Burning Rubber in the City of Gold
June 1, 2007
Four in the morning, Dubai
Standard Time. Jetlagged, I peer out my hotel window to survey the City of Gold;
traffic is barely moving. Reminiscent of rush-hour congestion on Los Angeles and
New York highways, this metropolis of commerce and tourism appears to grow
faster than its city-streets can accommodate.
Thankfully, Milan-based Pirelli has no intention of dry-weather
testing its new high-performance tire—dubbed "P Zero the Hero"—on Dubai’s public
roads. "We can tell you that our tires are better than our competitors," says
Francesco Gori, Pirelli’s CEO, "but you can feel the difference for yourself on
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Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Mercedes-Benzes and
Porsches prove to be adequate testers of high-performance tires at the Dubai
Autodrome. (Click image to enlarge)
Located 25 minutes outside central Dubai, the Autodrome is home
to a 5.39 km (3.35 mile) circuit and is Dubai’s only Grand Prix raceway. Pirelli
split the track facilities into a one-day, five-course event, encouraging
evaluations of the new P Zero under strenuous driving conditions. Although the
tires never reached their 230 mph speed-rated limit, testing on the skid pad,
wet track, dry track, autocross and even running hot laps with a professional
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"We spent a total of two years on the project in order to
ensure we had the best tire," says Maurizio Boiocchi, head of Pirelli research
and development. "We believe to have a balance of top performance and comfort
that is not on the market today, but the real testament to the quality of the
new P Zero is that top manufacturers are using the tires as OE [original
equipment] products." (Click image to enlarge)
After first appearing on the Ferrari F40 in 1987, the P Zeros
now are original equipment on cars like the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, Audi R8,
Aston Martin DB9, Maserati Gran Turismo, Mercedes S65 AMG, Lamborghini LP640 and
Gallardo, and a slew of others. "Like us, Pirelli is internationally recognized
as an Italian brand that stands for performance and quality," says Lamborghini
spokesman Dominik Hoberg. "The new P Zero exhibits great performance, durability
and grip on the road."; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
Performance, durability and grip were also the criterion during the tire’s
developmental stages. In fact, five patents related to the tire’s compounds and
structure protect the P Zero, including one for the new tread pattern that
provides better grip in wet handling situations. Its compounds prevent the tire from deteriorating
under high-speed stress and makes the P Zero over 25 percent more durable than
the last generation P Zero Rosso. "When you have a good tire it is easier to
control a 500 or 600 hp vehicle," says Boiocchi. "And even though water costs
more than wine in Dubai, we wanted to give you the opportunity to test the
ability of the tire on wet surfaces." (Click image to enlarge)
Compared to Continental’s ContiSportContact tires on the skid
pad with the new Audi TT Roadster, the P Zero was the clear winner. The P Zero
held to the track at higher speeds, proving that the new tread design is more
effective in wet handling than its competitor.
Pirelli offers the P Zero in 17-inch to 20-inch variants, as
well as 16-inch to 18-inch run-flat versions. While the P Zero currently has
limited availability, the full line-up will hit the U.S. market by fall. With
list prices ranging from $284 (16-inch run flats) to $1,070 each (Lamborghini
Murciélago’s rear tires), the P Zero fills its niche at the underside of nearly
every current model sports car. "All cars of Automobili Lamborghini are equipped
with Pirelli tires," states Hoberg. "Pirelli is more than just a tire supplier,
they are a developing partner."
Pirelli
www.pirelli.com
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