Whether on the road or circuit, the Lamborghini Huracán STO is going to ride on Bridgestone tyres. We’d already heard those lucky owners of the road-homologated super sports would receive the custom-developed Bridgestone Potenza Sport, and Bridgestone shares that they can now choose a bespoke version of the Potenza Race in size 245/30 ZR20 at the front and 305/30 ZR20 on the rear axle.
This is the first time that Bridgestone has tailored its Potenza Race for a particular vehicle, and to mark the occasion it lined the tyre’s tread with the colours of the Italian tricolore – a nod to the Italian design provenance of both tyre and vehicle. It also features Lamborghini’s distinctive markings.
According to Bridgestone, the bespoke Potenza Race tyre “promises excellent dry grip, thanks to an optimised tread compound, pattern and sporty tyre profile, which increases grip and handling in dry conditions.” It adds that the tyre also boasts “long-lasting on-track performance and outstanding lap time ability – a result of maximised contact area and even pressure distribution, which enhances braking and cornering.” And with a casing design that enables high-performance on normal roads, the tyre is engineered for both the road and track, the manufacturer comments.
Developing a digital twin
Bridgestone’s virtual tyre modelling and simulation technologies featured heavily in the development process. The development team were thus able to create and test a digital twin of the tyre. In this project, virtual design and simulation enabled Bridgestone and Lamborghini to find the Huracán STO’s optimal match to maximise the tyre’s contact area and distribute pressure evenly under the most severe cornering, braking and traction conditions.
The use of this technology ensured a shortening of the Huracán STO’s tyre development – Bridgestone says virtual tyre development can cut product development time and outdoor and fleet tyre tests by up to 50 per cent – while offering increased flexibility. As testers can modify the digital twin in a short space of time and immediately submit it to a subjective test on the driving simulator, they can test many more variants of a given tyre in a virtual environment and ultimately cut lead times.
Virtual technologies also guarantee that the chosen tyre is the ideal fitment, as developers can assess many alternatives during development. It also helps deliver various environmental benefits, cutting both natural resource use and exhaust emissions as fewer prototype tyres are needed and physical testing is reduced. Thanks to this technology, Bridgestone must produce some 200 fewer tyres during the average development project, leading to a saving of around 60 per cent on raw materials and CO2 emissions during the tyre development phase.
Maximising capabilities in different ways
“It’s brilliant to collaborate once again with Lamborghini, especially as sole tyre supplier for the incredible Huracán STO,” comments Steven De Bock, vice-president of Consumer Replacement and OE at Bridgestone EMIA. “We already proudly launched our bespoke Potenza Sport tyres for the vehicle, and now we’re excited to provide Potenza Race specifically for track-goers and high-performance enthusiasts. Both tyres maximise the vehicle’s impressive capabilities in different ways; I’m proud to speak for a team who are able to provide this level of detail and coverage to Lamborghini customers.”
“We are pleased to have selected Bridgestone again to develop two tyres specifically for the Huracán STO: first Potenza Sport and now Potenza Race,” adds Maurizio Reggiani, chief technical officer of Automobili Lamborghini. “These two bespoke Bridgestone options synchronise perfectly with the Huracán STO’s innate dynamic capabilities, providing drivers with a tyre that responds perfectly in a variety of performance settings, and maximising our super sports car’s capabilities on both road and track.”
Bridgestone offers Potenza Race tyres for those seeking “excellent dry grip for outstanding lap times and reliable cornering, braking and handling on and off the track” (Photo: Bridgestone)
