Porsche 911 GT3 RS Gets New Wet-Weather Michelin Pilot Sport 5S Tires
The is now available with newly developed Michelin Pilot Sport 5S tires.
Jointly developed with Porsche, Michelin's new PS5S tire was designed for cold and wet conditions.
The wet-weather tires will be available for the GT3 RS in sizes 275/35ZR-20 front and 335/30ZR-21 rear; pricing hasn't yet been released.
The Porsche 911 GT3 RS is an extraordinary machine, especially when its talents can be unleashed on a racetrack. However, its performance potential dips when the weather turns soggy and the temps cool off. To offset those adverse conditions, Porsche has introduced a new wet-weather Michelin Pilot Sport 5S tire for its track-centric 911.
Michelin's new PS5S was a team effort with Porsche, as indicated by the "N" adorning its sidewall, which means it was specially developed for the German automaker. During the development process, Porsche said on Michelin's roughly 1.7-mile testing track in wet conditions, a PS5S-equipped GT3 RS was more than 10 seconds quicker than the same car wearing a set of Pilot Sport Cup 2s.
To make the tires grip better in the rain, the unique tread pattern incorporates four large center grooves that are 0.3 inch deep. The deeper tread is claimed to provide more negative tread to better clear out water. With a high-silica rubber compound, Porsche says the wet-weather Pilot Sport 5S tires warm up quickly and work best in ambient temperatures between 40 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Of course, that doesn't mean they're useless when the outdoor thermometer exceeds 68 degrees, as Porsche says they were developed to have a wide performance bandwidth outside of cold and wet conditions.
The set made for the 911 GT3 RS measure 275/35ZR-20 up front and 335/30ZR-21 out back. Porsche hasn't yet announced pricing for the new Michelin Pilot Sport 5S tires. However, when they become available, the company says they'll only be offered through U.S. Porsche Centers as part of its tire-support program.
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