NAIAS: Michelin’s new Pilot Sport 4S UHP tire revealed
Michelin launched the successor tire to the Pilot Super Sport at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, yesterday.
The Pilot Sport 4S is the next generation of Michelin’s ultra-high-performance Pilot tire family and will be available in the United States beginning in March for a suggested retail price of $233.
The Pilot Sport 4S bears a Y speed rating (186+ mph) and offers a 30,000-mile warranty. The product line initially includes 35 sizes in widths ranging from 225mm to 345mm, aspect ratios from 30 to 45, and rim diameters from 18 to 20 inches.
Michelin Group chief executive Jean-Dominique Senard told media gathered at a special NAIAS event: “When manufacturers design and build the greatest cars, they overwhelmingly choose Michelin and the Pilot tire line to connect them with the pavement and enable the very spirit of the machine. The Pilot Sport 4S will be the next great tire in our Pilot family lineup, with more than 60 original equipment fitments currently under development.”
Pilot Sport 4S performs well in testing
Designed for sports cars and high-performance vehicles, the tire combines the best aspects of the Pilot Super Sport with key attributes of the Pilot Sport Cup 2, Michelin says. The Pilot Sport 4S “solves the pleasure and safety equation for performance enthusiasts, offering unprecedented driving pleasure, exceptional steering precision and tremendous directional stability, while also providing maximum grip on wet or dry roads.”
The Michelin Pilot Sport 4S sidewall and tread.
Commissioned third-party track tests in Germany against five top ultra-high-performance tire competitors ranked the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S first for both dry and wet braking and first in dry lap times. The tire was developed using construction methods and materials directly developed for competition racing, such as the FIA World Endu¬rance Championship and its flagship event the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Formula E and the World Rally Championship.
Michelin says the tire’s aesthetic design “complements the vehicles it fits, featuring velvet sidewall branding — called Premium Touch Design — and a rim protector that will help avoid contact between the wheel rim and curb.”
The tire will be produced at Michelin plants in Greenville, South Carolina, and in Clermont-Ferrand, France. The tire is commercially available in Europe beginning this month.
