Latest news with #PirelliPZeroTrofeoRS
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
2024 Lucid Air Sapphire at Lightning Lap 2025
From the March/April 2025 issue of Car and Driver. Class: LL4 | Base: $253,400 | As Tested: $253,400 Power and Weight: 1003 hp • 5319 lb • 5.3 lb/hp Tires: Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS Elect; F: 265/35ZR-20 (99Y) LM1, R: 295/30ZR-21 (102Y) LM1 After setting an impressive 2:44.3 lap last year—a new record for EVs and four-doors—why is the Lucid Air Sapphire back, and how did it turn into the fastest car of the year? Tires. Lucid now offers R-compound Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS tires, tuned to Lucid's specifications, and combines the stickier rubber with updated calibrations to take advantage of them. This is the same tire Porsche fits to the Taycan Turbo GT, making the battle between the two top electric sedans about as even as they come, although the cars are quite different to drive. "I think the regen braking just induced major oversteer in the Infield esses," testing director Dave VanderWerp reported to the Lucid team in the paddock after a particularly attention-grabbing moment. Calibration engineer Esther Unti instantly responded, "That's definitely a thing." This is a window into driving the Lucid, which is more raw than the Porsche, demanding skillful inputs from hands and feet. The looser handling setup is also deliberate to work the rear tires more and keep the fronts from overheating. Speaking of heat, the additional tire grip is obvious, with lateral acceleration in Turn 1 increasing from 1.09 to 1.13 g's, which means the Sapphire can use more power out of every corner. This causes the battery to get too hot to make maximum output for the entire lap, so the engineers removed a dollop of power to stay just beneath the give point, which is why the Air's peak speed is down by 2.9 mph. But this only makes the Sapphire's 4.1-second improvement more impressive, as it's now in the hunt with the fastest cars we've ever run. For example, through Sector 3—Oak Tree, down the long Back Straight, and just past the tight right known as Bitch—the Sapphire is the second quickest in Lightning Lap history, a mere half-second behind the McLaren Senna and quicker than every other McLaren and every Porsche and Corvette we've run. Sure, the Lucid can hustle, but the brakes are even more mind-boggling, with a firm pedal that remained consistent no matter what we threw at it. The Sapphire's time put it in 10th place on the all-time leaderboard, right in the supercar mix, where most entries cost more, all weigh at least 1650 pounds less, and none have a back seat. It's as if the Sapphire doesn't know it's a 5319-pound luxury sedan—we can't believe it either. Back to Lightning Lap 2025 You Might Also Like Car and Driver's 10 Best Cars through the Decades How to Buy or Lease a New Car Lightning Lap Legends: Chevrolet Camaro vs. Ford Mustang!
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Lucid and Pirelli Just Made the Air Sapphire Even Quicker
The all-electric Lucid Air Sapphire is one of the most ludicrous road cars ever offered for sale. The existing level of performance clearly hasn't satisfied the automaker, however, as Lucid has just rolled out a major upgrade for the car. For the first time, Air Sapphire customers will now have the chance to spec gummy Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS tires developed specifically for the 1234-horsepower EV. Despite the four-digit power output, the tri-motor Lucid Air Sapphire models come as standard with a regular set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires. We love the PS4S, but it wasn't exactly designed to maximize that sort of transparent grunt. During our 2025 Electric Performance Vehicle of the Year test, the 'mundane' rubber kept the Lucid from posting the fastest lap around the New York Safety Track: despite a 6.3-mph faster top speed on track (147.3 mph), the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT's 1:33.0 lap was 2.56 seconds faster than the Lucid. These new tires should help the American car close the delta. The tires were specifically developed between Lucid and Pirelli North America, with loads of on-track testing taking place throughout 2024. These included tests at California's Thunderhill Raceway, as well as sessions at Papenburg and the Nürburgring Nordschleife in Germany. Exactly the sort of places you'd want to test high-speed cornering grip. The new wheel and tire package, which includes a bespoke set of staggered forged aluminum wheel, will run customers $8250. Each tire can also be purchased individually, for $700 for fronts and $750 for rears. Lucid Service Centers will stock the stickier rubber, with deliveries and installation expected to begin April. We can't wait to get our hands on a Sapphire with the properly sticky rubber. The 'standard' example is already one of the most impressive vehicles I've experienced, and certainly among the quickest. That said, if you don't plan on tracking the super-sedan, you're probably just fine to save some cash and stick with the Michelins. You Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car
