting of course the Nero, the Corsa and the P Zero itself, which was introduced in 2007. The objective is to meet the growing demand for performance, reliability and safety, and to reinforce Pirelli’s Perfect Fit strategy, which means a made to measure tyre for each model of car. 

Extreme technology for bespoke tyres

The P Zero represents the most advanced technology from Pirelli’s renowned research division, which integrates a multiplicity of technical solutions from the Italian firm’s engineers, in close collaboration with their counterparts from the world’s leading car manufacturers. By closely matching advanced technology, processes and materials with the specific requirements of each new car during the design phase, Pirelli is able to supply bespoke tyres for every individual model.

The new P Zero is the best performing tyre currently on the market, as well as the most reliable when it comes to handling the extreme power of modern supercars. This is thanks to new underlayer compounds to improve handling and rolling resistance, innovative polymers with advanced mechanical properties to optimise performance in both wet and dry conditions, and an innovative tread pattern design with deeper longitudinal grooves to expel more water.

F1 Bead, a racing-inspired bead for Formula One-style handling

The overriding hallmark of the new P Zero is its ability to guarantee maximum stability even at the highest speeds: just as the equivalent Formula One tyres do at the pinnacle of motorsport. The F1 Bead technology within the new P Zero is directly derived from Formula One, utilising an especially rigid compound within the bead area that allows a more rapid and precise steering response, avoiding any unexpected loss of lateral grip. This is a characteristic that distinguishes the P Zero from many of its competitors. The F1 Bead technology means that the forces at work on the bead and sidewall are more evenly distributed, which consequently reduces any drop-off in performance and also enhances the integrity of the structure when subjected to high loads and speeds.

As a result, tyre behaviour is more linear and predictable, with the limit of performance reached in a gradual way. This leaves the driver free to experience the enjoyment of sporting performance in complete safety. 

Extended Range Profile: more even wear and top performance throughout the life of the tyre

P Zero breaks new ground when it comes to durability as well, with not only a long tyre life but also more consistent performance throughout the entire life cycle. By making the footprint flatter thanks to the Extended Range Profile, Pirelli’s engineers have been able to ensure that wear becomes more even, which extends the tyre’s useful life and ultimately saves every driver money.

Complete safety even in wet conditions

The increase in the number of tread pattern grooves as well as deeper and wider channels on the surface means that lateral aquaplaning performance has been improved, leading to a 10% increase in water expulsion capacity. This all adds up to safer and more stable braking in wet conditions.

The quiet tyre

The specific design of the tread pattern was also conceived to reduce noise heard in the cabin, improving driving comfort. The way that the transverse grooves are arranged, in a deliberately out of order sequence, disrupts the noise generated by air percussion, distributing sound over a number of different frequencies and so minimising its volume.

Rolling resistance cut by 15%

The combination of new modelling techniques that have optimised the profile of the mould, together with a reduction in weight and introduction of materials high in silica content (more than 80%) has led to a 15% reduction in rolling resistance. This has obvious benefits in terms of reduced fuel consumption.

Born with its own portfolio

The new P Zero has only just been launched and yet it already comes to market with a portfolio of 60 homologations. This underlines its status as the rightful heir within a famous family that now numbers 800 current homologations (1000 in total, including cars that are no longer produced). Pirelli tyres equip one out of every two prestige cars registered every day, all over the world. Dream cars such as the Lamborghini Centenario, the Ferrari GTC4 Lusso, the Mercedes GT AMG and the Porsche Boxster already come equipped with the new P Zero – which has been created in a number of targeted versions to suit the technical requirements and unique characteristics of each car.

Three models, just one name

The P Zero has just one name but it is produced in three individual technical variants, with different applications and performance levels: each one designed for a specific type of car. For cars with a more sporting character there is a less sculpted tread pattern design, which is intended to favour more dynamic and sports orientated performance. The second tread design is more appropriate for saloon cars, thanks to an external shoulder that is more deeply grooved and designed to better absorb each impact with the road surface, enhancing the comfort that is an important part of these cars. Finally, the third design is a lot more aggressive, coming close to the slick tyres seen in motorsport: this has been created for the new P Zero Corsa. So each type of car has its own special type of P Zero. And this is at the very heart of Pirelli’s Perfect Fit strategy.

