McLaren Picks Pirelli's Cyber Tire System

Feb. 24, 2021

Pirelli & Cia SpA's Cyber Tire system will be OE on the McLaren Artura, a first for the system, which consists of a sensor in each tire that gathers and transmits data to software that has been integrated into a vehicle's computer.

Specifically, Pirelli has designed a "bespoke" version of its P Zero tire for the Artura in size 235/35ZR19 in the car's front and size 295/35R20 in the rear.

The tire's feature an asymmetrical pattern for enhanced braking and overall performance "under all conditions," particularly wet surfaces, according to Pirelli officials.

Versions of the Pirelli P Zero Corsa and P Zero Winter tires also are available for the Artura.

"A car equipped with Pirelli's Cyber Tire system can alert a driver that they need to check tire pressures in order to continue driving safely," say Pirelli officials.

"Alternately, when it's time to change the type of tires - which often carry a different speed rating from summer to winter - the car alerts the driver when the maximum speed for that tire has been reached. The specific functionality of Cyber Tires is chosen and defined by the manufacturers adopting them for each model.

"The Pirelli Cyber Tire system will represent the future of tires" and is "capable of giving cars a sense of touch by allowing them to identify or predict potentially hazardous situations, such as loss of grip and aquaplaning" via intervention by a vehicle's electronics.

"The next step will be tires connected to a network with other vehicles and the surrounding infrastructure. In November 2019, Pirelli was the first tire company in the world to share information related to road services over the 5G network, thanks to sensor-equipped, intelligent tires."