Falken Tyre Europe Launches New Tyre For High-Performance Vehicles

Falken Tyre Europe Launches New Tyre For High-Performance Vehicles

Falken Tyre Europe introduced the new EUROALL SEASON AS220 PRO tyre for high-performance vehicles.

The newly launched tyre is available in 46 sizes spanning 17 to 21 inches and cross-sections from 35 to 65 with speed index options including V (up to 240 km/h) and W (up to 270 km/h). 

The EUROALL SEASON AS220 PRO features an asymmetric tread pattern designed to offer both grip and a quiet and smooth ride.

Falken’s product development focussed on ensuring the tyre would offer an excellent all-around winter performance. Performance was assessed in wet, wintery conditions with superior grip levels targeted for slushy and snowy carriageways. 

To perform on slushy and snowy surfaces, the company has created a synergistic all-season tread to provide a balanced performance in all driving conditions. Engineers developed an inner running surface optimised for snow and slush, which, when combined with the outer tread, provides optimum performance in both wet and dry conditions. Intelligent interactions between these two tread areas gives the EUROALL SEASON AS220 PRO’s mix of a sporting driving experience with heightened safety.

The new product’s tread boasts a uniform outer shoulder and two wide tread grooves throughout the circumference of the tyre – which ensure particularly good water drainage and minimise the risk of aquaplaning. 

To ensure good grip and traction when accelerating or braking on snow, step-down tread grooves are arranged on the inside in an offset configuration. In addition to the fine profile recesses, additional grooves ensure both good grip and precise handling by gripping and compressing the snow.

Understanding the needs of high-performance car drivers, Falken has optimised the tyre’s design with an improved contour. The EUROALL SEASON AS220 PRO’s construction prevents deformation of the running surface caused by centrifugal forces at high speeds – meaning the contact patch with the road is maximised. As a result, driving stability remains outstanding – even at high speeds – and the response between steering and braking remains high.

In internal comparisons of the AS220 PRO against an internal reference product, the new product not only sets the standard for wet and dry handling – as well as safety at high speeds – but also impresses in terms of its effects on fuel consumption, therefore reducing CO2 emissions.

Falken’s special advanced 4D NANO design technology ensures lower wear rates and a longer lifespan of the tyre. The label values for the EUROALL SEASON AS220 PRO – which have not yet been fully defined – are B and D for fuel consumption/rolling resistance, B for wet grip and B for noise emissions, depending on the tyre dimensions.

With appearance also an important factor when it comes to high-performance vehicles, the EUROALL SEASON AS220 PRO boasts an aerodynamic sidewall design and attractive nano-black inscription.

With XL rating, all 46 dimensions have high load-bearing capacities. Eight out of the EU’s top ten dimensions, and eight sizes specifically used for EVs are included in the programme for the new UHP all-weather tyre – with most also equipped with a rim protection strip.

Falken’s tyres are developed and manufactured according to the highest standards of quality. Should the worst happen, Falken’s warranty provides protection and, depending on the residual depth of the tread, this warranty compensates customers for product defects for a service life of five years.

AZuR Launches European Tyre Pressure Day To Extend Tyre Life

AZuR Launches European Tyre Pressure Day To Extend Tyre Life

The Alliance Future Tyres (AZuR) will hold the first European Tyre Pressure Day on 3rd  June 2027, calling on motorists, businesses and public institutions across Europe to check their vehicles’ tyre pressure to reduce waste and extend tyre life.

More than 90 AZuR partners will take part, with garages, car washes, fleet operators, universities and municipalities also invited to join the initiative. Registration is open, according to the organisation’s announcement on 13 October 2026.

The campaign highlights the role of tyre pressure in preserving the casing, the structural part of a tyre that can remain suitable for reuse or retreading even when the original tyre is no longer in service.

An analysis by REGOM, using automated identification and sorting technology at an industrial used-tyre collection site in France, examined 59,349 tyres in June 2026 with at least 3mm of remaining tread. Of these, 12,738 were considered suitable for reuse. The other four-fifths were rejected despite having sufficient tread, with the condition of the casing determining whether they could be reused.

“We have spent years working to make sure a new cycle begins at the end of a tyre’s life. But the most effective lever comes before that — and it lies with every single one of us,” says Anna-Maria Guth, Network Coordinator of AZuR. “That is why we are starting with ourselves. On 3 June our partners will check the pressure on their own vehicles, in their own yards and staff car parks. If you take part yourself, you do not have to persuade anyone,” adds Guth.

“Every tyre contains valuable raw materials whose production requires energy, know-how and resources. From a circular economy perspective, we should therefore value this material and energy effort for as long as is technically and safely possible,” said Marjolein Groeneweg, Global Marketing And Sustainability Director For Synthetic Rubber at Synthos and a Member of AZuR’s Reduce & Reuse project group.

Low tyre pressure can also increase fuel consumption. The German motoring organisation ADAC estimates that it can raise consumption by as much as 0.3 litres per 100km. At an annual mileage of 15,000km, that would amount to about 45 litres of additional fuel.

The campaign will cover cars, vans, lorries, trailers, buses, agricultural machinery and bicycles. Participants can register their locations on a European campaign map, while schools, clubs and municipalities can apply for free campaign materials.

AZuR has worked since 2020 to promote a circular economy for tyres, bringing together more than 90 partners across manufacturing, repair, retreading, collection and materials recovery.

