Michelin launches new ‘ultra-high performance’ tyre

Michelin, a global leader in manufacturing tyres, has launched the new Pilot Sport 4 S, an ultra-high performance tyre which replaces the Michelin Pilot Super Sport, an industry-leading ultra-high-performance tyre for original equipment and replacement applications.

Designed for sports cars and high performance saloons, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S offers unparalleled driving experience due to its exceptional steering precision and directional stability. It provides maximum performance and safety on all surfaces due to its optimised tread footprint which grips the road in all situations, even the most extreme, said a statement from the company.

The new tyre also displays excellent braking performance on both dry and wet surfaces, because of its use of bi-compound technology. The outer part of the tread uses a new hybrid compound that promotes grip on dry ground while the inner side uses a new compound with silica and so-called functional elastomers which allow the tyre to offer consistent grip on wet surfaces, it said.

This high performance on dry and wet surfaces, often conflicting characteristics in the world of super sports tyres, here have advanced together. They fully express the Michelin Total Performance philosophy, which is to advance simultaneously several criteria on the same tyre, whatever the technology challenge, it added.

Adapted for driving at the highest levels on road and on track, the new tyre has already positioned itself as the number one in its class.

In tests conducted by the independent organisation TÜV SÜD in Germany, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S surpassed its five major competitors in key performance areas:

Dry braking
The Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S takes only 33.66m to brake from 100 km / h to a complete stop, when the best of its direct competitors takes nearly a metre more (+0,83m).

Wet braking
On a wet track 27.73m is enough for the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S to brake from 80 km / h to 0. This shows it once again as the best at almost 2.5m (+2,41m) shorter than the worst performer.

Lap time
On a 2.6 km circuit, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S proved to be between 0.4s and 1.39s faster per lap. It's almost a second quicker on average over this relatively short distance. One second may seem insignificant; however the driving experience will be completely different.

Longevity
Wear tests conducted by the Dekra Test Center demonstrated that the new Michelin tyre has the best longevity in its class.

The Pilot Sport 4 S is also among the first tyres in this category to score an A rating on the European labelling scale (19 inch tyre) in braking distance on wet surfaces. This label is intended to inform tyre buyers of the performance of the tyres they are planning to buy and also gives them information on the energy efficiency of the tyre and its road noise level.

The tyre also passes a new milestone in terms of rolling resistance as two-thirds of the range are graded C.
Additionally, the distinctive design of the tread has been developed following the success of the tyres used in Formula E, which are the first 18-inch tyres to be used on open-wheeled race cars.

The tyre has been developed to satisfy the owners of cars from manufacturers including BMW M, Ferrari, Ford, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche. Michelin is working hand in hand with the world’s leading car manufacturers to provide the most suitable tyres to complement the performance of their most exclusive models and as a result, more than 60 original equipment homologation projects are currently under development, it said.

The new Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S is available starting from this month in Africa and the Middle East, in the below listed 19 and 20 inch diameters, it stated. – TradeArabia News Service