Bob Ulrich

Editor

Bob Ulrich was named Modern Tire Dealer editor in August 2000. He joined the magazine in 1985 as assistant editor, and has been responsible for gathering statistical information for MTD's "Facts Issue" since 1993. He has won numerous awards for editorial and feature writing, including five gold medals from the International Automotive Media Association. Bob earned a B.A. in English literature from Ohio Northern University and has a law degree from the University of Akron.

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OE tires on the new Mustang: mystery solved?

By: Bob Ulrich

On Modern Tire Dealer's February cover, we featured a story on "The Changing Face of Performance." To illustrate the story, which focused on the evolution of high performance tires, we used a photo of the iconic Mustang, a 2010 model, to be more exact.

The timing was pretty good. The new 2011 Ford Mustang GT was introduced at the Detroit Auto Show, complete with 19-inch wheels and summer performance tires.

I wondered what the tire brand was, but, as I was reminded again, not every scrap of information can be found on the Web. I even blew up a photo of the tire and played with the size, color and contrast, but couldn't make out a brand. It looked like it had been photoshopped out.

(It's interesting how many times vehicle manufacturers mention the size of the tire but not the brand.)

Because the Pirelli PZero All Season, in standard size P235/50WR18 (and P245/45WR19 as an option), was original equipment on the 2010 Mustang GT, I am guessing Pirelli is the OE fitment tire on the new Mustang. Another possibility is BFGoodrich, which was OE on the  2005 Mustang GT.

According to Jonathan Lamas over at About.com: Mustangs, the 2011 V6 Mustang, with six-speed automatic transmission, is the first 300-plus horsepower car to achieve more than 30 mpg. Given how hard it is to increase miles per gallon on a muscle car, I'm sure comparatively low rolling resistance in the tires had something to do with the results.

At the 2009 Specialty Equipment Market Association Show in Las Vegas, Pirelli Tire North America CEO Mauro Pessi told me Pirelli was high on its "green performance" technology. And Pirellii has 11% of the market share at Ford Motor Co. in the United States and Canada. "Signs point to Pirelli," says the Magic 8 Ball.

For those of you who want more information on anything Ford Mustang-related (for example, did you know that the name of the car was based on the P-51 Mustang fighter plane from World War II?), visit Lamas' Mustang blog at About.com.

Related Topics: Ford Motor Co., Mauro Pessi, Original equipment, Pirelli PZero

comments

1. Jonathan | March 25, 2010 at 10:00PM
   Bob, the 2011 V6 Mustang, with manual transmission, will sport P225/60R17 A/S BFGoodrich Radial T/A tires, while the automatic model will ride on P215/65R17 A/S Michelin Energy Saver tires. Optional tires for the V6 include:
   
   *P235/50ZR18 A/S Pirelli PZero Nero tires
   
   *255/40R19 Pirelli PZero Summer-Only tires
   
   As for the 2011 GT, it will feature P235/50ZR18 A/S Pirelli PZero Nero tires as standard equipment, with the following optional tires:
   
   *P245/45ZR19 A/S Pirelli PZero Nero
   
   *255/40R19 Pirelli PZero Summer-Only
   
   *P255/40ZR19 Goodyear F1 Supercar (Convertible)