Pirelli Develops Bespoke P Zero R Tyre For New Official FIA F1 Safety Car

Pirelli Develops Bespoke P Zero R Tyre For New Official FIA F1 Safety Car

Pirelli has introduced the P Zero R, an ultra-high-performance tyre created specifically for the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 PRO 4MATIC+, unveiled as the first Official FIA F1 Safety Car fitted with fully variable all-wheel drive. The tyre blends qualifying-level dry performance with precise steering response while maintaining safe wet handling and was engineered to deliver consistent performance during Formula 1 Safety Car deployments, where precision, reliability and control are essential.

The dual-compound tread and tread pattern details, developed through virtualisation, allow high performance in both dry and wet conditions. Co-developed with Mercedes-AMG engineers in Affalterbach and refined using virtual simulation models central to Pirelli's development process, the compounds, land-to-groove ratio and tread channel widths work in synergy with the vehicle's suspension geometry and camber. This optimises the contact patch, maximising grip and steering precision while enhancing high-speed stability without sacrificing wet performance.

The project forms part of Pirelli's role as Formula 1's sole tyre supplier since 2011, a position recently confirmed by the FIA and Formula 1 and extended through to 2028. The relationship stretches back to the inaugural race in 1950, and Pirelli has accompanied the championship's technical evolution, reaching 500 Grands Prix in 2025. Experience gained on track, including in extreme conditions, gives Pirelli a laboratory for innovation whose findings also feed into road tyre development.

Designed to put the power of its 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine onto the road, the 21-inch P Zero R supports an engine producing 450 kW (612 hp) and 850 Nm of maximum torque. The car offers high performance and drivability thanks to the fully variable AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel-drive system, which demands tyres capable of coping with rapid load transfers while letting the car exploit its dynamic potential.

Extensive testing at the Nürburgring and Nardò involved AMG brand ambassador and Official FIA F1 Safety Car Driver Bernd Mayländer and other experienced Safety Car drivers, who praised the tyre's consistency and grip across a wide range of conditions. The first P Zero R developed specifically for a Mercedes-AMG, it confirms a longstanding collaboration built on co-development from the earliest stages of vehicle development, resulting in more than 150 fitments. The tyre carries the MO1 sidewall marking, identifying it as specifically developed for this model.

The previous Official FIA F1 Safety Car from the Affalterbach performance and sports car brand, the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series, which served from 2022 to 2026, also ran on Pirelli P Zero tyres. The latest milestone in the partnership came at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, where the Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 4MATIC+ fitted with Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS tyres set a record of 7:32.070 minutes, claiming the title of fastest vehicle in its segment on the legendary German circuit.

Continental Secures Two Porsche OE Approvals for Panamera, Cayenne

Continental Secures Two Porsche OE Approvals for Panamera, Cayenne

Continental has secured two fresh original-equipment approvals from Porsche. Both the SportContact 7 and the newly introduced SportContact 7 Force have been sanctioned for the Panamera G3 II, while the WinterContact TS 860 S is recommended by Porsche for the Cayenne E4 in colder conditions. The approvals cover 21- and 22-inch sizes bearing XL markings that denote greater load capacity.

The SportContact 7 serves as a summer tyre engineered for highly responsive and precise handling. Its tread design and rubber formulation deliver strong grip and brief braking distances on dry and wet surfaces alike, ensuring notable stability at elevated speeds. The SportContact 7 Force, meanwhile, represents a high-performance extension of Continental's summer range.

Developed as a specialised variant of the SportContact 7, the Force version addresses elevated performance and stability requirements. An adaptive tread pattern paired with a refined rubber compound allows for more accurate handling and efficient power transfer under extreme conditions. It blends track-derived capability with suitability for daily driving.

For the Cayenne E4, the WinterContact TS 860 S has been tailored to high-powered, handling-oriented SUVs. It offers short braking distances and precise dry-road handling, alongside solid snow performance for dependable control and stability. Its low rolling resistance may also help extend electric vehicle range.

Pirelli Develops Bespoke P Zero For BRABUS BODO CABRIOLET

Pirelli Develops Bespoke P Zero For BRABUS BODO CABRIOLET

Pirelli has been selected as the exclusive supplier of 22-inch tyres for the new BRABUS BODO CABRIOLET, developing a bespoke P Zero for the open-top Gran Turismo. The same tyre is also available for the Coupé variant. The German luxury brand required a solution balancing grip at high speeds with comfort and precision.

BRABUS collaborated closely with Pirelli engineers throughout development, tailoring the tyre to the supercar’s chassis, wheel dimensions and V12 engine, which propels the 2+2-seater to 360 kmph. Attention centred on construction, tread pattern and compound to achieve high-speed performance, steering precision, stability and comfort.

Advanced virtualisation and simulation techniques allowed Pirelli to optimise the tyre’s characteristics before an intensive joint testing programme at Germany’s Papenburg track, where handling and high-speed behaviour were evaluated and fine-tuned for the BODO CABRIOLET.

Aesthetic details also mattered: a high-contrast sidewall reinforces the car’s bold character. The P Zero carries a ‘BB’ marking denoting bespoke development and is offered in 285/30 ZR22 XL front and 335/25 ZR22 XL rear sizes, delivering power and torque without sacrificing Grand Tourer comfort.

Joern Gander, CTO, BRABUS, “The successful development of this 22-inch tyre combination, created together with Pirelli, underlines our ambition to perfectly harmonise maximum performance, precision and driving dynamics with the BRABUS BODO, right down to the smallest detail.”