The evolution of the world’s finest ultra high performance sports cars has created vehicles capable of acceleration, braking and cornering performance previously only attainable with racecars. And even though this has been made possible through the development of sophisticated vehicle control and comfort management systems - all of these cars still rely on their tire’s capabilities. Now that street tire traction and handling have allowed these high performance vehicles to reach the magic 1.0 g cornering and braking forces, more emphasis is being placed on developing tires that maintain dry road performance while they enhance the tire’s wet traction, ride comfort and acoustic qualities.
Examples of these advanced technology tires are typically found in the Max Performance tire category and include tires like the Bridgestone Potenza S-02 Pole Position, Michelin Pilot Sport, Yokohama AVS Sport and new Pirelli P Zero Rosso (Rosso, ro’ so, Italian for red).
In order to get a better understanding of the performance and comfort provided by these types of tires, Tire Rack Team conducted a Ride & Drive comparing the Pirelli P Zero Rosso to the Michelin Pilot Sport and Bridgestone Potenza S-02 Pole Position Max Performance tires. We used the 225/45R17 sized tires mounted on 17"x8" wheels fitted to three 2000 BMW E46 chassis 328Ci coupes.
The P Zero Rosso Asimmetrico tires are the newest members of Pirelli’s P Zero collection (Pirelli’s family of "zero limits" car and light truck performance tires). Easily identified by their red "P Zero" logo, P Zero Rosso Asimmetrico tires were developed to combine maximum performance with high-speed capability, good ride qualities and exceptional noise comfort.
The P Zero Rosso Asimmetrico tires use silica and
aramid enhanced tread compounds to provide lower rolling resistance in the dry, better grip in the wet and
higher performance during extreme driving conditions. Their asymmetric tread design is supported by
lightweight 3-strand steel belts that are reinforced by PenTec cord (a material developed by Allied Signal
for space exploration) to provide more high speed stability and durability while reducing tire weight and
enhancing ride quality. Single-wire beads are carefully wound into a "diamond" shape to provide a
uniform distribution of tension from the wheel to the tire as the vehicle drives.
On the road, the P Zero Rosso Asimmetrico tires were praised for their ride comfort and low noise level (the best of the three tires) while providing real world handling that’s appropriate for the Max Performance category.
On the track, the P Zero Rosso Asimmetrico tires also showed why they’ve earned their place in the Max Performance category. They provided predictable handling, and although running equivalent dry track lap times, couldn’t quite match the responsiveness of the other two tires. In the wet, the P Zero Rosso Asimmetrico’s wet grip, handling and lap times placed its performance between the other tires.
Italians have always identified the color red with passion, and Pirelli’s P Zero Rosso tires are qualified to be associated with passionate drivers.
One of the most obvious features of the Pilot Sport is its directional tread design which combines a continuous circumferential center rib with a V-shaped directional tread pattern (tires of 275 millimeters of section width and wider feature a slightly different W-shaped tread pattern). The continuous center rib sharpens steering response and provides road feel, while the swept back lateral grooves reduce tire noise and efficiently evacuate water from under the contact patch to enhance wet traction and resist hydroplaning. Internally, the tread is supported by two belts made of high-tensile, lightweight steel cords which are further reinforced by spirally wrapped nylon cord utilizing Michelin’s BAZ (Banded At Zero) Technology to improve quick steering response and resist tread distortion while it enhances ride quality and high speed durability. Ultra-reinforced sidewalls promote powerful cornering, while Michelin’s cable beads help maintain the tire’s shape to improve tire and wheel uniformity.
On the road, the Pilot Sport received good marks for real world ride comfort, noise comfort and handling.
On the track in the dry, the Pilot Sport -equipped car was willing to understeer slightly, yet remained predictable and ran lap times equivalent to the other tires. In the wet, the Pilot Sport tread design and silica enhanced compound provided more traction and responsiveness than was available from the earlier Pilot SX MXX3, but this only allowed it to narrow the wet performance gap to the other tires.
The Potenza S-02 Pole Position is Bridgestone’s Max Performance Z-speed rated tire which has been praised
for its ability to combine wet and dry performance with ride comfort. However, the Potenza S-02 Pole
Position places a lot of emphasis on wet traction and is uniquely designed to maintain more of its wet
performance throughout is life. Normally as a tire wears, its dry performance increases while its wet
traction is reduced. To counter this loss of wet traction, Bridgestone developed a technology called UNI-T
AQ (Ultimate Network of Intelligent Tire Technology - Advanced Quality) that includes multiple layer tread
compounds which first resist the loss of performance caused by aging, and then expose a second tread
compound designed to provide more consistent wet handling and braking as the tire wears.
On the road, the Potenza S-02 Pole Position tires were also praised for their ride comfort and low noise level while providing real world handling that’s appropriate for the Max Performance category.
On the track, the Potenza S-02 Pole Position tires provided predictable handling and enough grip to run equivalent dry track lap times, and wet track lap times that placed it ahead of the other two tires.
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