Pirelli Launches P6000 "Powergy"

Vairano, April 12-22, 1999 - Pirelli presents to the international press its new P6000 Powergy, a high performance tyre that further enlarges the wide range of P6000 to meet the needs of the latest generation of cars in the medium-high category: comfort, noise, low rolling resistance, mileage. Above all, P6000 Powergy is a tyre which integrates perfectly with the high degree of electronic content in the cars of 2000: intelligent suspension, complex braking systems, traction management, stability control, emission monitoring.


P6000 Powergy: the whole story is in the name

In Powergy there is " P6000" , the great founding father of modern high performance Pirellis. Launched in 1995, P6000 had immediately an exceptional success: 20 million units have been sold, the tyre has been homologated for 150 different car models across the world and it is the technological point of reference for the entire motor industry and replacement market. As a result of the success of P6000, Pirelli increased its H/V/Z category tyre sales by 35% in the four years between 1994 and 1998.
Powergy will not take the place of P6000: it comes in addition to the P6000, an evolution of its illustrious parent, a completely new product -with a new sidewall design- which clearly shows the new tyre's orientation towards different performance areas compared to P6000.

" Power" is part of the new tyre's name because the most important aspect of a Pirelli tyre is the enjoyment it provides when controlling a car's power output. Powergy is the latest example of a tradition born in the Seventies with P6, followed in the Eighties by P600 and then P6000 in 1995. The new tyre confirms the performance platform established during the years of the " law of the 6" : grip, sports handling, stability, precision resistance to stress continue to be the family characteristics of P6000 Powergy. Characteristics yet again restated as the millennium ends.

Then there is " Energy" . These are the " green" elements of the tyre: low rolling resistance, comfort, quietness, mileage. New materials, new construction processes, new tread pattern: they reaffirm their membership of the P6000 technological tradition. Powergy sets out to demonstrate its innovative content. The high silica content of the tread compound means great grip at low temperature in the wet, low rolling resistance in the dry. Then there is the 00 nylon in the belt which, for Powergy, has been built in a new way: it is applied using a technological process which means its tension can be controlled in such a way as to increase comfort and - because of its more rounded contact patch - mileage.
The tread pattern includes many modifications - to the pitch sequence and the depth of the grooves - for a significant improvement in quietness.

Added to P6000, there are 24 different articles in the P6000 Powergy range, from the 65 to 55 Series for rims from 14 to 17 inches in diameter. An offer, until now, covering 60% of the H/V/Z market.
Also the homologation portfolio follows the success story of P6000: Powergy has already been homologated by BMW for the 3 and 5 Series, Lancia for the new Lybra, Alfa Romeo for the 156, Ford for the Focus, Mercedes-Benz for the S Class, Peugeot for the new 406, Honda for the Accord, Volvo for the S/V 40 and S80.


P6000 Powergy: almost a " law of the 6"

There is a kind of " law of the 6" which has guided the development of Pirelli high performance tyres for more than 25 years.
It was 1977 when P6 appeared, the first " Wide Series" Pirelli tyre. In those days, the motor industry called essentially for tyres which would guarantee a sporty performance. Pirelli P6 meant the full expression of the sports potential of a car by a radial of cornering grip, handling at high speed, more aggressive appearance. The lower profile tyre spread from the supercar niche to an increasing number of car segments. Starting with the HR.

In 1985, Pirelli " multiplied its success by 100" : the P600 was born. It was the second generation of low profiles developed to meet the new needs of the motor industry. During that period, the tyre was also required to have an increase in safety in the wet, beginning with the levels of sports performance to which the P6 conditioned the motorist: in fact the P600 concentrated on tyre performance on the brink of aquaplaning.
The Pirelli P600 " reigned" in the car market for 10 years, establishing a homologation record and, above all, consolidating the low profile concept which is now in almost all market segments.

The P6000 was born in 1995, a new revolution. A revolution at the conceptual level, first of all, with the use of mathematical models, finite element calculation, computer design, simulation which enables engineers to test drive the tyre before actually building it and, above all, virtual development together with the car for which it is intended.

A revolution at the production process level, with the arrival of the most sophisticated quality control systems.
A revolution at the commercial level: the low profile Pirelli P6000 was made available in a range of over 100 sizes which, from the 65 to the 45 Series, from 14 to 18 inch, cover almost all segments of the car market.
The qualities of the P6000 are those which are demanded by the motor industry. The tyre had to deliver an equilibrium between sports performance and comfort, between handling and mileage, because the same equilibrium is guaranteed using the most sophisticated electronic systems throughout the whole car.
P6000 found that equilibrium in its silica-based tread compound, in its " wave" tread pattern, in its particular profile geometry which generates a broad and regular contact patch. The P6000 became the reference point of the high performance car tyre market of the Nineties.


P6000 Powergy, for a changing world

In recent years there has been further evolution of the automobile, moving inexorably towards the areas of comfort, quietness, the energy saving, eco-compatibility. Compared to 1995, for example, there has been a sharp increase in the number of models which offer sophisticated suspension and geometry control as original equipment: the tyre must be able to work effectively with such sophistications. In the same way, there is an increasing number of cars which fit ABS as standard: so braking parameters have changed. On top of that, international regulations have become more stringent, imposing on the car makers severe environmental constraints: here, too, the level of low rolling resistance offered by the tyre is fundamental in obtaining certain values of fuel consumption and pollution emission.
That is why, as of today, the P6000 family includes the " Powergy generation" : easier rolling, greater comfort, more effective in braking with ABS.
It is this clear characterisation of Powergy - as well as the development, for the American market, of the all-season " P6000 Sport Veloce" - which enables the P6000 " family" to continue to be today a global point of reference for the world's car makers.

Typically, the tyre is already a success with the car manufacturers. P6000 Powergy has already been homologated for cars like the BMW 3 and 5 Series, Mercedes-Benz S Class, Lancia Lybra, Ford Focus, Peugeot 406. But at the same time the " basic" P6000 has, in turn, been homologated in the last few months for the Jaguar S-Type, Audi TT, Audi A4 and A6, Volkswagen Beetle, Mercedes A Class, Fiat Multipla: the entire " P6000 concept" comes up a winner.


P6000 Powergy: " green" technology

In these last four years, millions of motorists have driven P6000. And everyone today knows its strong points: grip when cornering, quick steering response, stability at high speed, a feeling of considerable safety in the wet, an even wear. Starting with these millions of good reasons for choosing P6000, the Pirelli designers developed Powergy working on the tread pattern, materials and construction geometry.

P6000 Powergy has a slightly modified " wave" tread pattern, which is exclusive to the " P6000 concept" . The pitch sequences have been increased from 56 to 70, both to modify the harmonic frequency and therefore make it quieter (above all when the tyre begins to wear) and to make the tread more flexible to improve comfort.
The tyre's profile has also been optimised by modifying the curvature radii and increasing the depth of the shoulder grooves. That is how a more squared and regular contact patch has been obtained: 10% larger than that of the P6000 and with a more uniform distribution of pressure, to the benefit of comfort and mileage.

There are also important new developments in the fields of materials and the construction process. First of all, the silica gives the polymers the ability to grip when the asphalt is cold and wet, also lowering rolling resistance when the road's surface is dry and the temperature is higher: the high silica content tread compound of Powergy has brought a 15% reduction in rolling resistance, compared to P6000.
Also new is the process by which the nylon belt is applied; the belt is wound at 00 by the adoption of a tension control system which increases the uniformity of the tyre affording better comfort. In this area, too, the improvement over P6000 is +12%.