The Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series establishes new Nürburgring record, aided and abetted by its Michelin tyres

• One car, two types of MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires
• Special features for a unique tire
• Motorsport-inspired technologies: from track to street and back
• An exclusive design

Michelin is the exclusive supplier of tyres for the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series, the most powerful production car ever made by the German manufacturer. Powered by a technologically-sophisticated 730-horsepower V8 engine, it has now established a new lap record for a series production car around the Nürburgring’s famous 20.832km Nordschleife loop, with a time of 6m48.047s.

One car, two types of MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires
The new Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series features an avant-garde electronic management system as well as racing aerodynamics, presenting Michelin with an exceptional challenge resulting in two versions of tires. The first one is available as original equipment and is dedicated to both road and track usage (soft compound), whereas the second one is focused on racetrack use (hard compound) and available as a retrofitting option through the AMG Performance Centers.

• For road and track (Soft): MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup 2 R - MO1A
• For track (Hard): MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup 2 R - MO2

The MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup 2 R OE (Soft) tire version already delivers a very high level of performance, allowing motorists to enjoy the thrill of track escapades. The “Hard” version provides cornering stability during high speed track laps at higher temperature. That means consistent, top-notch performance, lap after lap.

Both versions of the MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires are approved for road use (USA and Europa only for MO2 version).

Tire sizes: 285/35 ZR 20 (front) – 335/30 ZR 20 (rear)

A special architecture for a unique tire
For several months, Michelin engineers worked tirelessly alongside Mercedes technicians to ensure that the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series could reach its full potential. The demands made on the tires and the performance levels that Mercedes-AMG was seeking meant that Michelin’s developers had to study model-specific solutions.

They based their initial development work on the MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup 2 R, a super sport tire from Michelin that already holds a number of records. They then gradually redesigned its architecture. By introducing made-to-measure technical solutions, they were able to reinforce lateral rigidity, which is key to body stability for high-performance vehicles.

The resulting tire is ideally suited to the rigorous demands of the new Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series, and capable of delivering all the performance and driving enjoyment the car has to offer.

Motorsport-inspired technologies: from the track to the road and back
The new Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series is designed along very similar lines to the GT3 racing model, which competes in many motorsport championships across various series around the world.

After perfecting the tire architecture, Michelin’s engineers turned their attention to the choice of rubber compounds, borrowing solutions already used by Michelin on the track to combine performance with accessibility and easy handling.

Thanks to years of experience in the FIA World Endurance Championship and Le Mans 24 Hours, IMSA WeatherTech in the United States, SuperGT in Japan and a wide range of GT3-category races, Michelin has built up unparalleled expertise in racing tires for GT cars.

This unique racing heritage is also materialized in the MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tire for the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series by the design of two “specs”, one soft and one hard, a wording that is commonly used in the world of motor racing.