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The Pilot Sport is Michelin's new
flagship Max Performance tire, a position it achieves through new
technology. The Michelin Pilot Sport is designed to be different
than the Pilot SX MXX3 in that it also extends the capabilities of
exotic & ultra high performance cars & their drivers in the wet,
while providing progressive handling, exceptional feedback &
refined road manners. For
several years, the Michelin Pilot SX MXX3 has been one of our
favorite Max Performance tires for use on dry roads. For that
matter, sometimes the Pilot SX MXX3 have been referred to as tires
which were capable of providing the performance of racing slicks
that had rain grooves cut into them. And while Pilot SX MXX3 tires
consistently lived up to their reputation by running many of the
fastest lap times of our dry test course, their dry road excellence
wasn't balanced with the ride comfort & wet traction.
One of the most obvious features of
the Pilot Sport is its directional tread design, or should we say,
tread designs. All Pilot Sport tires feature a continuous
circumferential center rib flanked by one of two directional tread
patterns. Tires in sizes of up to 265 millimeters of section width
feature a "V" shaped pattern, while tires of 275 millimeters of
section width & wider feature a "W" shaped tread pattern. The
continuous center rib sharpens steering response & provides
communicative road feel while the swept back lateral grooves
efficiently evacuate water from under the contact patch to resist
hydroplaning & enhance wet traction, while reducing tire noise on
dry roads.
The Pilot Sport's tread designs are
supported by two belts made of high-tensile, lightweight steel cords
which are further reinforced by size optimized, spirally wrapped
nylon cord utilizing BAZ (Banded At Zero) Technology to improve
quick steering response & resist distortion while they enhance
ride quality & high speed durability. Ultra-reinforced sidewalls
promote powerful cornering, while Michelin's cable beads help
maintain the ideal shape of a running tire for better tire/wheel
uniformity.
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