New Pirelli Ice Zero 2 designed around the stud

Pirelli’s new winter tyre, the Ice Zero 2 was recently launched at its proving ground in Sweden and was developed for extreme winter conditions.

However, performance isn’t this tyre’s stand out feature, the stud is.

The Italian tyre maker claims it is the first tyre designed around the stud.

The stud is the key element in delivering grip in icy conditions, and developing the Ice Zero 2 around the stud presented Pirelli with several technical complexities.

Compared to its predecessor, the Ice Zero, the new tyre offers greater traction and braking while noise levels are greatly reduced, thanks to a new stud arrangement. Dry weather performance has improved as well, thanks to a reduction in the depth of the tread pattern and the 3D channels on the shoulder.

The stud in the Ice Zero 2 tyre, derived from the one that was made for the first version of the Ice Zero and patented by Pirelli, has benefitted from several updates. In particular, it has been redesigned and lightened (going from 1.1 to 0.9 grams, while the length goes down from 11 to 10 millimetres), all helping to reduce the overall weight of the tyre.

However, the number of studs in the tyre has increased. Compared to the previous generation of Ice Zero tyre, which contained around 130 studs, there are now 190 studs buried in the surface of the tyre. The new design, developed using 3D simulation, has also helped to enhance braking, accentuating safety.

While it’s the stud that has the important job of biting into the road surface, there are other elements that improve efficiency. The housing that connects the stud to the inside of the tyre is a key element of transferring the grip into the tyre itself. As a result, a compound that’s not too soft has been adopted, which also helps stud retention.

The new Ice Zero 2 tyre enters the range alongside the previous Ice Zero and Ice Zero FR (non-studded) tyres. Compared to the first generation of tyres that it will join, the Ice Zero 2 focusses more on top of the range cars.

The sizes available for Pirelli’s latest tyre begin at 16 inches and go up to 22 inches, with the Ice Zero 2 also capable of equipping sports saloons. The Scorpion Ice Zero 2 caters for the latest-generation SUVs and Crossover vehicles.