Quote:
Originally Posted by Dallasmike
I'll tell you a quick story about the Michelin Tire program. About 6 months ago I was having lunch with a gentlemen who runs the tier 2 supplier program at Michelin. We were talking about the Super Sport tire and how it was designed and why they decided to build it in the first place. The technology for this tire started with the Bugatti Veyron. Now the version of Super Sport that's most commonly available is not the same as the Veyron. The Veyron runs the Michelin Pax system. The Pax system was originally designed as the run flat system for Michelin. What they found when testing the Veyron was they needed the extra stiffness from the Pax system for the tire to hold up under the extreme speeds the Veyron was capable of.
Anyway back to the conversation. As we were discussing the Super Sport the topic at hand turned to the new Corvette. Michelin owns and operates it's own private track. Many manufacturers rent this track and use it for testing of prototype vehicles using Michelin tires. I asked very bluntly, "what does the new corvette look like and how does it perform". Obviously he could not answer this directly but what he did say told me a lot.
He smiled at me and said, "how are you liking those Super Sport tires on your car?"
I replied, " they're amazing!".
His response, "you haven't seen anything yet."
With all of that said, Michelin does not build economy priced tires. Their goal is to build the best tire they can with the technology available. Their goal is to build the best performance tire they can while giving you a lasting tire. Anyone can give you a 200 tread wear rating tire that's grippy. Over 300, that's a lot more tough. Michelin succeeds every time.
Hang on to your hat because the Stingray is going to blow people away!
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Great post, I don't fully understand why I've read so many people upset about the 285 width on the rear tires. To me if it can provide the same grip as a 305/315 wide tire with less rolling weight I say so be it, sign me up. I remember Car and Driver testing rolling weight and it's effect on a VW Golf and it was pretty profound.