All good things must come to an end, but there’s nothing wrong with delaying the inevitable. And while Porsche 911 GT3 RS drivers cannot hold back the winter from arriving or hurry the onset of summer, with the right choice of tyre they can enjoy their £200K ride for a little longer each year. Porsche has shared details of joint development work it conducted with Michelin on a tailored version of the Pilot Sport S 5, which results in “a perfect option for prolonging the track-day season.”
Seeking a road-legal track tyre that 992-generation Porsche 911 GT3 RS drivers can specifically use on circuits in wet and low-temperature conditions, the German performance car manufacturer once again turned to a partner it has worked with for decades. Elaborating on Porsche’s development brief, Andreas Preuninger, Director GT Vehicles, explains that the manufacturer approached Michelin in response to “demand from our particularly performance-focused customers that have expressed a desire to spend more time on track during spring and autumn.” The new tyre’s remit was therefore to “significantly increase the annual usage period of the GT3 RS.”
Grip at low temperatures
To provide greater grip on wet surfaces and ensure the tyre reaches operating temperature faster, the team at Michelin used a rubber compound containing a high proportion of silica. As a result, this developed-for-Porsche version of the Pilot Sport S 5 comes into its own at ambient temperatures between five and 15 degrees Celsius. In these conditions, Porsche says the tyre offers a level of grip and precision “that would not be achievable with the previous Porsche-approved UHP tyres for warmer conditions, which deliver their peak performance at temperatures between 15 and 30 degrees Celsius.”
“The Michelin Pilot Sport S 5 gets up to temperature very quickly,” adds Porsche Brand Ambassador Jörg Bergmeister. “In wet conditions and low ambient temperatures, it offers outstanding levels of control and predictability when changing direction.”
The developers also adapted the material composition and geometry of the tyre casing and optimised the contact patch for straight line and cornering performance. Porsche says this gives the Pilot Sport S 5 “a better feel for the limit during demanding driving situations and inspire more confidence in the car’s handling.”
All these measures lead to increased safety – and faster lap times – in wet conditions. On a wet, 2.8-kilometre technically demanding ‘3bis’ circuit at the Michelin Development Centre, lap times set by Michelin test drivers with the 911 GT3 RS were more than ten seconds faster than those achieved with the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 N0 tyres fitted.
A perfect balance
Temperate regions often experience changeable weather conditions during spring and autumn. With this in mind, Michelin and Porsche extensively tested the car/tyre combination at the Nürburgring and at Portimão, Portugal in dry conditions and at ambient temperatures of more than 20 degrees Celsius to ensure performance levels remain high even outside the core operating window. The partners intensively tested various tread designs to find the “perfect balance” between the front and rear axles.
The payoff from these many hours of testing, says Porsche, is “optimal performance” in wet conditions from a tyre that also meets the precision, handling and driving stability requirements of track day enthusiasts and everyday drivers on dry roads and in warm temperatures. The car maker also considers the tyre’s high wear resistance a particular strength, as this ensures “long lasting enjoyment.”
Optimised aquaplaning characteristics
Track testing of the Michelin Pilot Sport S 5 began in 2022, with drivers racking up countless miles at the Michelin Development Centre in Ladoux, France. Jörg Bergmeister, a Porsche works driver with years of experience under his belt, contributed to the tyre’s finetuning, including optimising aquaplaning characteristics – a major development goal. Designed with wet conditions in mind, the tread pattern features four large central grooves that are 7.4 millimetres deep. Thanks to a greater tread depth, and resulting increased proportion of negative tread, the tyres are able to expel a greater volume of water.
“The tyre, therefore, improves the stability of the vehicle and raises the threshold at which the tyre starts to lose contact with the road (aquaplaning speed),” notes Mathieu Greco, a tyre developer at Michelin. Contact with the road remains stable even at high speeds.
New tyre segment
The Pilot Sport S 5 has gained approval for road use and meets all legal requirements for rolling resistance and noise levels. It features the ‘N’ sidewall marking reserved for tyres specially developed for Porsche models. Michelin is initially supplying Pilot Sport S 5 N0 tyres for the Porsche 911 GT3 RS in sizes 275/35 ZR 20 for the front axle and 335/30 ZR 21 for the rear. Manthey, the Nürburgring-based performance specialist for Porsche GT models, will serve as exclusive distributor.
Porsche now offers a choice of four specifications of Michelin tyre for the 911 GT3 RS, with the newcomer serving as the counterpart to the ultra-high-performance (UHP) Pilot Sport Cup 2 R. In the car maker’s opinion, the Pilot Sport S 5 “establishes a completely new tyre segment,” offering “an exceptional level on performance on circuits made additionally demanding due to challenging weather conditions.” Porsche also considers it “suitable as an everyday tyre in countries with predominantly wet and cool weather conditions.”
