Italian tire manufacturer Pirelli has teamed up with Brembo and Magneti Marelli to develop a ‘Cyber Tyre’ for high-end cars. The three famous Italian firms are going to work together to develop this advanced tyre which will go into production by 2011 0r 2012 and will be fitted as OEM on high-end sports cars like Lamborghini’s and Ferrari’s before coming into the mainstream market.

Though tire pressure monitoring systems have become quite common, the new tyre will provide real-time data on the air pressure, load, temperature, friction and more to the car’s computer. This will be made possible by a self-powered microchip integrated into the carcass of the tyre and powered by the motion of the tyre. So as long as the car is in motion (maybe above a certain speed) the information will be gathered by the chip and wirelessly transmitted to the car’s CPU using RFID technology.

The electronics will be provided by Magneti Marelli, while Brembo will work on the brakes for the new tire. The entire system will be made in a way that it can easily be integrated into cars of various manufacturers. When developed the ‘Cyber Tyre’ will help safety by transmitting useful data on the tires’ current condition which systems like stability control and ABS will use to improve traction and safety in all situations. The trio are also developing a similar tire for motorcycles, called ‘Cyber Tyre Lean’.