Yahoo News A Look at Our Testing of High-Performance All-Terrain Tires on Two High-Performance Cars
The 2023 Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato and 2024 Porsche 911 Dakar featured the first high-performance all-terrain tires we've ever tested.
The Lamborghini wore a set of Bridgestone's new Dueler All-Terrain AT002 tires, while the Porsche wore a set of Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus tires.
While neither set achieved the on-road grip of more traditional performance-oriented tires, both averaged an impressive 0.96 g of grip at our test track.
Welcome to Car and Driver's Testing Hub, where we zoom in on the test numbers. We've been pushing vehicles to their limits since 1956 to provide objective data to bolster our subjective impressions (you can see how we test here).
It's no secret that improvements in tire technology have sent the performance of modern vehicles into the stratosphere. Of course, the tire manufacturers haven't been the only ones working on improving vehicle performance, and they have worked in lockstep with automakers for years. This year, the Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato and Porsche 911 Dakar moved the performance needle even further with the first sets of high-performance all-terrain tires we've ever tested.
Matchmaking
Bridgestone has worked with Lamborghini in the past to develop brand-specific versions of the Potenza Sport and Potenza Race. The new Dueler All-Terrain AT002 tires mark Bridgestone's first run-flat all-terrain tire developed for a supercar. They're rated for 168 mph and are only available in the Sterrato's 235/40RF-19 and 285/40RF-19 front and rear sizes.
Unlike normal all-terrain tires, which put the focus on off-road grip, the tread pattern and sidewall for the Dueler had to be developed for gripping the asphalt in high-speed corners. The result is a sort of Frankenstein's Monster of an all-terrain.
The sidewall is stiff and draws a lot of features from the Bridgestone Potenza Sport summer tire. The tread pattern features siping designed to evacuate mud and rocks, as well as a unique compound that provided an impressive 0.96 g at our test facility. While that can't match the otherworldly grip found on other Huracáns, we were still mightily impressed. To put the figure into perspective, we measured 1.11 g with a Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R–equipped 2018 Huracán Performante.
Braking performance was similarly impressive, with the Dueler-equipped Sterrato rushing to a stop in 172 feet from 70 mph. The Bridgestone Potenza Race–equipped Huracán STO stopped from the same speed in 154 feet, while the Performante with its stickier Pirelli Trofeo R tires accomplished the same task in 135 feet.
The 911 Dakar is similarly talented. It was equipped with a bespoke set of Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus tires; with them, we measured the Dakar at the same 0.96 g of roadholding on our skidpad. The Dakar earns a staggered setup with 245/45R-19 tires at the front and 295/40R-20 tires at the rear. Interestingly, the Lambo's all-terrains are mud and snow rated, whereas the Dakar's dirt slingers are not.
According to Porsche, the development engineers were so pleased with the performance of the all-terrains that they made them standard over the summer tires. Considering we achieved 1.04 g in a Dakar equipped with the optional Pirelli P Zero PZ4 summers, we think they made the right call. The 911's braking data shows a similar delta to what we saw with the Lambos. The all-terrain-equipped Dakar required 162 feet to stop from 70 mph, while the 911 with summer tires needed 18 feet less at 144 feet.
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