First OE fitment for Michelin connected road-legal track tyre

Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect for 80:20 track to road use improves tyre performance while also built to take advantage of sensor technology

Michelin has announced the first original equipment fitment for the Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect road-legal track tyre. The tyre will receive its world premiere as original equipment on the BMW M2 CS. Intended for 80 per cent track use, the Connect version of the Pilot Sport Cup 2 has an integrated container for a sensor. This makes it the first 100 per cent connect-ready tyre on the market. Users need only insert the Michelin Track Connect solution sensors. This allows drivers to optimise their performance during track days. Further improvements to the tyre construction and tread have helped Michelin offer a tyre that improves on the base Pilot Sport Cup 2, itself a favourite fitment of GT racing models.

The M2 CS will be fitted with tuned Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect tyres in size 245/35ZR19 (93Y) XL TL (front) and 265/35ZR19 (98Y) XL TL (rear). The fitment also makes the Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect the first connect-ready tyre homologated as original equipment, Michelin states.

The tyre is available on the replacement market in 41 dimensions between 17 and 21 inches. With 95 per cent market coverage, the Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect is compatible with the majority of sports cars on the market, from 200 to over 750 HP. Michelin states that the tyre targets beginners or experienced drivers, allowing them to increase their driving experience and improve their lap times on track.

More stability and security

Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect

Michelin says the Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect combines great road feel and high efficiency, achieved via its new architecture. The tyre is constructed with two polyester plies, two steel plies and a polyamide ply. It also benefits from several advanced Michelin technologies:

• Wavy Summit Architecture: waving of the summit plies by addition of rubber under the structural steel cable of the tyre, giving the advantage of reducing response time and increasing the feeling of sportiness behind the wheel.
• Dynamic Response Technology: high density aramid and nylon hybrid belt which promotes driving precision and tyre behavior under load. This belt, which is located just below the tread, is both very resistant and light. Therefore, at equivalent weight, the associated nylon and aramid are five times more resistant than steel.

These technical improvements help to achieve higher speed cornering and improved high-speed stability.

New tread for better control, longer life

Michelin adds that the new Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect has benefitted from several tread technologies. These include:

• Bi Compound Technology: the asymmetrical and non-directional tread pattern of the Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect has an elastomer whose rigidity is adapted to provide maximum grip on dry surfaces when cornering on the outside. On the inside of the tread, a more rigid elastomer optimises precision and control.
• High Molecular Chain: the new rubber compound has “functional elastomers”, increasing homogenity. This helps to reduce rolling resistance, increasing efficiency. The compound also yields more grip in the wet thanks to a higher dosage of fine silica.
• Track Longevity Technology 2.0: reinforcements on the outside shoulder make the tyre more resistant to wear on track. This helps to sustain performance levels over a longer stint of racing.

7.29 seconds faster in interal testing

Michelin’s internal testing shows that this has improved lap times, while also increasing safety on the circuit and the road. The Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect was tested on a Porsche 991 GT3 in sizes 245/35ZR20 and 305/30ZR20 at the Valencia circuit (July 2018) and on a Renault Megane 3 RS equipped with 235/35ZR19 Charade and Ladoux circuit Number 3 (October 2018). In a 10-lap comparison against the previous generation Pilot Sport Cup 2, the tyre was 7.29 seconds faster, Michelin states.

Adding the gains derived from optimising pressure via Michelin Track Connect, Michelin says the tyre can shave off another tenth of a second, based on similar comparisons. The manufacturer tested the tyre on a Porsche 991 GT3 RS (sizes 265/35ZR20 and 325/30ZR21) with Michelin Track Connect at the Andalucia Spain circuit in November 2019. After 15 laps against the previous generation Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2, the tyre proved 7.40 seconds faster.