Pirelli Launches P Zero the Hero
Firestone Launches Multihawk General Use Tyre
SAV/SUV Tyres from Continental with Runflat Capabilities

Pirelli Launches P Zero the Hero

Pirelli have announced the launch of P Zero the Hero , the company's new ultra-high performance tyre developed for supercars. According to Pirelli, P Zero the Hero represents the most technologically advanced product to come out of Pirelli's research and offers the most demanding motorists unprecedented performance in all areas: sports handling, comfort and safety.

"P Zero the Hero", explains Francesco Gori , CEO of Pirelli Tyre, "represents the state of the art of the P Zero Collection, the Pirelli UHP range leaders. The new tyre has been designed and developed to control the ever more extreme performance of supercars and to offer ever higher levels of driving satisfaction and safety for the most demanding drivers."

The principal feature of P Zero the Hero is that it guarantees optimum performance in wet or dry conditions throughout the lifetime of the tyre, while combining sports handling with comfort. In fact, t he new P Zero boasts special nano-composites in the compounds of the tread and the bead (the element of the tyre anchoring it to the wheel rim) that guarantee a comfortable ride together with sports performance. Thanks specifically to the tread compound, optimum performance is even provided during the first few kilometres when the tyre is still cold.

The innovative tread pattern of the new Pirelli tyre also permits the highest standards of grip in wet conditions and acoustic comfort to be enhanced, while the asymmetric DA.Co (Dynamic Asymmetric Contour) profile ensures even wear with a consistent footprint at all speeds. In addition, P Zero the Hero has been designed with the utmost respect for the environment: the compounds used in fact contain no aromatic oils. Pirelli's decision anticipates by three full years the European directive regulating this issue, which only comes into effect in 2010, and goes beyond the most severe parameters in the highest performance (UHP) segment.

The new P Zero has obtained 15 homologations for use as original equipment on the most recent and most prestigious supercars. It is already being fitted to the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, the Lamborghini Murciélago and Gallardo, the Audi R8 and S8, the Aston Martin DB9, the Maserati Quattroporte, the Jaguar XK, the Mercedes AMG, and will shortly appear on the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione and the hottest Porsche and BMW models.

Firestone Launches Multihawk General Use Tyre

Firestone has modernised its passenger car tyre line-up with the European launch of the Multihawk general-use tyre. It targets family drivers of small- and medium-sized compact cars; major customers of general-use tyres (T speed rating and below), a segment representing 30% of total summer tyre demand.

The Multihawk will replace the Firestone 590FS which has earned a good reputation for all-round performance since its launch in 2000. Capitalising on Firestone's appeal to families looking for value and reliability, the Multihawk is designed to upgrade performance in those areas most important to them - wet safety and mileage - while retaining well-balanced overall performance. To achieve this, Firestone engineers retained the same carcass construction as F590FS but optimised it to ensure an even load distribution across the tread contact area.

The wet performance has been improved by increasing the void-to-rubber ratio by 6% but at the same time, an increase in the width of the Multihawk footprint has enabled the total contact surface area to be maintained, providing excellent levels of dry handling and wear performance. Wet grip is further enhanced by the modern-looking, rounded lens-shaped blocks, which increase water drainage away from the contact patch and improve hydroplaning performance.

Wet evaluation tests (Ford Fiesta 1.4 16V with 175/65 R14 82T) show that the Multihawk has a shorter braking distance from 50 kph to stop than the F590 FS and the two direct competitors tested. The difference on braking from 90 kph to 20 kph, compared to its predecessor is a full car length. Increased block stiffness from a reduction in the number of centre sipes, along with the inclusion of the 3D-bridge shoulder block connection, has also improved the dry handling and resistance to irregular wear.

Comprehensive wear testing has also shown significantly longer life than the F590 FS and major competitors in this value-conscious segment. The Multihawk is available in 20 sizes, with T and H speed rating, from 60 to 70 series. In the Firestone car tyre line-up, it compliments the touring comfort of the Firehawk TZ200 and the sporty Firehawk SZ80 for high-powered cars.

SAV/SUV Tyres from Continental with Runflat Capabilities

Continental has developed a range of special summer tyres with runflat capabilities for BMW. The new tyres are tailored specifically to meet the requirements of Sports Activity Vehicles (SAVs) and Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs). The new BMW X5 will be the first vehicle to be fitted ex works with Continental's new ContiContact UHP. BMW approved this tyre following extensive tests and the ContiContact UHP is to be manufactured in two sizes for BMW's SAV.

The distinguishing features of the ContiContact UHP are its optimum handling characteristics even when driving at the limit, high grip during acceleration and short braking distances on wet and dry roads, combined with traction on poorer road surfaces. These characteristics are possible, thanks to the tyre's asymmetrical design. This allows the tread pattern to be sub-divided according to the 'tasks' it carries out, thereby achieving the desired driving characteristics. The inner and outer shoulder sections of the ContiContact UHP differ in design, with a closed outer shoulder to ensure best cornering stability.

Asymmetrical edge angles on the outer circumferential grooves increase lateral support and facilitate the tyre's self-cleaning properties. Circumferential ribs in the tread centre provide the stiffness required for optimum traction during setting off and braking, whilst wide drainage channels between the tread blocks ensure good water dispersion when driving in the rain, thereby preventing aquaplaning effectively.

Continental will be supplying the ContiContact UHP for the new BMW X5 either as an all-round fitment in size 255/50 R 19 XL or combined with the 284/45 R 19 XL on the rear axle for good grip at all times. To ensure maximum safety, Continental has equipped the ContiContact UHP, approved for speeds of up to 270 km/h (168 mph), with SSR runflat technology (Self Supporting Runflat Tyre). If tyres with SSR technology suffer pressure loss, they can continue running at a maximum speed of 80 km/h (50 mph) for a distance that is dependent on the vehicle load. By this autumn Continental will also be supplying suitable winter tyres with SSR runflat technology for the new BMW X5.