New Michelin Pilot Sport 4S

[stanglife]

"Bespoke", "Custom", "Specialized", who cares?

AMG GT-R:

http://www.michelin.com/eng/media-r...p-2-tires-fitted-to-the-new-Mercedes-AMG-GT-R

For the AMG GT-R they tested almost 1,700 tires over an 18-month development process by both Michelin test drivers and AMG’s engineers on a number of circuits. I guess these 'custom' PSC2s aren't really any better than an OTS PSC2.

911 GT3:

http://www.michelin.com/eng/media-r...-for-the-new-Porsche-911-GT3/(search)/ford gt

"Designed specifically for the Porsche 911 GT3, the MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup 2 N1 tire is the latest generation of MICHELIN road-legal track tires. Compared to its N0 marked predecessor it offers improved lap times, stability and more sporty handling, and provides drivers with a unique balance between safety and driving enjoyment that makes it suitable for everyday road use, as well as in very demanding conditions on the racetrack.

The co-development of these tires took two and a half years and during this time the tires were developed and fine-tuned to suit the characteristics demanded by Porsche engineers for the new 911 GT3. This resulted in tires which offer very high grip levels, consistent performance and excellent front/rear balance, while still conforming to European regulations concerning rolling resistance (R117-2).

This extensive development process led to the production and testing of around 350 prototype tires and included intensive track testing at MICHELIN's Ladoux test centre in France, and the Nürburgring and Nardo tracks in Germany and Italy.

An innovative range of motorsport-derived technologies are used in the tires, including multi-compound technology where different rubber compounds are used on the inner and outer sections of the tread to ensure high and consistent grip levels in a variety of weather conditions. In addition, Track Variable Contact Patch 3.0 optimises the pressure in the tire's contact patch so the same amount of rubber is always in contact with the road or track, whether driving in a straight line or cornering.

The trust that Porsche has in the performance of this tire range is clearly demonstrated by the fact that it is also the original equipment fitment on other Porsche models including the 918 Spyder, Cayman GT4 and 911 GT3 RS.

Focus RS:

http://www.michelin.com/eng/media-r...d-MICHELIN-Pilot-Super-Sport/(search)/ford gt

Little more vague for the Focus RS development:

"Ford's ambitions led us to develop very high technology tires which were fully compatible with the very special configuration of the Ford Focus RS. With this configuration, the mass distribution is centred at the front of the vehicle, and various adjustment options significantly affect the distribution of the four-wheel-drive system between the front and rear axles. Furthermore, with the clear aim of maintaining the dynamic temperament of this car, we were able to expand the grip envelope, particularly on bends in extreme circumstances"


-This is all far more vague than what my neighbor went into, but i'm sure you're right that there's virtually no difference between an OTS and "bespoke"/"Custom" tire. It's probably all marketing fluff and a waste of time and money for their development efforts. :headbonk:

Again - I never made any claim other than to say it was unknown. You found a bunch of vague MARKETING for different manufacturers. I simply said that as far as anyone knows for sure - it could be marketing or the difference could be very minimal..because there is currently no proof either way.

Let's just agree to disagree - I've respected many of your other opinions and enjoyed your contributions. I'd like to keep it civil with all of my car friends which is a challenge sometimes because a lot of us are maybe a little over opinionated on these topics.

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[10splaya22]

Again - I never made any claim other than to say it was unknown. You found a bunch of vague MARKETING for different manufacturers. I simply said that as far as anyone knows for sure - it could be marketing or the difference could be very minimal..because there is currently no proof either way.

Let's just agree to disagree - I've respected many of your other opinions and enjoyed your contributions. I'd like to keep it civil with all of my car friends which is a challenge sometimes because a lot of us are maybe a little over opinionated on these topics.

I agree with you. Seems like a lot of marketing hype and key words to make the tires sound better then they are. Only Michelin knows the exact differences between the OE and regular tire. Could be a lot, could be a little, we will never know.

Only thing we do know is there is a lot of development that goes into these tires whether its to tune the car's balance, ride quality, handling characteristics, rolling resistance, wet/dry performance, etc. So many considerations go into tire performance that it really depends on what the OE wants which determines how different the tire is to the regular replacement tire.