Michelin gains 3 'supercar' OE fitments

CLERMONT-FERRAND, France — Group Michelin has gained OE fitments on three recently launched ultra-high-performance sports cars, two of them exclusive.

The fitments are with the latest version of the Porsche 911 GT3, Aston Martin Valkyrie hybrid "hypercar" and Renault Alpine two-seat mid-engine sports car.

Michelin said recently it will equip 80 percent of the 2017-edition 911 GT3 road/track sports car with specially developed Pilot Sport Cup 2 N1 UHP tires, size 245/35 ZR20 front and 305/30 ZR20 rear.

Michelin said its co-development of these tires with Porsche A.G. took two and a half years, during which time the partners went through 350 prototypes at tests carried out at Michelin's test center in Ladoux, France, and the Nürburgring and Nardo circuits in Germany and Italy.

Michelin claims the Pilot Sport Cup 2 lasts up to 50 percent longer on track than its predecessor, the Pilot Sport Cup+, while offering faster lap times and improved aquaplaning resistance. It credited developments in compounding and precise placement of different compounds on inner and outer sections of the tread for the performance gains.

British car maker Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd. will fit its Valkyrie — a two-seat, mid-engine hybrid being co-developed with technical help from the Red Bull Formula 1 team — with Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires in size 265/35ZR20 front and 325/30ZR21 rear.

The Valkyrie uses an Aston Martin V-12 as its basis power plant, supplemented by a hybrid system. The tires will be mounted to lightweight magnesium alloy wheels featuring race-specification center-lock nuts to reduce unsprung mass further, Aston Martin said.

Aston Martin plans to build no more than 150 road-going version of the Valkyrie in addition to 25 race-prepped versions. Deliveries to customers should start in 2018.

French car maker Renault S.A. said it will equip all 1,955 production models of its Alpine A110 First Edition with Pilot Sport 4 tires in size 205/40ZR 18 front and 235/40ZR 18 rear.

The Alpine, powered by a turbocharged four-cylinder developed by Renault Sport, is portrayed as a direct competitor to the Porsche Cayman. Renault claims a 0-62 mph time of just 4.5 seconds.