[VIDEO] Engineers Discuss the New Michelin Pilot Sport Cup Tires on the 2012 Corvette

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[VIDEO] Engineers Discuss the New Michelin Pilot Sport Cup Tires on the 2012 Corvette

The Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires found on the upcoming 2012 Corvette Z06 and ZR1’s represent the pinnacle of performance for tires on a Corvette and they are another example of the technology transfer from the racing team to the production sports car. This video from GM was part of the 2012 Corvette data dump which came out last Thursday while we were in route to the Corvette Museum. As an added twist to the introduction of the new tire for Corvette, team members at the C5/C6 Bash stated that another run of the Nurburgring may be in order.

Tire technology has advanced leaps and bounds over the last few years and the Corvette team has consistently said that it will continue to put the best tires on the Corvette. At the moment, those tires are coming Michelin in the form of the Michelin PS2s, the new Pilot Sport Cup tires and the just released Pilot Super Sports.

In this video from GM, Corvette’s Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter and Michelin’s Lee Willard talk about the how the Corvette’s performance is enhanced with the new cup tires and Corvette Racing’s Ron Fellows weighs in with his thoughts.

At the C5/C6 Bash, Juechter constantly reiterated that these tires are really for the track enthusiast and aren’t for everyone. That’s why it will only be included in the new “high” performance packages for the Z06 and ZR1s.

The Corvette Team believes the Cup tire has been the missing ingredient that competitors have had access to, and have used, to outrace Corvettes in comparison tests. They are so excited with this new tire that they are considering a return to Nurburgring to do what Tadge called “final validation” of the C6 Corvette. We would love to see that and let’s hope Corvette Racing’s Jan Magnussen will be included in those plans. Look out Viper ACR, we’re coming for you!


Source:
GM

Related:
[VIDEO] Reveal and Walk Around: The 2012 Centennial Edition Corvettes
Genuine Corvette Accessories to Offer New Torque 2 Wheel
Picture Gallery: Friday at the C5/C6 Corvette Bash
First Look: 2012 Corvette Cup Wheels and Michelin Sport Cup Tires
Officially Official: 2012 Corvette to Reach New Heights in Performance

 



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