Pirelli PZero Rosso Direzionale

Italians have always identified the color red with passion, & while red Ferraris are probably one of the best known examples when it comes to fulfilling a passion for driving, today there’s another example as Pirelli’s PZero Rosso (Rosso, ro’ so, Italian for red) tires are being introduced. The PZero Rosso tires wear a red "PZero" logo & were developed to provide high performance, high speed & a high degree of comfort. The PZero Rosso tires are the newest members of Pirelli’s PZero Collection, a name now used to identify Pirelli’s family of "zero limits" car & light truck performance tires. The Pirelli’s PZero Collection also includes the current Max Performance category PZero Asimmetrico & Direzionale tires, as well as, the Street/Sport Truck category PZero Scorpion tires.

New tire design techniques, raw materials & manufacturing methods have been combined to produce Pirelli’s most comfortable Max Performance tires. The new PZero Rosso System will include both asymmetric & directional tread designs, each tuned to satisfy the unique performance needs of different types of vehicles & use. The PZero Rosso Asimmetrico is the most widely used because it’s designed for use on both front & rear axle positions of front engined front-wheel-drive & rear-wheel-drive cars, & on all cars driven on the track. The PZero Rosso Direzionale is designed to offer enhanced hydroplaning resistance & is primarily for use on the lighter load carrying front axle positions of mid-engined & rear-engined rear-wheel-drive cars (which are combined with The PZero Rosso Asimmetrico tires on the rear axle positions).

Both of the PZero Rosso tread patterns are new & elegant. The Asimmetrico tread pattern retains the "Zero concept" of earlier PZero tires by combining a semi-slick center rib (which enhances driving precision while accelerating & braking) with robust outer shoulder & intermediate tread blocks which are connected by circumferential "multi-ring" ribs (to enhance dry grip) & independent blocks of the inner intermediate rib & shoulder which are separated by wide grooves (to help eject water). Considerable use has been made of curved grooves, which help complement the circumferential grooves to reduce noise & resist hydroplaning.

The PZero Rosso used a silica enhanced tread compound to provide better grip in low temperatures in the wet & lower rolling resistance in the dry. The tread is supported by PenTec (a material developed by Allied Signal for space exploration) cord which is used to reinforce lightweight steel belts to give more high speed stability while reducing tire weight & flatspotting when parked overnight.

Pirelli PZero Rosso tires are W-, Y- or Z-speed rated & available in 50-, 45-, 40-, 35- & 30-series sizes for 17" through 20" wheel diameters.