Is Michelin Pilot Sport 4S the best Ultra High Performance Tyre ?

Michelin recently launched a new Ultra High Performance Tyre- Pilot Sport 4S (PS4S). And the initial test reviews by experts hint that it could perhaps be Michelin's best Street Legal racing tyre till now.

PS4S is actually an improvement to the ongoing Pilot Super Sport ( PSS ). Since PSS has a reputation of being a “Legend”, Michelin had to, for obvious reasons, better PS4S to top the league of UHP tyres. Pilot Sporty 4S will be available in sizes 19” and above, thereby ensuring fitment for majority of High Performance Sports cars.

PS4S has been specifically targeted at improving dry laptime, keeping in mind the Le Mans race. With Michelin's active involvement in Formula E, Le Mans and other endurance races, where tread longevity plays a vital role along with wet and dry grip, the tyre maker has invested a lot in creating the right set of rubber.

Michelin is making use of updated Hybrid Nylon and Aramid belt to ensure that tyres have more thermal stability and wider contact patch at high speeds. This would improve the tread longevity as well as high speed handling.

In order to improve the traction, Michelin has, innovatively, made use of two types of rubber compounds on the tyre. The company calls it “bi compound technology”,which is directly inspired from racing tyres. The use of this technology ensures excellent dry and wet traction.

One of the strongest suites of Michelin PS4S is its tread life. The French tyre maker has been successfully creating tyres that not only offer superior performance but outrun their counterparts in terms of the tread life and the story hasn't changed with PS4S. The company is offering a staggering 30,000 miles Treadwear Warranty on the tyre. This has been achieved using custom computer model which controls the area under stress to ensure even wearing and, hence, makes for a long tyre life.

So, the tyre offers following advantages over Pilot Super Sport Tyre:

• Improved wet and dry traction

• Improved cornering capabilities

• Superior braking

• Excellent tread longevity

• Quicker acceleration

• Improved laptime

In a nut shell, Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S has raised the bar by a few notches and it will be interesting to see how the competitors better this milestone. Until then, it is safe to say that PS4S is one of the best, if not the best, Ultra High Performance tyres ever made.