McLaren Artura shod with Pirelli’s Cyber tyres
Think of concepts such as airless tyres: While an interesting topic, it is this kind of technological thinking that can ensure utmost safety on the roads.
And as the world becomes more technologically advanced, tyre manufacturers are always looking for ways to enhance the driving experience. One such creation is Pirelli’s latest technological marvel.
The Milan-based tyre manufacturer has, for the first time, equipped a tyre with sensors that communicate with a car, thanks to the brand’s Cyber Tyre system which consists of a sensor in each tyre.
It gathers important data for safe driving, linked to software integrated into the car’s onboard computer. The tyres are already fitted to the McLaren Artura hybrid sports car with Cyber Tyre technology that offers a plethora of information to the car and driver.
It constantly monitors information including the tyre temperature and pressure which are important aspects when it comes to safety. Compared to traditional sensors, the information is also delivered with greater precision as the Pirelli transmission sensors are in direct contact with the actual tyres rather than the wheel rims.
The data is then processed via Pirelli’s software system that is integrated into the car’s electronics and displays important information on the dashboard and instrument cluster. Other information is used by the car’s electronics to calibrate the driver-alert systems based on the exact characteristics of the tyres and their status.
With that said, the system can then alert the driver for any loss of pressure as well as when it’s time to change the type of tyres depending on the season, for example. The system can also alert the driver when the maximum speed for that tyre has been reached.
In the case of the Artura, some of these functions have been specifically selected for use on a race track in a way that the system allows the driver to adapt tyre pressures to obtain better performance on track based on their individual driving style. As a result, the alerts that each driver receives are relative too.
In that case, drivers can be alerted when the car’s tyres have reached optimal temperatures and when to cool them. Pirelli likens this to a proper race engineer in the passenger seat.
The Artura is fitted with bespoke P Zero tyres in 235/35Z R19 size at the front and 295/35 R20 size at the back. The tyres have an asymmetric tread pattern, which gives excellent braking performance to guarantee control of the car under all conditions, particularly when it’s wet.
There are P Zero Corsa tyres for those track days as well as road use which feature a compound derived from Pirelli’s motorsport experience.
Pirelli says its future ventures will include tyres that are connected to a network with other vehicles and the surrounding infrastructure. To refresh your memory a bit, the brand was the first to share information relating to road surfaces over the 5G network in 2019.
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