A spin in the right direction
While drivers tend to overlook tires until they need to be replaced, companies like Pirelli obsess over them. Constantly improving and iterating, Pirelli is now introducing a tire to market that features nearly three-quarters recycled components, suggesting that the future of high-performance tires can utilize used materials without compromising performance.
The downside is that, at least for its first recycled tire, Pirelli is limiting production to a single tire size, which was developed specifically for a single vehicle. It was also developed as an OEM tire, and it’s unclear whether Pirelli will produce them for the aftermarket.
Pirelli P Zero tire
Pirelli
All about the 70% recycled Pirelli P Zero
This new tire is part of Pirelli’s commitment to making all natural rubber used in its European factories Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified by 2026. The tire maker previously released an FSC-certified tire in 2021. FSC certification is specific to the rubber used in the tire, which has to be certified as natural rubber and is an attestation that Pirelli exercised “responsible management” of its natural rubber supply chain from plantation to production.
In addition to FSC-certified rubber, the new P Zero utilizes recycled steel, which the company reclaimed in part from melted scrap metal. Rice husk-derived silica was also used in the P Zero, as the silica is a byproduct of rice production and is used in the P Zero’s tread for enhanced handling in wet conditions.
End-of-life tires were also included. To make the tires black, Pirelli used pyrolysis oil from scrap tires, which is obtained via a process of rapid heating and cooling that essentially extracts the oils from the used tires. The same pyrolysis oil derivative was used in the tire polymers. Finally, plant-based bio-resins help optimize dry and wet performance for the new P Zero.
If you want the new P Zero, you’ll need a Range Rover
Developed for JLR (Jaguar Land Rover), Pirelli states that the new tire will only be available in a 22-inch wheel size. The mostly-recycled P Zero will “initially be available on selected” Range Rover vehicles, but it’s unclear whether the tire will be an optional add-on for buyers or if it will be standard for Range Rovers with 22-inch wheels.
It’s not the first collaboration between JLR and Pirelli, either. In 2024, JLR equipped some of its cars with Pirelli tires that contained 110 percent FSC-certified natural rubber. The new P Zeros will feature FSC markings and a “distinctive logo” denoting that the tires contain more than 50 percent bio-based recycled materials, which is verified by the third-party certification body Bureau Veritas.
Range Rover Evoque
Jaguar Land Rover
Final thoughts
There’s no doubt Pirelli ran this tire through its paces, both virtually in its design and development phase as well as in real-world testing. If any company has mastered high-performance tire manufacturing, it’s Pirelli. Even so, it’s unclear how recycled materials will hold up over the long term, but if all goes well, we could be looking at a breakthrough in the future of tires.