Back in 1987 the introduction of the first 17-inch road tyre by Pirelli was seen as an innovation, but today the range extends all the way to 22 inches in order to cope with increasingly powerful envelopes of performance. Even within this range the offering is wider and more specific still, with winter, summer and All Season tyres also available as part of Pirelli’s line-up.  And that’s without going further into the many technologies incorporated within these tyres, from Run Flat to Seal Inside, as well as PNCS (Pirelli Noise Cancelling System): technology introduced by Pirelli to reduce in-car noise.

There are also more and more alternative materials, which are the subject of non-stop research: from rice grains to guayule. And then there are different tread patterns as well: each one designed to complement the unique characteristics of every model. Finally there are branded tyres, which denote that each tyre has been specifically developed for an individual car.

Branded tyres

Personalisation and bespoke management of the specific complexities presented by different driving conditions are the cornerstones of Pirelli’s philosophy. These have made the company the world leader when it comes to original equipment homologations, especially in the premium and prestige sectors, with a notable advantage over other competitors.

Of course to reach these records takes time: at least two to three years, which is how long is needed for Pirelli’s engineers to come up with a single product that perfectly matches the car it is fitted to, in close collaboration with the engineers from each individual car company. This is how a branded tyre is born: the only way to allow a car to express its full potential.

And that is also how the latest P Zero has been created: the perfect distillation of Pirelli’s Perfect Fit strategy, with the P Zero family now taking in 11 products.

It’s no exaggeration to say that Pirelli’s range for cars with top to extreme performance is unrivalled, marking a reference point not just for the Italian firm, but also the entire tyre industry as a whole.

P Zero: a story by numbers

The origin, characteristics and destiny of the new P Zero can be summed up in some significant numbers.

Obviously, it all starts with zero, placed alongside Pirelli’s famous P. The P Zero name was born by accident, but it went on to become an iconic brand. P Zero actually stands for ‘project zero’, because the company’s engineers were undecided at the time as to what to call their new motorsport tyre, originally developed for the fearsome Lancia Delta S4 rally car. That was back in 1986: exactly 30 years ago. The following year, the P Zero made its road debut with the Ferrari F40: the first in a series of projects to develop bespoke tyres for a number of performance cars over the decades – with both cars and tyres constantly evolving. The scale of this endless development can be summarised in another surprising number: 302. This is the difference in horsepower between the 1987 F40 and the current generation of supercars. The increase signifies not only more power, but also a greater need for safety, with all the versions of the P Zero ensuring that the cars they are fitted to remain glued to the road under all conditions. Because of this, P Zero has become a point of reference for the world’s most prestigious carmakers, which have chosen it as original equipment 1000 times. To these 1000 homologations, another 60 have already been added by the new P Zero.

In the meantime, the brand has become an emblem in the automotive world. Talk about P Zero, and you paint a vivid picture of the automotive landscape over the last few years. P Zero has also been closely associated with stars and celebrities, who have lent their names to iconic campaigns that have made advertising history. P Zero, of course, also signifies the global spectacle of Formula One, with the name emblazoned on all the slick F1 tyres in a graphic kaleidoscope of different colours. These also symbolise the range of 11 road products, catering for a huge range of different usage conditions, vehicles, driving styles and geographic areas.

No surprise then, that the enduring name of Pirelli’s very latest product remains P Zero. And it’s equally appropriate that Pirelli has chosen the Estoril circuit in Portugal, the former home of the Portuguese Grand Prix, for its world debut. Pirelli’s new ultra high performance product is directly derived from advanced motorsport experience, now carefully adapted to the needs of the everyday motorist.