Italian tyre giant Pirelli has released a new range of OEM-focused P7 Cinturato tyres with an innovative compound development that adapts to ambient temperatures for a wider range of operation.
This new capability has been created through the use of a clever silicon resin integrated into the rubber compound that changes its chemical composition based on temperature. This essentially widens the ideal operating window of the compound, therefore improving grip where you need it and reducing rolling resistance when you don’t.
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As a result, the new generation P7 Cinturato tyre has a six per cent increase in lifespan compared to its predecessor, with a twelve per cent reduction in rolling resistance. Its wet weather performance has also dramatically improved, with a reduction in aquaplaning and four metre reduction in wet weather stopping distances from 62mph.
The P7 Cinturato tyre is also available with two different internal tyre technologies to reduce the effect of punctures, including self-seal – which features an internal ‘self-healing’ skin – and the more widely-used run-flat system with bulked-up sidewalls.
There are also variants of the new P7 engineered specifically for electric and plug-in vehicles, with a distinct compound designed especially for the instant-torque nature of electric motors and the extra average weight of battery-powered cars.
Although the Cinturato range is not specifically designed as a performance tyre in the same vein as a P Zero Corsa, this new type of variable compound could find its way into other ranges in future, pushing the capability of one of our favourite performance tyres even further.
