Premium tyres maker Bridgestone has been chosen by Porsche to develop bespoke tyres for its new Macan Electric and Panamera models. Both vehicles are now available with custom-engineered Bridgestone Potenza Sport ultra-high-performance tyres.
The third generation of Porsche’s sporting luxury sedan, the Panamera, can also be fitted with tailor-made Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 tyres – Bridgestone’s first winter original fitment for Porsche.
“After our collaboration on the Porsche Cayenne, we’re breaking new ground in our partnership and offering premium tyre fitments to help enhance the driving experience of new Porsche models,” said Steven De Bock, Vice President Original Equipment (OE) at Bridgestone EMEA. “We’re proud to share two firsts – the Panamera’s first Bridgestone OE fitment and our first bespoke tyre for an electric Porsche car with the Macan Electric. It is exciting to showcase our ability to provide a range of premium fitments that will help Porsche’s drivers get the most out of these two incredible and very different cars.”
Enabling Porsche performance in its first all-electric SUV
The Porsche Macan Electric’s custom Potenza Sport tyre applies a tread and compound design that enhances the vehicle’s dynamic sporty performance while managing the high weight and torque of the electric sport utility vehicle (SUV). With Bridgestone’s flagship ultra-high-performance tyre customised to the Macan Electric’s unique requirements, the premium tyre maximises handling in the dry, wet and at high speed. This comes alongside maximised braking performance and comfort, and optimised rolling resistance to support the vehicle’s approximately 600km range.
These performance benefits are enabled by ENLITEN Technology. ENLITEN is Bridgestone’s next generation technology platform designed to deliver uncompromising performance with a focus on enhancing sustainability characteristics. Developed and manufactured in Europe, the Macan Electric’s bespoke tyres are available globally in six dimensions across 20”, 21” and 22” sizes.
Delivering for Porsche Panamera drivers year-round
Bridgestone has provided Porsche Panamera drivers with two unique fitments to enhance their vehicle’s performance across the seasons. The Porsche Panamera’s 21” Bridgestone Potenza Sport tyres are engineered with ENLITEN Technology to enhance the vehicle’s sporty driving behaviour and driver comfort, while providing low rolling resistance for energy efficiency. The Panamera’s bespoke Potenza Sport ultra-high-performance tyres apply a pattern design and material package that maximises dry handling, wet handling and high-speed performances.
The Panamera’s bespoke 20” Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 winter fitment applies a pattern design that maximizes dry, wet and snow handling to enhance the car’s performance in winter conditions. All these custom-designed tyres are engineered and produced in Europe.
Virtually developed for a real-world impact
The development process for both projects leveraged Bridgestone’s innovative Virtual Tyre Development technology. This technology improves both the efficiency and sustainability of the tyre development process – leading to a reduction of up to 60 percent in raw material consumption and CO2 emissions in the development phase of original equipment tyres.
Bridgestone’s Virtual Tyre Development was key to reaching Porsche’s requirements for the Porsche Macan Electric and Panamera. In particular, the technology was used to enhance the bespoke tyres’ dry braking capabilities and ensure proper matching with the vehicles’ braking systems. The use of Virtual Tyre Development also helped to ensure the Macan Electric’s dynamic sporty behaviour could be coupled with the high weight and torque of a SUV electric vehicle to maintain a high level of stability at high speed.
