MICHELIN Cup2 range for the Ferrari 488 Pista

Designed specifically for the new Ferrari 488 Pista, the MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup 2 K2 is the latest generation of Michelin road racing tires. Compared to the MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup 2 with K1 markings, developed for the Ferrari 458 Speciale, they improve lap time by providing more grip and more sporty behavior. They also provide pilots with a unique balance between safety and driving pleasure, which makes them suitable for road use, as well as in the circuit.

The MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires benefit from an innovative range of technologies derived from motorsport, including multi-compound technology, where different rubber compounds are used inside and outside the tread. One of these is a “special grip” compound, which guarantees high and constant levels of adhesion in a variety of atmospheric conditions. The MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup 2 developed for the Ferrari 488 Pista weigh 2.3% less than the K1 version that equips the Ferrari 458 Speciale, thus helping to reduce the weight of the car. This tire integrates different innovations:

– A refined tread design that increases the contact area of ​​the tire with the ground, with a compound that maintains the effectiveness of performance on all parameters (grip on dry, wet grip, overheating).

– A custom aramid belt – to optimize ease of control.

– Increased lateral stiffness – to absorb transverse forces and allow faster cornering trips.

Pierre Chaput, tire Designer for Ferrari 488 Pista, said: “Ferrari’s ambitions have led us to develop highly technological tires for the 488 Pista, particularly with regard to grip performance, significantly increased compared to the 458 Speciale . The goal of improving lap time was even more ambitious as the Pilot Sport Cup 2 had to remain easy to control, so that the 488 Pista rider could fully enjoy driving pleasure, whatever his skill level. Thanks to the help of simulation tools, widely used in this project, we have developed a “taylor-made” tire whose footprint is maximized in all circumstances, while providing high safety-related performance, as in the case of aquaplaning, at the same level as the 458 Speciale “.

1100 used tire prototypes – 1800 km of testing – a co-development carried out using a driving simulator.

The co-development of these tires lasted 14 months, a time during which the tires were developed and perfected on the Ferrari driving simulator, so that they met exactly the characteristics required by Ferrari engineers for the new 488 Pista.

Julian Levray, Engineer Tire Simulation, added: “This new tire was developed specifically for the Ferrari 488 Pista with an intensive use of the driving simulator, which allowed us to test a large number of solutions determined through calculations with our software. digital TameTire. The work on the simulator allows you to test a greater number of options and to get a better fit of the tires to the car, even before their manufacture. Virtual design is a very valuable tool for developing tires with a high technical content like those of the 488 Pista. “