Pirelli has used AI to develop its new P Zero tyre

Variations of Pirelli’s P Zero tyre have featured as standard on supercars like the Ferrari F40, Pagani Utopia and everything in-between. Dubbed as the world’s first ‘Ultra-High Performance’ tyre, it’s been through four generations of iterative performance and safety improvements, and Pirelli has now launched a fifth-generation P Zero to push this further – with the help of AI.

Don’t fear – this doesn’t mean Pirelli engineers have asked ChatGPT how to design a performance car tyre. Rather, Pirelli has used a sophisticated AI system to understand the intricacies of tyre dynamics, supported by an algorithm developed in-house. This, plus the use of virtual prototype testing, has allowed engineers to optimise the construction of the tyre more quickly and effectively. 

Specifically, the new P Zero features updates to the tread grooves and contact patch to improve grip and braking performance, as well as its wear rate. According to Pirelli, it demonstrates improvements in both wet and dry handling tests and braking distance, and comes with an A rating for wet grip. 

Pirelli has also designed the new P Zero with EVs in mind. Electric cars place unique demands on tyres, since they’re often much heavier than ICE equivalents and able to deliver instant torque to the wheels. As such, Pirelli offers the P Zero with its Elect technology, designed to deal with high torque outputs while reducing noise and rolling resistance to improve range by up to 10 per cent.

The new P Zero is offered in a range of sizes from 18 to 23 inches, and Pirelli is working with OEMs to produce specially-designed variants for certain models – including the Lamborghini Urus SE, BMW M5 and Polestar 4.