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- With the Michelin PR4, the Pilot Road tire enters the 4th dimension
- What does not change
- What changes
- Let’s sing in the rain
- And also in the dry
- Well done! *• * Good game
- Dimensional table
- PR4 STD
- PR 4 TRAIL
With the Michelin PR4, the Pilot Road tire enters the 4th dimension
Supplied as original equipment on 40% of new BMW R 1200 RTs and already available in stores, the Pilot Road 4 takes up the Bibendum torch in the Sport GT category. We have peeled and tested it with the entire Michelin team, so that it will reveal its secrets to us.
Sovereign in wet conditions, the PR3 had made such progress that the competition could not stand idly by. Thanks to its lamella technology, it had, admittedly by some competitors, set new benchmarks. In a context of fierce struggle, the fourth installment of Pilot Road therefore arrives with great ambitions and obviously well armed..
What does not change
Extremely excellent in wet conditions, the PR3 nevertheless had room for improvement in dry conditions, helping the competition evolve. It is therefore above all on this area and on longevity that Bibendum has focused his attention. Widely proven, the sipe technology (X-Sipe Technology) is retained. As we will see later, it is even improved. The dual-compound process (Michelin 2 CT technology) is also still present, at the front and rear, but we will also see that the distribution of the compounds changes according to the purpose of the tire. Indeed, the PR4 offers a wider spectrum of use than its predecessor ….
What changes
The profile of the sipes is modified with the adoption of a chamfer at the front which reduces the deformation of the "rubber block" during very heavy braking. A process that avoids abnormal wear in extreme conditions. However, the effect of the sipe which breaks the film of water is not altered, still allowing excellent braking distances on wet and very slippery surfaces. But the great innovation of the PR4, called 2AT (Dual Angle Technology), does not apply to all models on the market. Indeed, as we have said, the PR4 casts a much wider net than the PR3. It is now available for roadsters, for trails and for heavy GTs, with specific features specific to each segment. Where the PR3 played versatility, with some limits, the PR4 specializes, to approach excellence as closely as possible. Thus, the distribution of the gums is it different depending on whether the tire is mounted on a road (standard, or GT) or on a trail. The same goes for its carcass which introduces a new innovation, what am I saying a revolution, for heavy motorcycles ….
Diagonal + radial = 2 AT…. For GT
Like the Bridgestone T30, the PR4 is reinforced to better support heavy motorcycles, capable of causing abnormal wear, especially if users do not regularly check tire pressures. It is after 5 years of studies and by combining the diagonal structure which gives the rigidity necessary for heavy motorcycles, with a radial structure which ensures stability and handling at high speed, that Michelin obtained one tire at a time. enduring and efficient. In fact, the tour de force is to have kept the qualities of the basic tire, on these heavy motorcycles, so that despite a different structure, we find the same pneumatic behavior on a BMW R 1200 RT, or an MT 07. We were also able to demonstrate this during a few laps of the track. In this short exercise, for which it is not yet intended, the PR4 displayed great ease of setting on the angle, good stability in turns, as in a straight line at high speed and especially of a very good level of grip on the angle.
Let’s sing in the rain
Maud Pillet, Product Manager, has studied accidentology in particular and has decided to focus on pilot confidence and improving handling during wet avoidance maneuvers. A delicate exercise that we were invited to practice, by returning to the brakes at 70 km / h in a course of cones describing an “S” (photo A)…. all abundantly watered of course! Once the apprehension has passed (although …) we see that by braking very hard on the angle our ER6 ABS does not stall forward. (photo B) Bluffing !
Other workshops will show us the exceptional grip qualities of the PR4, during longitudinal braking at 110 km / h on wet asphalt, or even during a wet lap where this new vintage of Bibendum is revealed "like a fish in the water ”, immediately giving his pilot confidence. However, it will take all the persuasion of Alexandra Curat, responsible for the development of PR4 and Bruno Prerard, fearless and unblemished tester, to convince us to brake on a strip of white epoxy, abundantly sprayed of course. The average coefficient of adhesion of less than 0.2, or about that of a bar of soap placed on the edge of a sink, had nevertheless prompted our guests to equip the bike with casters ….. Just in case. The point of the exercise was not to "eat off the journalist", but just to show that the slicker it is, the more the pR4 makes a difference to its better competitors. Verdict an average braking distance of 29.4 m to go from 40 to 10 km / h with the PR4 against 36.3 m for its best competitor, the Metzeler interact Z8 M / O. That is to say a difference of 7 m (approximately the length of 2 twingo) and 24%. A hell of a performance, against an extremely brilliant competitor in this field.
And also in the dry
Having a rain tire, or almost, every day is great, but theoretically it does not hold up well or for long on dry ground and above all it wears out very quickly. Here too the PR4 claims improvements. On the one hand, thanks to new polymer blends, its rubber remains soft between -5 and 45 °, which gives it an extreme range of operation. On the other hand, thanks to its new designs with a reduced notch rate on the shoulders (over 40 ° inclination), it maintains excellent performance on dry ground. Finally, the new rubber blends, combined with its new structure, give it a 20% longer lifespan compared to PR3, which was already not one-armed in the matter. As a result, in actual road tests, 50% of users would have been able to cover almost 13,000 km with the front tire and over 11,000 km with the rear tire. Unable to be able to verify it, we nevertheless found that the PR4 is indeed very efficient on all types of dry roads. Whether smooth or very bumpy, it is comfortable and provides precise feedback to its rider. Full angle, the grip is more than enough to rub a BMW R 1200 RT, without the slightest start to slip. Tested on a Kawasaki Z 1000, it makes it easier to set up on the angle compared to the original fitment and reduces the tendency to straighten up when braking on a curve. On the speed triple, its performance undermines Triumph ABS, which gives very noticeable signs of tripping in the dry. Qualities that can be found from the small MT 07 to the big RT, proof that the standard version or "2AT" (GT), the PR4 remains the same.
Well done! *
• * Good game
At the end of this presentation, the PR4 turns out to be an excellent choice for a roadster, sporty or not, a GT, or a trail for 100% road use. Versatile to the extreme, it offers a very wide spectrum of skills which should ensure it a great success with bikers, especially as its price has increased by 3 to 5% compared to the PR3, compared to its increased longevity of 20 % gives it better value for money. So what remains at PR3 ?
Strong points
- Exceptional performance in the wet
- Trust
- Grip in the dry
- The agility
- Tires designed, studied and developed in France
Weak points
- …. But made abroad. When will we see a return to 100% made in France? ?
Dimensional table
PR4 STD
2 dimensions
BEFORE
120/60 ZR17
120/70 ZR17
5 dimensions
ARRIÈD
150/70 ZR17
160/60 ZR17
180/55 ZR17
190/50 ZR17
190/55 ZR17
PR4 GT
2 dimensions
BEFORE
120/70 ZR17
120/70 ZR18
4 dimensions
ARRIÈD
170/60 ZR17
180/55 ZR17
190/50 ZR17
190/55 ZR17
PR 4 TRAIL
2 dimensions
BEFORE
110/80 ZR 19
120/70 ZR 19
2 dimensions
ARRIÈD
150/70 ZR 17
170/60 ZR 17
MICHELIN Pilot Road 4 Trail
Observed prices (Nantes motorcycle village on 04/05/2014): the front and rear set in 120/180 X 17: € 261 in PR4 and € 264 in PR4 GT
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