It’s staggering how much modern tires will settle an unruly sports car. Porsche’s own 930 Turbo, ominously known as the “widowmaker,” becomes perfectly approachable with some new shoes. Now, nearly 20 years after production of the Carrera GT ended, Porsche has partnered with Michelin to develop a brand-new Pilot Sport Cup 2 tire for its V10 supercar. It’s an announcement that follows an April 2023 stop-use recall that left most of the 1,270 cars produced parked well into 2024.
“It’s very unusual for new tires to be developed for a 20-year-old vehicle. This underscores how important the Carrera GT is for Porsche and their customers to this day,” says Porsche’s development driver and brand ambassador Joerg Bergmeister.
As unusual as it may seem, however, this isn’t the first time Porsche has co-developed a new tire for the GT. In 2003, this 605-horsepower, rear-wheel drive supercar shipped with then-new Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 rubber. In 2013, the German carmaker announced a new Pilot Sport Cup 2 option built to replace it. Now, 11 years later, it’s unveiled yet another new set. Although the Pilot Sport Cup 2 name carries over, the GT’s new shoes incorporate rubber compounds to ensure improved traction in dry and wet conditions.
“On the inner shoulder and tread blocks of the tire, silica is used to achieve the optimal compound characteristics for wet grip. Meanwhile, the mixture at the outer shoulder and outer tread blocks of the tire is responsible for dry grip. Here, one of the most important ingredients is industrial soot,” says Michelin tire engineer Mathieu Greco.
The tires aren’t just new; Porsche claims noticeable performance improvements. The Carrera GT’s braking distance from 62 mph shrinks by eight feet, while from 124 mph, it drops by 39 ft. Starting today, owners looking to order a set can contact their local dealerships to snag a set.
According to Bergmeister, however, the new Michelins don’t just improve this supercar’s performance; crucially, for a car with such a storied past, it makes it easier to handle when driving quickly. A point that gives us some insight as to why Porsche would continue to invest in an over-20-year-old car is that while modern tires will tame most classics, history has proved that the Carrera GT isn’t most classics.