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- Bibendum takes care of its line for its dual-compound sport tire
- Put a sausage on a diet…. definitely a healthy idea !
- Under the sun…. Wet and cold in Almeria ….
- Road test
- Circuit test
- Baffle test: the LTT effect
- Technique: Light Tire Technology and second generation 2CT
- Losing is therefore winning…!
Bibendum takes care of its line for its dual-compound sport tire
Michelin has just presented its brand new tire, the Michelin Power Pure, on the Almeria circuit. Le Repaire was invited to carry out the road and circuit test on several different motorcycles. Test…
The Power Pure inaugurates the second generation of 2 CT technology (2 Compounds Technology = dual compound) with a novelty
of "weight": the Light Tire Technology (LTT). The master argument is a gain of 1 kilo on the weight of a set of tires by new techniques
of production; the rubber thickness being identical to the Power 2CT.
Knowing that the weight
of a front and rear tire weighs about 10 kilos, the performance is equivalent to
a gain of 3 kilos on the wheels for a much lower investment by the user !
But above all, this sensitive regime must have a direct influence on the handling of the motorcycle: by reducing
inertia forces and the gyroscopic effect, we must gain as much agility.
This weight gain is carried out
on unsprung masses: the lower these masses, the more efficient the suspensions…
It also means less effort on the handlebars. The operation therefore seems beneficial on many levels.
Put a sausage on a diet…. definitely a healthy idea !
The Power Pure completes, from above, the range of Michelin sports tires, between a Pilot One
circuit type and an old generation Pilot Power 2CT.
The tire is therefore intended for the eager pilot
to ride on the road, in all circumstances, with a high-performance tire and to approach the track – even
even the search for the chrono -, in complete safety and with the same rise, knowing that these tires
will guarantee a very high level of grip. Note that this is the
ride chosen by Yamaha to equip the new R1.
The French firm therefore proposes to test this tire on the road and on the track in order to feel the qualities
of its new product in all conditions…. really all.
Under the sun…. Wet and cold in Almeria ….
The south of Spain has some surprises in store: when it comes to heat, it’s the rain and then the snow that
welcome us and a temperature of 3 ° C in the morning. Given for 80% highway and 20% road use
% circuit, the Power Pure will have to live up to it. Starting with its speed of implementation
temperature. Its composition, 100% silica (a Michelin specificity) allows you to benefit from
very quickly with all the grip qualities.
These qualities also depend on the new tread patterns derived from MotoGP rain tires..
We can easily recognize the origin of the 2 central bands and the notches on the sides.
The latter, although reduced, provide better wet grip than the Power 2CT: their
shorter design is limited to the maximum grip area possible in the rain … and gives more surface
improving grip on dry surfaces … a simple and effective aesthetic innovation
successful.
Road test
The driving conditions on the road in the morning are difficult: wet asphalt, dirty in places,
very low temperature and a few snowflakes to tie it all together…
The Power Pures transmit road condition information well, drainage is effective, no
loss of grip is noticeable and the first laps of the wheels finally give you confidence. Because another advantage of this tire is to allow the soft compound of the double composition
to be, from 24 ° angle, 100% in contact with the ground at the rear and from 32 ° angle, also 17%
in contact on the front…. Necessarily reassuring and much more in line with driving on the road or
a Power 2CT required taking 44 ° (!) to reach the soft part of the front tire.
Fortunately, the weather finally quickly returns to a local color and a second test.
road makes it easier to perceive the full extent of the tire on drier ground. The grip
is excellent and allows you to angle without restraint.
The series of turns are easy even though the profile of the tire is no different from the
Pilot Power. Whatever motorcycle you use – Ducati 848, Yamaha R6, Fazer 1000, Kawazaki Z 750, Honda 1000
CBR -… the feeling is the same: agility, neutrality, confidence.
Circuit test
Switching from the road to the circuit, without qualms, and with very high grip performance, such
is the Michelin promise. It is therefore logical that we continue the test on the track.
The Power Pure ride allows you to quickly get to the heart of the matter: motorcycles fit on the corner
always with great ease and keep their trajectory. End of straight line braking and acceleration
in curves do not fail the Power Pure in any way.
The course of Almeria, with its many more or less tight curves (see the on-board video)
quickly highlights the handling of motorcycles fitted with these new Michelin. Yet positioned
like a sport / road tire, these tires behave impeccably on the track where only the
experienced pilots looking for the ultimate trajectories will then prefer the Pilot One, more
rigid.
The rapid sequences of baffles indicate a real ease of change of angle and
Michelin is setting up a decisive workshop to fully achieve efficiency and tangible progress
induced by riding.
Watch the video on the circuit
Baffle test: the LTT effect
William Costes, development pilot for Michelin, goes through a series of trips on a boarding motorcycle
sensor systems and whose wheels have been ballasted so as to accurately simulate
a tire fitting that does not benefit from LTT technology.
The result is there: with an effort similar to the handlebars, the angle change speed goes from
120 ° to over 160 ° per second. We understand the benefits: faster
we position ourselves at the desired angle, the sooner we can accelerate again and therefore improve our lap times.
The test is also offered to us. The goal is naturally to show the behavior of the bike if the ride was 1 kilo more. Indeed, the bike seems heavier, more difficult to place on the angle and to pass from right to left quickly..
Conversely, once the masses have been removed, this results in
a feeling of ease in moving from one angle to another. What is valid on the circuit is also on the
road less of course for performance than for daily comfort, with less effort and more ease.
Less heaviness, more naturalness. The effect of the Auvergne regime is tangible.
Technique: Light Tire Technology and second generation 2CT
Michelin, an actor in the Endurance Championship, knows the need to have
times a lot of grip, whatever the racing conditions, but also a significant longevity.
To design its new Pure Power, Michelin has rethought both its production method
that optimized its manufacturing.
Romain Bouchet, expert in performance analysis and simulation, details some of the innovations
: "The integration of noble aerospace-type materials, in particular aramid fibers
instead of steel wire (200 meters of fiber at the front and 400 m for the rear tire) in more quantity
important than for previous models, modification of the tire molding, optimization of the
internal structure, profile and components … all this contributes to the final result relating to the weight of the
Power Pure and all the qualities that come from it. "
By limiting the unsprung masses and its impact on the suspensions (load fluctuation),
the handling is also improved. The tire remains in contact with the ground all the better, transmits
information more finely and improves motor skills.
Here too, progress is important: where a Power 2CT offered at the rear only 11% of
soft rubber on each shoulder, the Power Pure is composed of no less than 40% on
these same zone and only 8% of medium rubber in the center … the grip is there but for the
longevity, only a long-term test will be able to validate the manufacturer’s claims of sustainability
identical to Power. To be checked with the long-term tire test introduced at Le Repaire since 1999 and based on your experience.
Losing is therefore winning…!
Better grip on dry and wet due to the arrangement of the treads and above all real improvement in
dynamic by loss
weight, the Power Pure seems set to be a safe bet in mixed use. This gommard
manages the big gap between track and road with excellent grip and pushing the limits
such … knowing that the recommended road and track pressures remain the same … 2.5 for the front and 2.9 rear, ie the manufacturers’ prescriptions. It offers the most appreciable advantage of a real gain in handling / responsiveness. And at 260 euros per train (110 euros front, 150 euros rear, the price is in the middle of the category.
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Photos Lionel Beylot, Eric Malherbe, Stan Pereck and Bertrand Thiebault
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