All the new Ferrari 488 Pista supercars which roll off the production line will be fitted with specially developed MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup 2 K2 ultra-high-performance tyres; 245/35 ZR20 front and 305/30 ZR20 rear.
Specifically designed for the Ferrari 488 Pista, the MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup 2 K2 is the latest generation of Michelin’s road-legal track tyres. Compared to the MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup 2 K1-marked tyre designed for the Ferrari 458 Speciale, it offers improved lap times by providing more grip and more sporty handling. It also provides drivers with a unique balance between safety and driving enjoyment making it suitable for everyday road use, as well as the demanding conditions on the racetrack.
The co-development of these tyres took 14 months, and during this time the tyres were developed and fine-tuned in dynamic simulation sessions with Ferrari, to ensure the tyres achieved the characteristics demanded by Ferrari engineers for the new 488 Pista. The result was new tyres offering very high grip levels, consistent performance and excellent balance between front and rear.
This extensive development process led to the production and testing of more than 1100 prototype tyres and included intensive track testing, with 1800km driven at Michelin’s Ladoux test centre in France and Fiorano and Nardo tracks in Italy.
An innovative range of new technologies developed from motorsport are used in the tyres, including multi-compound technology where different rubber compounds are used on the inner and outer sections of the tread. Of these one “special grip” compound, ensures high and consistent grip levels in a variety of weather conditions. The MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup 2 features two innovations:
- An adapted tread design, with increased sidewall stiffness – to absorb transverse forces and allow faster cornering,
- A bespoke aramid belt – optimising the ease of control.
Pierre Chaput, tyre Designer for the Ferrari 488 Pista, declared: “Ferrari’s ambitions pushed us to develop very high-tech tyres for the 488 Pista, where the grip limits are significantly increased compared to the 458 Speciale. The goal of improving lap times was all the more challenging as the Pilot Sport Cup 2 needed to remain easy to control so the 488 Pista driver could fully enjoy the driving experience, whatever his skill level. With the help of simulation tools, widely used on this project, we have been able to develop a tyre whose contact patch is maximised under all circumstances, while guaranteeing safety performance, such as aquaplaning, at the same level as those of the 458 Speciale”.
