TurboLlew
Honorary ///Member
So This is a bit of recognition, a bit of a review and a bit of a discussion around tyre innovation
Firstly recognition for Aslam at TWT Sunninghill: What a guy! Went to extra lengths to try to track down the front size for me. Same for Nolan at Kyalami Supa Quick who managed to sort out the rears! It was a real struggle to get the OEM or slightly larger tyres for the 4C.. especially in the same compound.
On to a little review:
I have now seen close to 7500km on my "normal" Pilot Sport Cup 2s on my M5. When I first fitted them I had many questions which I couldn't answer accurately because I simply hadn't driven it that much and neither had I gone across seasons and different use cases. Now that I have had more time with it, I can say the following:
Traction: It is NOTICEABLY better than the Pilot Super Sports that I had before. Road noise is nonexistent but that is also because the F10 is extremely well insulated and I have Akra/Downpipes/BM3 which drowns out a lot.
Comfort: Exactly the same as the Pilot Super Sports. You do not experience the comfort issues that you find with eg: R888Rs or the more hardcore rubber.
Cold performance: You will light up the traction control light a lot in the cold.... and a bit more in the cold & wet conditions that we sometimes experience in JHB. Those who had CSLs or E92s with the original Michelin Pilot Sport Cups: These are still NOTHING like those which were pretty much unusable in these conditions.
Wet performance: I didn't experience any issues driving these in the wet. Again, nothing like the Pilot Sport Cup 1.0 but also not as 'confident' as the Pilot Supersports had been.
Steering feel: This is where the Cup 2 perhaps has the biggest advantage over the others. There is communication through the wheel that you don't get with the Supersports. I would be interested to see what the 4S is like to compare since I believe it was also improved for that tyre as well.
Looks: This shouldn't matter, but it does somehow add to the selection criteria of a tyre LOL. The Cup 2 design is difficult to capture in pics. It really does look premium and it does stand out without being as 'in your face' as tyre lettering. The Cup 2 Connect is a bit more understated but does have the 'premium feel' sidewall that its sibling has as well.
Do I daily them: Yes I do. But the car is not used as most of you guys use dailies I guess. I do like to use the extra power that BM3 has unleashed as well. They don't take long to feel very grippy and confidence inspiring (which is not something many M5 owners can easily relate to even at stock power levels). Important to remember that although these tyres do compete with Semi Slicks on performance to some degree they are NOT comparable to eg: The Trofeo R which is basically a cut slick 60 treadwear tyre as opposed to 200+ which are what the Cup 2s are. It is more of that Michelin Magic that they first kicked off with the Super Sport (unbelievable life given the performance on offer). They are very much still road tyres with a focus on exceptional dry performance and which also allow you to drive to a track, set some amazing times with good wear and heat management and then drive back home. If you want more focused hijinks Michelin makes the Sport Cup 2 R.
Did I love them? Well I loved them enough that I wanted to fit them to my 4C ASAP... A car that will perhaps benefit far more from some aspects of the Cup 2 than the M5 would.
On to innovation:
Michelin has embedded RFID sensors in the tyre that monitor tyre pressure and temperature. Are these a gimmick? Not sure yet to be honest. I haven't bought the expensive connect kit that goes with it... it was tough enough getting these! However I would like to recognise here that Michelin are one of the few companies globally and locally that are really pushing innovation in the enthusiast space. They were the ones that gave all the others a kick in the pants with the launch of the original Pilot Supersport (and subsequently the 4 and 4S as well as the Cup 2 and Cup 2 R). They truly listen to feedback and you can see it in the evolution over time which I guess is why they are the 'internet's favourite tyre'. I contrast this with Bridgestone which has a pitiful local selection and not much better of a global selection. Competition is always a good thing and other brands have responded eg: Goodyear now has an awesome lineup in the form of the Eagle F1 Supersport, Supersport R and RS. Pirelli has made changes to its Trofeo R and other bits of their P Zero range (Support locally sucks though). I feel like even though this is a gimmick it is good to see innovation rather than the same old tired things or slightly better compounds year after year. I know this forum loves their garbage tyres that guys 'never have problems with' but these things should excite all of us because it pushes all the other manfuacturers to innovate and we will see more of these things filtering down to the cheaper tyres as well. There are already some great budget tyres that seem to copy the best of Conti/Goodyear/Pirelli/Michelin even beyond just the designs.
