Pirelli: Smarter and electrifying into the future

VISION Mobility: Is the trend in Europe also shifting towards all-season tires? The Cinturato All Season SF2 offers very good label values and good winter performance, but it is still always a compromise between potential summer and winter top performances. In practice, we certainly have the impression that storing and switching tires both in the private and fleet business is a significant effort that more and more customers are shying away from?

Wendt: Yes, without a doubt the trend is shifting towards all-season tires, increasingly at the expense of pure summer or winter tires. Most customers analyze very precisely the environment in which they are driving with a particular vehicle. Obviously, the pressure to switch is greater in cold or mountainous regions than in milder zones. But even these areas can be caught "cold" by sudden winter storms, as was evident recently in early February 2021. Nonetheless, it is clear that the seasonal performance of pure summer or winter tires must inherently be superior to that of all-season tires. Winter tires are certainly preferable if many miles are driven in winter or if maximum performance is required under all winter conditions.

A new feature is also the adaptive tread. For all-season tires, you promote the 3D technology of the sipes, which close whenever it’s not snowing, thus transforming a winter tread into a summer tire. How should one imagine this in practice? Does it depend on the compound, which indeed exhibits a "double peak”? It is soft and adaptable under cold and wet conditions, becoming stiff and stable under dry conditions.

Wendt: Both mechanics and the compound contribute equally to this. On the one hand, we use so-called 3D sipes, which mechanically interlock more tightly in warm conditions, increasing block stiffness. On the other hand, we have introduced an innovative polymer system that significantly expands the operating ranges. This is achieved by two peaks in the "grip curve" instead of just one. One peak at low temperatures for optimal snow properties and a second peak at higher temperatures for optimizing dry and wet properties.

How exactly should one picture this?

Wendt: Normally, we achieve optimal conditions with tires only within a certain temperature window. In winter, this is usually at lower, in summer at higher Celsius degrees. However, with the polymer compound in the Cinturato All Season SF 2, we have succeeded in creating two peak windows for outstanding winter and summer properties. We have patented this technology.

Does the same apply to the Elect series for electromobility?

Wendt: They also face special, sometimes contradictory requirements: On the one hand, we need extremely low rolling resistance, on the other, a lot of grip, to bring the immense torque of the e-vehicles to the road from a standstill. A lot of grip is also needed in corners and when braking. Additionally, the Elect tires must be tailored to the typically high weights of electric cars and be quiet! Here too, our “Perfect-Fit Strategy” applies, with which we develop model-specific tires together with individual vehicle manufacturers.

Indeed, there are now significant differences in practice. Will this development intensify and will one day a car possibly have only one specific tire type?

Wendt: Recent examples are tires for the Rivian R1T or the Porsche Taycan. Our portfolio of brand-specific tires is constantly growing – Pirelli is the brand with most approvals among the top automobile manufacturers. These tires have special markings such as the star for BMW or the abbreviation "MO" for Mercedes Only. Indeed, new tread patterns are developed for individual models and the materials and structures of the tire are each dimension-specific and adjusted to the respective vehicle model. For these reasons, the customer is always best advised to purchase such marked tires when making a replacement, which are specifically tailored to their vehicle.

And – does he often buy model-specific replacements?

Wendt: That always depends on the customers and the intended use of the vehicles. There are naturally, especially in the premium segment and in professional fleets, many customers who also seek the optimum for their model when it comes to tires. Particularly then, when vehicles are driven under demanding conditions, like in cold winters in the Alps, or when a customer in an e-car values the lowest possible noise.

Apart from the physical and chemical optimizations – are tires also getting better in terms of their manufacturing CO₂ balance?

Wendt: Indeed, we are continuously reducing CO₂ emissions in our factories. An example: In our plant in Breuberg, we installed a highly efficient combined heat and power plant and implemented extensive infrastructure measures to reduce primary energy consumption. Here, we utilize waste heat generated in various production processes for space heating in winter, while in summer, we convert it into cold to cool the production processes and buildings.

For which customer base is the “TyreLife” additional offer available?

Wendt: The free "TyreLife" tire warranty is offered to private users and small fleets up to ten vehicles.

How widespread are the technologies to improve run-flat properties in case of tire damage?

Wendt: The Seal Inside technology seals punctures in the tread up to four millimeters in diameter and is mainly listed within the VW Group and specifically for the Volkswagen passenger car brand, recently also for Rolls Royce. With the Run Flat technology, one can still drive up to 80 kilometers at 80 km/h with zero air pressure. It is mainly used by BMW, but also by Daimler, Audi and Alfa Romeo.

Does this also apply to the new Cyber-Tyre for McLaren? Essentially, it was only a small step from the tire pressure monitoring system to the "Cyber-Tyre" - by when could this become standard and is it also initially an exclusive development for McLaren?

Wendt: In this area, development is progressing rapidly. On the one hand, information on tire pressure, type and temperature is particularly interesting for sports car drivers since they receive all necessary information on the specific temperature windows, especially on the racetrack. Moreover, the system will enable more road safety in the future. The next generation of our Cyber-Tires will also measure the road condition, to prevent aquaplaning situations, or to determine the degree of moisture on the roadway. Combined with real-time communication of all vehicles with each other via 5G, an intelligent tire will contribute to a rapid increase in safety. After all, just four small postcard-sized patches determine the behavior of the vehicle on the road. And the more intelligent these small patches are, the safer we are on the road!

Vita:

The physicist Michael Wendt started his career at Pirelli in 1989. After various positions in tire development at the German site in Breuberg, he moved to the company headquarters in Milan in 2002. There he was in a senior role as Platform Manager High Performance (HP), Ultra High Performance (UHP), as well as Research and Predevelopment. In 2007, he returned to Breuberg and subsequently took on the role of Managing Director for the Research and Development (R&D) department. In 2013, Pirelli Germany restructured the Technical Business Unit. Since August 1, 2013, Wendt has been managing the areas of production, quality, and original equipment (OE) sales for the German subsidiary in addition to research and development as Managing Director of Technical Divisions. Since 2017, he has been Chairman of the Management Board responsible for the entire German Pirelli organization.