Care & Feeding of the Pirelli P Zero Corsa

Tire Set-up for Circuit Driving

For maximum performance and safety on a circuit, first make sure that the vehicle itself is in perfect working order, particularly with respect to brakes, steering and suspension.

Having quite a stiff construction, the P Zero Corsa does not necessarily need extra tire pressure to deliver its performance. In fact, it is designed to run at tire pressures around 30 psi, with finite adjustments depending on vehicle type.

Critical to understanding the set-up is to appreciate that this pressure is the "operating pressure" of the tire when it is fully warmed up to working temperature and that the difference between "hot" and "cold" tires can be very significant, typically 7 psi.

Set-up procedure: set the tire pressures when cold to approximately 6 psi less than the required operating pressure.

Drive the car on the circuit for 3 to 4 laps to bring the tires up to temperature, re-enter the pit lane and immediately re-set the pressures to the operating pressure. Continue to check, re-set and/or adjust the "hot" pressures during continued use on the circuit if that is possible.

Pirelli recommends using normal compressed air to inflate the tire, providing the above procedures are followed. Specialized gasses such as nitrogen are not required unless the air source suffers from excessive contamination of humidity.

Always use a high quality air pressure gauge for consistent results. It is also recommended to use metal rather than rubber valve stems in the wheel, these being more resistant to high temperature.