Ferrari 599 GTB - Tires
The latest stable mate to arrive at Ferrari is the 599
GTB. With a 0 to 60 m.p.h. figure of 3.6 seconds and a top speed of more
than 205 m.p.h. this monster sports legend in the making requires a road
holding system that will combine supreme performance with optimum safety
for the user. The designers know that not every lucky customer will have
the natural driving talents of a Michael Schumacher! After many millions
of kilometres of road and track testing , much of it with F1 partners Bridgestone
they have produced the right tool for the job .
With a front tire dimension of 245/40 at 19 inches and a rear tire dimension
of 305/35 at 20 inches the tires are built to give maximum road holding
to a vehicle body that tapers slightly from front to rear. This allows an
aesthetically pleasing and at the same time aerodynamically perfect body
styling. In formula one terms they will have been tested and monitored for
pressure and temperature stability along with optimum grip characteristics
in wet weather conditions that cause loss of friction and high speed aquaplaning.
Tires will have to operate within limits whilst suffering regular lateral
distortion due to g forces of 3g and more for hundreds of laps. Therefore
the ultimate tire was one that combined the best size, shape pattern and
road contact to meet all these requirements. Alongside this testing, the
now famous f1 track traction control was developed, designed to allow the
transmission to exert the maximum amount of torque available to translate
to the tires and produce a smooth and continuous acceleration when it is
needed most from a standing start. The same software derived system comes
in to play when deceleration is required from a high speed cruising situation,
producing major friction forces and therefore heat generation in the tires
and brakes that would produce a wheel lock and skid in a lesser pedigree
combination.