Will report back on the track day performance of the Sport Cup 2s in Connect form soon
Firstly recognition for Aslam at TWT Sunninghill: What a guy! Went to extra lengths to try to track down the front size for me. Same for Nolan at Kyalami Supa Quick who managed to sort out the rears! It was a real struggle to get the OEM or slightly larger tyres for the 4C.. especially in the same compound.
On to a little review:
I have now seen close to 7500km on my "normal" Pilot Sport Cup 2s on my M5. When I first fitted them I had many questions which I couldn't answer accurately because I simply hadn't driven it that much and neither had I gone across seasons and different use cases. Now that I have had more time with it, I can say the following:
Traction: It is NOTICEABLY better than the Pilot Super Sports that I had before. Road noise is nonexistent but that is also because the F10 is extremely well insulated and I have Akra/Downpipes/BM3 which drowns out a lot.
Comfort: Exactly the same as the Pilot Super Sports. You do not experience the comfort issues that you find with eg: R888Rs or the more hardcore rubber.
Cold performance: You will light up the traction control light a lot in the cold.... and a bit more in the cold & wet conditions that we sometimes experience in JHB. Those who had CSLs or E92s with the original Michelin Pilot Sport Cups: These are still NOTHING like those which were pretty much unusable in these conditions.
Wet performance: I didn't experience any issues driving these in the wet. Again, nothing like the Pilot Sport Cup 1.0 but also not as 'confident' as the Pilot Supersports had been.
Steering feel: This is where the Cup 2 perhaps has the biggest advantage over the others. There is communication through the wheel that you don't get with the Supersports. I would be interested to see what the 4S is like to compare since I believe it was also improved for that tyre as well.
Looks: This shouldn't matter, but it does somehow add to the selection criteria of a tyre LOL. The Cup 2 design is difficult to capture in pics. It really does look premium and it does stand out without being as 'in your face' as tyre lettering. The Cup 2 Connect is a bit more understated but does have the 'premium feel' sidewall that its sibling has as well.
Do I daily them: Yes I do. But the car is not used as most of you guys use dailies I guess. I do like to use the extra power that BM3 has unleashed as well. They don't take long to feel very grippy and confidence inspiring (which is not something many M5 owners can easily relate to even at stock power levels). Important to remember that although these tyres do compete with Semi Slicks on performance to some degree they are NOT comparable to eg: The Trofeo R which is basically a cut slick 60 treadwear tyre as opposed to 200+ which are what the Cup 2s are. It is more of that Michelin Magic that they first kicked off with the Super Sport (unbelievable life given the performance on offer). They are very much still road tyres with a focus on exceptional dry performance and which also allow you to drive to a track, set some amazing times with good wear and heat management and then drive back home. If you want more focused hijinks Michelin makes the Sport Cup 2 R.
Did I love them? Well I loved them enough that I wanted to fit them to my 4C ASAP... A car that will perhaps benefit far more from some aspects of the Cup 2 than the M5 would.
On to innovation:
Michelin has embedded RFID sensors in the tyre that monitor tyre pressure and temperature. Are these a gimmick? Not sure yet to be honest. I haven't bought the expensive connect kit that goes with it... it was tough enough getting these! However I would like to recognise here that Michelin are one of the few companies globally and locally that are really pushing innovation in the enthusiast space. They were the ones that gave all the others a kick in the pants with the launch of the original Pilot Supersport (and subsequently the 4 and 4S as well as the Cup 2 and Cup 2 R). They truly listen to feedback and you can see it in the evolution over time which I guess is why they are the 'internet's favourite tyre'. I contrast this with Bridgestone which has a pitiful local selection and not much better of a global selection. Competition is always a good thing and other brands have responded eg: Goodyear now has an awesome lineup in the form of the Eagle F1 Supersport, Supersport R and RS. Pirelli has made changes to its Trofeo R and other bits of their P Zero range (Support locally sucks though). I feel like even though this is a gimmick it is good to see innovation rather than the same old tired things or slightly better compounds year after year. I know this forum loves their garbage tyres that guys 'never have problems with' but these things should excite all of us because it pushes all the other manfuacturers to innovate and we will see more of these things filtering down to the cheaper tyres as well. There are already some great budget tyres that seem to copy the best of Conti/Goodyear/Pirelli/Michelin even beyond just the designs.
Will report back on the track day performance of the Sport Cup 2s in Connect form soon
