Michelin Tire Tech Presentation by Michelin's Steve Calder for PCA

[JAJ]

I've been looking for years to get some real information about the best tire pressures and temperatures for MPSC2's. There's a Michelin document that's easy to find for the original Sport Cup tires, but not for the SC2's. Until now...

This popped up in a Google search today: https://www.pca.org/sites/default/files/Michelin-Tire-Technology-Steve-Calder-TTW-2018.pdf

Pages 23-24-25 have the details from Michelin for the MPSC2 in track use. Finally!

The rest of the presentation has a lot of interesting stuff too.

 

[JAJ]

The key data from the presentation reads like this (I removed the non-track stuff and disclaimers):

RECOMMENDED PRESSURE – SPORT CUP 2

TRACK USE – HOT TIRES

• The best operating pressure of MICHELIN PILOT SPORT CUP 2 is between 2.3 bar (33 psi) and 2.7 bar (39 psi) hot, according vehicle model and track where used

TRACK USE – COLD TIRES

• Don’t ever use inflation pressure below 1.9 bar (28 psi) cold and to optimize the track longevity of MICHELIN PILOT SPORT CUP 2, MICHELIN strongly recommends a minimum inflation pressure between 2.0 (29 psi) and 2.4 bar (35 psi)

RECOMMENDED ALIGNMENT – SPORT CUP 2

– Camber : for optimal results on a circuit , the negative camber settings should be between -1.5° & -3° dependent upon the circuit layout and the type of vehicle. NEVER exceed -4° of negative camber

Temperature Targets for Track Use

160 - grip starts to come in

180 - optimal temp for max grip

200 - grip begins to fall off

use a probe thermocouple – non-contact will read inaccurately

Note: for the 2019 MY GT350 and R, Ford's Owner's Supplement says hot tire pressures for track use - 38 PSI front, 36 PSI rear. Consistent with the Michelin recommendations. Much higher than I've been running though - I'll have to try them and see how it drives.