Performance And Safety Inspire The Development Of Pirelli’s 78 Tyre Homologations For The Bmw 8 Series Range

The latest technical collaboration between Pirelli and BMW Group is driven by the goal of achieving the highest levels of performance and safety. A total of 78 original equipment homologations have been tailor-made for the latest versions of the BMW 8 Series Coupe, Gran Coupe, and Cabrio: including the M Sport models.

These top of the range 8 Series cars will use bespoke Pirelli P Zero and Cinturato P7 tyres from 18 to 20 inches, specifically developed to unleash the maximum performance on the road and engineered to provide safety, control, and handling. The tyres were created in line with Pirelli’s ‘perfect fit’ philosophy and homologated as original equipment for the BMW Group’s luxury grand touring range, allowing occupants to benefit from maximum on-board comfort and appreciate the car’s full performance in every situation. These tyres deliver excellent wet braking performance with low rolling resistance, which reduces harmful emissions to support sustainability, and are marked with a star that distinguishes tyres developed by Pirelli’s engineers to meet the BMW Group’s performance requirements. They are also equipped with Run Flat technology, which allows drivers to continue their journeys even after a puncture or tyre pressure loss, for 50 miles at a speed of 50 mph.

Pirelli’s new P Zero tyres, dedicated to the most sporting cars, have starred in tests carried out by the specialized media. These tests highlighted excellent handling in both wet and dry conditions, as well as good balance and precise steering response with exemplary feedback. Furthermore, the media reported reduced wet and dry braking distances and a solid margin of safety against hydroplaning. When it came to sporting performance, the Pirelli P Zero demonstrated excellent driveability in both dry and wet conditions, as evidenced by lap times over a circuit. These results were also seen with the tyres homologated for the BMW Group’s well-known high-performance M series cars.

The new Cinturato P7 also is designed to increase safety by providing the driver with excellent control both in dry and wet conditions in terms of handling, braking and reducing hydroplaning. This is thanks to its innovative new compound equipped with a type of ‘mechanical intelligence’, which is able to adjust the tyre’s behaviour according to working temperature.

Added to this is an excellent level of acoustic comfort (with less road noise) and ride comfort (thanks to a greater ability to soak up bumps in the road) allied to outstanding durability and rolling resistance, which leads to reduced fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions. For BMWs destined for the United States, Pirelli has developed the Cinturato P7 All Season to meet the requirements of the local market, while maintaining the exceptional performance typical of the Cinturato family.

Pirelli’s tyre homologations for the BMW 8 Series – in all its different variants – are characterized by a complete offering for both summer and winter. For winter, Pirelli has developed specific Sottozero 3 and P Zero Winter tyres dedicated to the BMW 8 Series.

Mattia Bussacchini, Pirelli’s Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations, said: “The variety of the Pirelli line-up satisfies a very wide range of requirements both from consumers and car manufacturers. The joint development work with BMW Group has allowed us to create different technical solutions in terms of tyre tread patterns and constructions, which complement the exact performance of all the different 8 Series models. These new homologations join the other 3600 homologations already in Pirelli’s portfolio, representing an important result derived from shared processes and objectives. This is supported by the most innovative research and simulation technologies, which increasingly characterize our development processes for new original equipment tyres.”