Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires: description, pros and cons, reviews

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:42

The French tire manufacturer's summer series includes high-performance Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres. The rubber was originally designed for high performance sports cars like Ferraris and Porsches.

Michelin Pilot Super Sport Features

The developers of Michelin rubber, when creating it, relied on maximum ride comfort at high speed and safety of movement.

The Michelin Pilot Super Sport was shown to the general public for the first time in 2011. Almost all sports cars use them. The UHP model has considerable potential, so many car owners prefer to purchase it for their vehicles.

Twaron high strength synthetic material was used to create innovative tires of this brand. Distinguished by high technical and operational characteristics, aramid chemical fiber is one of the most common materials used in the production of military equipment and in aerospace development. Strength and low weight are the main properties due to which Twaron is used for the manufacture of rubber,including Michelin Pilot Super Sport.

Bicompound Technology

Michelin Pilot Super Sport XL is made with Bi-Compound technology. According to experts, the tires of this brand can be used on the most difficult racing tracks due to the use of different rubber compounds on both sides of the asymmetric tread.

This technology was first used to make tires used in racing. The bi-compound tread is versatile as it consists of two separate pieces, one for dry conditions and one for slippery and wet conditions.

Michelin Pilot Sport 4

Michelin Pilot Super Sport 4 is an asymmetric UHP passenger summer tire. They are installed on cars with a sporty character and serve as a guarantee of a high level of safety at a maximum speed of up to 300 km/h. They offer excellent traction and handling combined with long service life and a high level of wear resistance.

The UHP line was launched by the French manufacturer in 2001 and the Michelin Pilot Super Sport R19 is the latest generation in it. Tires of this family have gained immense popularity over the years of sales due to their high performance, which is appreciated by owners of sports cars. Despite this, the manufacturer claims that the Michelin Pilot Super Sport 4 will completely change the way car owners think about tires of this brand.

Control accuracy

Michelin Dynamic Response technology improves steering, its speed and accuracy of response, which is noted not only by specialists, but also by ordinary motorists in reviews of the Michelin Pilot Super Sport. Precise and lightning-fast steering wheel responses are ensured by the use of aramid fiber and nylon construction.

Road stability

Thanks to the use of high-strength and light aramid fibers, which are stronger than steel, Michelin rubber adapts to various conditions several times faster, while the contact patch with asph alt does not change even under prolonged loads.

Wet road safety

The Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires are made from a rubber compound consisting of hydrophobic silica and functional elastomers. Exceptional braking and traction is provided not only by the material of the rubber, but also by the wide and deep grooves of the tread, which quickly evacuate water from the contact patch.

Long service life

Michelin brand tires are durable and long lasting. The company's engineers are trying not only to increase the grip and speed characteristics of tires, but also to reduce their rolling resistance and wear level.

Pilot Sport 4S

UHP-tire Michelin 4 in 2017 was replaced by a new generation of rubber -improved model Michelin Sport 4S. The novelty is a high-speed tire with an asymmetric tread pattern, designed specifically for powerful sports cars. They feature good directional stability, good handling and fast braking on both wet and dry roads, and a long service life.

The new line of Michelin tires came as a surprise: the Pilot Sport 4 tire was shown in 2015, and a year later the French manufacturer showed the 4S. The previous model performed very, very well in independent tests, including the British Auto Express.

The Pilot Sport 4S tires were positioned as an improved version of the Pilot Sport 4 and were created to replace the previous version of UHP rubber, which at that time was incredibly popular among fans of high speeds.

Bicompound structure

Technical experts and specialists note that the Michelin Sport 4S tires show excellent performance and effective braking both on dry and wet roads thanks to the use of a bi-compound rubber structure. The outer part of the tread consists of a hybrid compound that increases the level of grip of tires with dry asph alt, while the inner part is created from a special rubber compound of functional elastomers and silicon dioxide, which increases the reliability of driving on wet roads.

In this rubber model, specialists managed to combine almost incompatible characteristics -wet and dry driving stability and excellent grip.

Expert groups TÜV SÜD and DEKRA in 2016 independently tested Michelin Pilot Super Sport car tires. The tests also involved direct competitors of this tire model of various brands.

Michelin Pilot Sport 4S on dry pavement takes 34 meters to a full stop at top speed, while the top tire of the competition has 0.83 meters more stopping distance.

Braking to a complete stop on dry pavement at a slightly lower speed occurs at a distance of 27.73 meters. At the same speed, the braking distance of competitors exceeds by 2.5 meters.

The Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires performed best in the 3km winding road handling test.

The tire life is one of the longest in its class, and it is the only one to survive the 50,000 kilometer barrier.

A distinctive feature of these tires can be called a high level of driving comfort and reduced noise level when driving on the highway.