Michelin

MICHELIN Pilot Super Sport Unveiled in Dubai

The MICHELIN Pilot Super Sport, the world’s fastest series-produced tyre on the racetrack (*1), was unveiled in Dubai this week and will be launched worldwide beginning in January 2011.

The MICHELIN Pilot Super Sport was designed to accomplish one purpose: deliver the ultimate driving experience while ensuring maximum safety even in extreme conditions of use.

The tyre integrates the full range of expertise and know-how developed by Michelin in the leading international endurance races, in particular the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Intended for motorists who want exceptional driving enjoyment and safety – whether for day-to-day use or sporty driving – the MICHELIN Pilot Super Sport is designed for series-produced super sport models and street-legal cars that have been tuned and modified for ultra high-performance.

This outstanding combination of driving enjoyment and safety performance proved decisive in the product development phases conducted with BMW M (the sports division of the Munich-based carmaker), Ferrari and Porsche.

The exceptional potential of the MICHELIN Pilot Super Sport, which is designed for the most demanding conditions of use on the road, is derived directly from the skills and capabilities of Michelin’s motorsports teams. The technological breakthroughs that have enabled Michelin to score 13 consecutive wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans have been transferred to the MICHELIN Pilot Super Sport with the goal of providing motorists with exceptional driving enjoyment.

In line with Michelin’s innovation strategy, the MICHELIN Pilot Super Sport delivers an optimal balance of several distinct performance characteristics. This ability to combine maximum safety, even in extreme conditions of use, with driving pleasure and excellent mileage is the result of an R&D commitment unrivaled in the tyre industry; nearly €500 million a year allocated to the Michelin Technology Center.

To improve the tyre’s overall safety performance through improved road-holding and braking ability even in the most extreme conditions, while also providing excellent mileage, Michelin has combined three unique technologies, including two developed for tyres used at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The Twaron® fiber belt is incorporated along with the Bi-Compound tread band and the Variable Contact Patch 2.0, both of which were derived from innovations validated and used in endurance racing.

The combination has produced compelling results that are apt to win over the most demanding manufacturers of cars in the ultra high-performance segment. As a result, the new Michelin tyre has key advantages that enable it to rise to the challenge posed by its predecessor, the MICHELIN Pilot Sport PS2, which was certified as original equipment on more than 200 vehicles.

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^1. The MICHELIN Pilot Super Sport outperformed its five leading competitors in speed and dry road-holding in a test conducted in 2010 by TÜV SÜD Automotive, an independent testing organization, using 245/40 ZR 18 Y and 235/35 ZR 19 Y tyres

Tags: MICHELIN Pilot Super Sport, Michelin Technology Center