Pirelli P Zero tyre wins ‘Sport Auto’ test in Germany

Pirelli’s Ultra High Performance P Zero tyre, which has received more than 380 bespoke homologations, has won a prestigious comparative tyre test in Germany against nine important rivals from leading international tyre manufacturers.

Sport Auto magazine, which conducted the test, was established in 1969 and is based in Stuttgart. It is one of the most respected motoring titles in the world, with an emphasis on high performance cars and driving. The magazine’s circulation is approximately 60,000 copies per month, and its journalists include experienced racing drivers, led by former editor in chief Horst von Saurma: a Nurburgring Nordschleife expert.

Sport Auto’s tyre test this month compared the Pirelli P Zero (in popular 225/40-R18Y size) to other well-known brands, fitted to a new Volkswagen Golf GTI. The comprehensive tyre test covered every key aspect of real-world tyre performance in both wet and dry conditions: handling, braking, acceleration and road-holding.

The Pirelli P Zero – the same name that appears on the side of the Italian firm’s Formula One tyres – beat all its rivals to win the test. Despite its superior performance, at 9.09 kilograms it was also the lightest tyre in the group: just one indication of the cutting-edge technology within the entire P Zero range.

The Sport Auto test, ranking Pirelli top, concluded that: “P Zero won in the dry and in the wet with great handling.”

The P Zero brand was launched in 1987 to describe Pirelli’s most performance-oriented tyres. Since then, P Zero has been tailor-made for the world’s most prestigious carmakers, with each homologation specifically created for the vehicle it is fitted to. At the Geneva International Motor Show last month, 64% of all the prestige cars launched there were fitted with Pirelli tyres.

In the premium sector too, Pirelli’s percentage of fitments has exceeded 27%. This statistic is made all the more impressive by the fact that the nearest competitor has a quota of 19%.