Pirelli's new tyres talk to your car's ECU to make it handle better

Pirelli’s talking tyre tech is evolving. Indeed, the technology it's been developing with Bosch is getting a fancier ‘intelligent tyre technology’ label and deeper integration for improved performance.

The 'Cyber Tyre' already clads the 21in and 22in rims of the Pagani Utopia Roadster, featuring Bosch’s MEMS sensor stuck to the inner wall. It's a teeny weeny device powerful enough to measure pressure, temperature and acceleration.

The data is collected, collated and analysed in real-time, then sent back to the car’s electronic system. The new advancement means the tyre essentially informs the system so the car’s dynamic setup can be adjusted accordingly. In the case of the Utopia, the data will inform the electronic stability programme (ESP) directly.

In the future though, features like anti-lock braking systems (ABS) and traction control (TCS), are primed to react and consequently better performance.

These tyres launched in 2021 on the McLaren Artura. At that point, the sensors told the driver if the tyre temperature had hit ‘optimal’, or if the rubber needed to be cooled.

With what Pirelli calls 'a hand on the road', both companies say the technology will not only improve performance, but also be much safer – encouraging drivers to slow down when the tyres sense that road conditions have changed. Plus, when we're living in a world with robot-driven, no-human cars (thusly, no driver to physically see water fall from the sky), tyres whispering the change in weather will probably be welcomed.