MICHELIN POWER CUP 2 REVIEW?

Has anybody used them what did you think?

 

Have only done one day on them and find them brilliant.
Coming from the Dunlop D213 I didnt make any geometry changes but added a bit of compression and preload on the rear during the day and by the end of it I was matching my fastest times on the dunlops.
They look to be wearing very nicely so far so I'm keen to get a bit more time on them.

 

I ran the powerslick2 this Sunday for the first time. The power cup2 has the same construction and is essentially the same tire as the slick2.

For background, I was at Grattan Raceway in Michigan and it was a sunny, mid-70's day with drier air. I'm riding a 2011 Zx-10R and usually I run Dunlop slicks. Typically I run the 7455 front and either the 7455 rear or 0585 rear. On the Dunlops, I have been running 1:22.xx lap times. For reference, local fast expert club racers are running 1:21.xx lap times, so I'm normally about a second or so off of the top club pace.

The Michelin front is very close in diameter to the Dunlop front. The online specs say the Michelin front is about an inch taller - this is definitely not correct. The Michelin Rear (200/55) is a fair bit taller than the Dunlop 200/55 I was running. I ran the Dunlops in the morning and switched to the Michelins in the afternoon. I didn't make any changes other than the tires.

About pressures - the Michelin guys told me to run 35F/25R off the warmers and to check them hot off the track. I checked them hot off the track after my first session and was 37/27. They told me to pull some air out to be at 35/25 hot off the track. So running at 34/24 off the warmers seemed to get me to the right spot.

I ran 4 sessions in the afternoon, and some of them were abbreviated due to a few red flags. My lap times at the end of the day were dropping into the 1:23.xx. I was taking my time building confidence in the tires, and was also struggling a little with my gearing change with the taller tire. Grattan has a varied surface and grip can vary as well, so I was being a little extra cautious at first. Anyway, the tires seemed to work just fine, similar to the Dunlops at that pace with solid feel and feedback. A fast friend was running the power cup2's and put a fresh rear tire on and turned a 1:20.xx on a clear track, so the tires are very capable. I'm confident I can get down to my usual lap time with a little more seat time and a gearing adjustment. I am definitely not near the limit of the tires, and I think you would have to be either near or at pro level to find a difference in lap times between the Dunlop and Michelin.

In summary, I think the tires would work well for club racer / track day types. I would save money and buy the Power Cup2 over the Power Slick2 as they are $10 or $20 cheaper a set. I don't know how the durability is yet compared to the Dunlops. I started to see some wear, slight graining on the rear, but I'll need more experience with them to see how they hold up as this type of wear isn't unusual for me. I also didn't make any suspension / geometry adjustments either which could improve wear. My main reason for trying the Michelins is the local vendor at the track carries them, so I wanted to try and support the guys who are supporting the event.

I'm no pro, just a former club racer so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

 

It's a good tire, riding the PP and cup 2 back to back I like the PP a little better. We just did a 4 hour endurance on 1 cup 2 front and was 1st in class.

 

I tried these for the first time today on my KTM 890R. 75* and sunny. I was seriously impressed. However, I couldn't find a good setup to prevent the rear from shredding like shown below. I tried going down to 24psi hot off the track, up to 30psi, and it always looked like this with a lot of boogers and what I'm guessing is hot tearing. It was feeling a little greasy at times. It doesn't help that the bike is brand new and I was turning the adjusters all day looking for a setup.

Any thoughts?

 

so i've been racing on them for over a year. great tires. you want 34.5 & 24.5 PSI off the track. the rear can go up to 27 PSI off the track.

if you're using the CapIt warmers that go up to 110 Celsius (230 F), set your warmers to 82-83 Celsius (180 F).

ping me if you have any other questions. if i dont know, i can probably find out the answer for you

 

Are you saying you started at 24 PSI off the warmer and it went up to 30 PSI off track?

 

No warmer. Started at 22 cold. Came off the track at 26, and aired down. Then came off at 25 and aired down, same result, then I started going up. It always looked the same

 

Gotcha

The tire doesn't look too bad in the photo, maybe it's different in person.

 

Despite what Michelin tells you, these tires absolutely do need warmers to get them to last and stop cold tearing, especially if track temps are under 100*F. I mean they do grip just fine without warmers, but they then cold tear almost immediately because you cannot get them up to the 185*F temps operating window that they are designed for.

My tire looked exactly like yours before I got warmers, and I would barely get one full track day out of a fresh rear before it completely shredded apart. After I started running warmers (I bake mine to 190*F, and run 34/24 hot), the wear on these tires completely changed, and I went from barely getting one track day out of the rear to now getting around two and a half, same circuit, similar conditions.

 

are you using a pyrometer to check tire temps?

 

Agree, I did the same with my next rear and it was a lot better

 

you want 37/38 in the front off the track. i know you're giving your pressures off the warmers.
rear should be around 25 off the track

 

Ping Melka.

He is a die hard Michelin man. I came from Dunlop's and rode the new Michelin stuff, and have to say, I felt completely confident after about 2 laps and was very surprised.

 

I have always ridden on Pirelli Supercorsas, been thinking about switching to these. No racer, I'm about fast B group to slow A group.

 

unless you're looking for a DOT tire, you may like the Slick 2 better than the Cup 2.

 

I thought about it since I enjoy riding my BMW XR over the weekend. Was just trying to keep the idea of being able to ride the CBR as well.

With that being said, do you know who is the West Coast distrubitor is?

 

looking for track side vendors in your area? i can find out. what part?

 

I just switched from the above power cup 2, to the supercorsa SC v4. The pirelli had a LOT more rear grip where the michelin would step out and slide a lot. I'll be staying with the pirellis.

 

Yea, would rather support them than the local CycleGear and etc. Located in San Diego but San Francisco area is fine too.