11.12
There’s a lot of confusion about the new Michelin Pilot Power One tire. There’s a Power One Commercial version, and then there’s the Power One Competition; two types. Both types are designed to heat-up faster than their predecessors or competition. They even claim to get grippier as the tire wears away the rain sipes, and turns itself into a quasi-slick.
The Power One Commercial is a really nice tire for the aggressive street rider, or even mid-pack club racer. I run mid-pack myself and am absolutely satisfied with the Commercial version on the race track. The first time I used the Power One’s, I did a trackday on the Friday before the race weekend and got six good sessions. The next day I got four practice sessions on this one set of tires. That’s especially notable as this track is VERY abrasive (Palm Beach International Raceway). The Commercial Power One’s are all 3 ply and multi-compound front AND rears. The Commercial version only comes in a single dual compound version. They are similar to the Power Race Medium, in that they are medium in the center and soft on the edges.
While the Power One Commercial tires are fairly straight-forward and simple, the Power One Competition tires have several different compounds and even shapes of tire.
FRONT TIRES:
All the Competition Power One DOT 17″ fronts are multi-compound and run 30psi cold. There are three fronts to choose from: A, B, and V. The A and the B are SLIGHTLY more rounded but IS triangulated. The Power One “V”, the most triangulated or pointed of the 3 tires. A and B are slightly less triangulated than the old C front but apparently nearly exact same height. According to Michelin, the A and B would be the most popular tires and are 5 ply tires.
A – 9.48lbs, 605.4mm diameter and is the softer compound, used for when ambient temps are below 68F. compounds would be 4/8/4 with the 4 (softer) would be the entire contact patch at full lean.
B – 9.48lbs, 605.4mm , slightly harder than the A, and used when temps are above 68F. compounds would be 5/8/5 with the 5 slightly firmer than the 4.
V – 9.92lbs, 606mm, however is 4 ply (not 5 like A and B), and is more triangulated almost “pointed” with a 5/8/5 compound.
REAR TIRES:
-All the180/55 are 639.5mm in diameter, 13.73lbs, are 4 ply and multi-compound (35% of edges is softer so 35%/30mid%/35%)
-The 190/55’s are 652.8mm tall. 14.77lbs, 4 ply and multi-compound.
-The “A ” tire edges of the 180 and 190’s would be a “4″ (soft) compound edge
-The “B” edges being “5″ (not as soft as 4),
-The “C” REAR will be an endurance type tire with a “6″ type edge
-ALL the middles of all the tires being a “9″ compound (hardest).
TIRE WARMERS:
As per Michelin, for COMPETITION (not street tires) put warmers at 176F for 30-40 min before use for FRONT AND REARS. DO NOT leave on for more than 90 minutes ever. If guys find something that works better please let us know.
WEAR:
when the rain sipes are gone the tires are designed to WORK BETTER! so don’t rush to change when the rain sipes are gone. The tires are designed to loose the rain sipes to become a “slick”.
These tires are absolutely terrific! If you haven’t tried them, I would suggest you at least give them a shot.
To give due credit, I must say that a significant portion of the technical data came from Greg Melka.
Do you have any experience riding it on a wet track?
The Power One’s are designed to be very close to a slick, while still maintaining “DOT” status. The NST (Near Slick Technology) used in this tire allows it to become a “quasi-slick” as the tire wears, thus providing more grip. The downside is that there are not any rain sipes to wisk away the rain should you need it. I used these tires shortly after it rained and had to travel through a small stream of water at the exit of a turn; it wasn’t pretty! I felt the entire bike wobble every time I went through it. I wouldn’t suggest this tire for use in the rain, but don’t despair, Michelin does make rain tires that have outstanding wet-grip. I hope that answers your question.
Patrick