It’s time for the next edition of IMSA’s April is Car Care Month series.
Many have said tires might be the most important component of any race car. IMSA’s combination of grueling endurance races and aggressive sprint races demands a reliable, performance-based tire, which Michelin supplies for every IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and IMSA Prototype Challenge race car.
Michelin uses those lessons learned on the racetrack to provide consumers with reliable, performance-based tires for their passenger vehicles. Here’s a look at IMSA Car Care month through the eyes of Michelin.
Tire Care IS Car Care
If everything is working as it should, the only things on your car making contact with the road are your tires. Let’s review some tips you can use to keep you and your family safe.
- Pre-road inspection
We know you want to get on the road as soon as possible, but it’s always important to check your tires for any damage or wear. IMSA sports cars use multiple sets of tires in each race, but the rest of us should only require “stickers” every couple of years or after several thousand miles. Between tire changes, it’s important to have your Michelin tires checked by a professional once a year to ensure road safety.
- The right amount of pressure
IMSA teams always make sure their tires at the optimal air pressure before going out onto the track, because they want their vehicle to perform the best it possibly can. Being on the highway is no different. Driving with too little or too much pressure inside your tires can cause vehicle performance to falter, which is why you should check your tire pressure monthly and especially before any long trips.
- Watching your weight capacity
Too much mass negatively impacts a sports car’s performance, which is why teams make concerted efforts to get their car to the minimum weight allowed. That may be more difficult for somebody with a car full of passengers or a trip to a home improvement store, but it’s important to respect the tire’s load index to avoid build up in excessive heat.
- Leave the high speeds to the racing drivers on the racetrack
As much as you may want to pretend you’re a race car driver while on your way to the store, driving at high speeds can increase the damages of road hazards and heat build-up, which could lead to a blowout.
Track-tested, driver approved
Michelin products are tried and tested in some of the world’s most grueling endurance races. With motorsports programs learning everything it can about tires in extreme service conditions, Michelin uses its race-winning data toward building you the best possible choice of tire for your car.
- Pilot Sport Cup 2
Acting as Michelin’s Streetable Track and Competition tire developed on the Ferrari 458 Speciale, Mercedes SLS AMG Coupe Black Series and Porsche 918 Spyder hybrid super sports car, the Pilot Sport Cup 2 tire allows supercars to perform at their ultimate potential in dry conditions.
- Pilot Super Sport
Michelin’s Max Performance Summer Tire. The Pilot Super Sport was developed originally on several of the world’s most sophisticated racing vehicles including the fastest Ferrari road car ever created – the Ferrari 599 GTO. It is now used to bring IMSA’s greatest machines to victory in endurance races such as the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and Motul Petit Le Mans. It is designed for consistent performance with blending driving characteristics in with extended tread wear.
- Pilot Sport All Season 4
For those vehicles that need to perform all year long, the Pilot Sport All Season 4 is Michelin’s Ultra high-performance all-season tire. It was originally developed as the all-season option for the Chevrolet Corvette. Offering traction in both dry and wet conditions, the Pilot Sport All Season 4 delivers performance no matter the condition.