Pirelli targets supercars with Trofeo UHP upgrade

MILAN, Italy—Pirelli & C. S.p.a. has upgraded its P Zero Trofeo semi-slick ultra-high-performance (UHP) tire line with a version designed for car makers striving to highlight the performance of their sportiest models.

The new version, the P Zero Trofeo RS, offers more performance in dry conditions than the Trofeo R replacement market version, Pirelli said, as well as added consistency, thanks to knowledge gleaned from the tire maker's extensive motorsports experience.

Italian car maker Pagani Automobili is offering the Trofeo S as an optional fitment on its latest hypercar, the Utopia—a two-door, mid-engine racing-inspired car powered by a 6-liter twin-turbo V12 Mercedes-based engine capable of generating 860hp.

The fitments are 265/35R21 front and 325/30R22 rear. The standard fitment on the Utopia is the P Zero Corsa; Pagani also offers the Pirelli SottoZero as an option for driving in low temperatures.

Materials used in the Trofeo RS, especially in the tread compound, benefit especially from the company's motorsports know-how, making the tire adaptable for both road and amateur track use, Pirelli said.

In addition, Pirelli said the RS offers additional wet-weather performance since the product is intended for use as original equipment for hypercars and supercars homologated for the road.

The company did not offer specifics as to how much better the RS performs versus the R version, which was designed as an aftermarket tire to improve on-track performance.

Pirelli said it is developing an aftermarket version of the RS that will replace the R version in most sizes. Pricing was not disclosed.

For the Utopia, P Zero Trofeo RS tires are capable of elevating performance in extreme sports driving compared with the P Zero Corsa, Pirelli said, without compromising the balance of the car or the feeling experienced by the driver.

Pirelli said technologies it has in its portfolio — such as a multi-compound tread — allow its engineers to develop tires that complement the specific characteristics for each car by pairing tread designs with tread compounds from the tire maker's Prestige catalog.

Pirelli engineers also utilized virtual geometry development to assess a range of profiles and footprints to define the reaction of the tire to driver inputs virtually with enhanced precision, prior to building physical prototypes.

Pirelli joins Bridgestone Corp. and Continental A.G. as tire makers offering semi-slick UHP tires for street use.

Bridgestone recently began offering in North America the Potenza Race, a DOT-approved version of its Potenza UHP tire line that's designed for "track-day" driving. The product has been available in Europe since April 2022 and is offered as an OE option on the Lamborghini Revuelto.

Continental's offering is the ExtremeContactSport02, which Continental Tire the Americas debuted in November 2022 for North American consumers. The product is designed to fit cars with tire fitments covering 15- to 21-inch rim diameters.