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.