Porsche and Michelin have teamed up to create the all-new Michelin Pilot Sport S 5, a wet-weather tyre designed specifically for circuit driving in damp and low-temperature conditions.
For decades, Porsche has worked alongside top-tier tyre manufacturers to develop precision-engineered solutions that extract the best out of their machines. With the Pilot Sport S 5, Michelin has created a road-legal track tyre tailored for the 992-generation Porsche 911 GT3 RS, addressing a key demand from die-hard track-goers who want to spend more time on the circuit even when the weather refuses to cooperate.
Andreas Preuninger, Director of GT Vehicles at Porsche, encapsulates the tyre’s importance: “We are responding to demand from our particularly performance-focused customers who have expressed a desire to spend more time on track during spring and autumn. The new tyres significantly increase the annual usage period of the GT3 RS.”
The Pilot Sport S 5 sits alongside the ultra-high-performance (UHP) Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R. The latter thrives in dry, high-temperature conditions, while the Pilot Sport S 5 is designed to dominate circuits made treacherous by rain and cold.
Since 2022, Michelin test drivers have been rigorously fine-tuning the Pilot Sport S 5 at the Michelin Development Centre in Ladoux, France. Porsche’s brand ambassador and veteran works driver, Jörg Bergmeister, played a key role in its final calibration, helping to achieve a balance between maximum grip and driver confidence.
A major focus of the development was optimising aquaplaning resistance. The tread pattern has been carefully engineered with four large central grooves, each 7.4 millimetres deep, to efficiently channel water away.
The increased negative tread ratio allows for a significantly higher volume of water dispersion, improving stability and raising the aquaplaning threshold. Mathieu Greco, a tyre developer at Michelin, explains: “The tyre improves vehicle stability and raises the threshold at which the tyre starts to lose contact with the road.”
A high-silica rubber compound enhances wet grip while also ensuring the tyre reaches optimal operating temperature faster. Where traditional Porsche-approved UHP tyres peak between 15 and 30 degrees Celsius, the Pilot Sport S 5 is at its best between 5 and 15 degrees Celsius, right in the sweet spot for those chilly, rain-soaked track days.
Bergmeister himself is impressed, noting, “The Michelin Pilot Sport S 5 gets up to temperature very quickly. In wet conditions and low ambient temperatures, it offers outstanding levels of control and predictability when changing direction.”
While the Michelin Pilot Sport S 5 excels in damp conditions, it also remains impressively competent when things dry up. Porsche engineers put it through its paces at both the Nürburgring and Portimão in warm, dry weather, ensuring that the tyre maintains high performance outside its core wet-weather remit. Various tread designs were tested extensively to achieve the perfect balance between front and rear axle grip, making the tyre versatile enough for both hardcore track enthusiasts and those who want to daily drive their GT3 RS in less-than-ideal weather conditions.
One of the tyre’s biggest strengths is its wear resistance. On a wet, 2.8-kilometre technical circuit at the Michelin Development Centre, the Pilot Sport S 5 slashed lap times by over 10 seconds compared to the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 N0.
Despite its track-focused credentials, the Michelin Pilot Sport S 5 is fully approved for road use, meeting all legal requirements for rolling resistance and noise levels.
For now, the tyre will be available exclusively for the Porsche 911 GT3 RS, with sizes of 275/35 ZR 20 for the front axle and 335/30 ZR 21 for the rear. Distribution will be handled by Manthey, Porsche’s Nürburgring-based performance specialist.
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