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Pirelli Sottozero. Maximum Performance Joins Total Control
The mountain roads are now closed, but there are at least half a dozen equally amusing ways to use your sports car, waiting for the snow to melt and the spring to rightly reopen the driving season based on road trips and weekends on the road we are waiting for with trepidation. However, the performance motto must necessarily go hand in hand with the safety regulations in force and therefore it will be good for you to change tires, fitting a set of winter ones, in order not to collect fines and above all for not becoming a risk for yourself and others. It is known that the winter season brings with it numerous dangers due to more frequent rainfall, possibility of snow and asphalt covered with ice, so it becomes of fundamental importance to provide a tread that carries out the task of bringing you home in one piece. Thanks to Euroimport, one of the most important specialized retailers of the rubber industry, we are going to discover the characteristics of one of the most famous models, tested firsthand.
Last month we analyzed one of the key tires in terms of winter tires, the Pirelli Sottozero. Having tested them properly on a grand tourer of the caliber of the Ferrari GTC4 Lusso, we appreciated the exceptional versatility and the ability to offer stability on imperfect surfaces, without penalizing the performance of a 690-horsepower sports car. But the Sottozero are also chosen by Lamborghini and during our test with the Huracan LP610-4 we had the opportunity to put this type of tire under pressure in a purely performance context, fitting the generous rims of a car ready to toss your brain in the skull from morning to evening.
All-wheel drive, engine in mid-rear position and 7-speed sequential gearbox shooting 610 horsepower and 560 Nm of torque thanks to a naturally aspirated V10 that requires nothing more than to be screamed up to the red line, as in the best tradition of Sant’Agata Bolognese. Moving away from the immediacy of the turbocharged engines we are getting more and more used to, pulling a naturally aspirated Lamborghini by the neck reminds you that to get the most out of the car you have to sink the throttle and hold it down, as if there were no tomorrow. It is in this case that the safety factor, offered both by the four-wheel drive and by the grip that the tires exert on the asphalt – even wet – becomes vital, offering even less experienced drivers the chance to take advantage of the car all year round, maybe reaching the favorite mountain location, or attacking the curbs on a track-day.
Among the aspects that make the Sottozero, one of the ultimate winter tires, we have an asymmetrical tread pattern divided into 3 very different areas. Inside we have a design that can effectively drain water, while at the center it enhances comfort and driving pleasure. Finally, the external area, composed of more rigid and spaced blocks, is the one that ensures high levels of grip on snow-covered surfaces.
Front Tires: Pirelli Sottozero | 245/30 R20
Rear Tires: Pirelli Sottozero | 305/30 R20
Find out more about Pirelli Sottozero Euroimport’s catalogue
Words by Marco Rallo
Photos by Richard Montagner
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