Pirelli’s P Zero E tyre has been crowned 2023 Tyre of the Year (Prix Point S) at the Automobile Awards in Paris. A jury of 40 industry experts picked the UHP tyre for its combination of performance, innovation and sustainability.
So what’s so good about Pirelli’s latest offering? Let’s take a look.
The P Zero Range
As many driving enthusiasts know, Pirelli’s P Zeros are top-ranked high-performance tyres. As Pirelli puts it:
A milestone in the development of the Pirelli range, P ZERO™ has been chosen as original equipment for the most performance oriented and powerful models on the market. Its asymmetric tread pattern improves braking performance and enhances handling and control. Excellent in wet conditions with improved safety in potential aquaplaning situations. Its new nano-composite compound ensures maximum grip and stability. The structural integrity of the tyre improves steering response, which is essential in sports driving, and also ensures uniform tread wear. The special “s-shaped” grooves in the tread area deliver lower cabin noise levels, enhancing driver comfort.
If you look down to the homologation section on the same page, you’ll see a who’s who of prestige brands that use the P Zero, including Bentley, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche.
The P Zero E: a response to new challenges
Tyre companies constantly have to respond to the changing needs of car makers, consumers, government regulations – not to mention addressing ethical/environmental concerns about tyre manufacture.
At the moment, tyre companies face three powerful strategic challenges: the quest for better sustainability, the ongoing push for improved tyre safety, and the transition to electric vehicles.
On all three scores, the P Zero E has plenty to offer:
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- Over 55% of the materials in its manufacture are ‘sourced from natural and recycled origins’. Pirelli says that this amounts to tyres having 29-31% bio-based content and 25-27% recycled content, depending on tyre size.
- Putting it another way, that adds up to about 12kg less material per tyre set that comes from extractive industries (fossil fuels and minerals).
- Tyre wear, measured as loss in weight per unit mileage, is reduced by 42% compared to other high-performance Pirelli tyres. This is a win all the way round, as it means longer lasting tyres for drivers, less tyre dust (which is nasty stuff), and lower environmental costs from manufacture.
- The tyre uses Pirelli’s RUNFORWARDTM technology, which the company claims “…allows to continue driving [after a puncture] for up to 40 km at 80 km/h with zero pressure. It also contributes to the maintenance of low levels of rolling resistance and the delivery of an optimal acoustic and driving feeling.” Blimey.
- It’s designed for electric vehicles. We blogged a little while back about the specific issues that manufacturers must address with EVs, and these haven’t gone away. Just in case you missed that the tyre is designed for EVs, Pirelli helpfully embosses ELECTTM on the side of each one.
In addition to all that, the P-Zero E has an EU triple-A rating for efficiency, wet braking and noise.
Is there a downside?
As you might expect, all this innovation comes at a price. The P-Zero E is not a cheap tyre. But then, in the world of top-ranked UHP products, none of them are exactly cheap!
What we can say about the P-Zero is that it’s pushing the tyre industry towards providing hard-wearing, safer, more sustainable products – and that’s got to be a good thing. We can see why it scooped the top prize.
BK Tyres currently offers almost 240 tyres from the prestigious Pirelli P Zero range, including the new P Zero E (though at the time of writing, the latter in just one size).
The BK Tyres blog carries news, views and information on tyres and related subjects. BK Tyres supplies and fits tyres throughout South Oxfordshire, including the communities of Abingdon, Didcot and Henley on Thames. As an independent, family run mobile provider, we provide exceptional levels of service and affordable prices. Contact us today.