Pilot Sport Cup 2 Tires Drop C8 Track Times… At a Cost

Are they worth $2,000? Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires take the C8 to the next level… but don’t survive a single track day.

YouTuber Speed Phenom (SP) has had a pretty incredible week tracking his C8 Corvette at Willow Springs Raceway. First, he compared the 2020 Corvette Z51 with the base 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, calling the pair evenly matched on tracks that blend curves and straights. Then, he took on a Ferrari and McClaren during a few hot-lap sessions. (Watch both videos HERE.) And, today, SP added a set of R-compound Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires to the mix.

As many of you already know, Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires are vehicle-specific and Michelin doesn’t yet offer 2020 Corvette variants. So, SP fitted Porsche GT3 specific Cup 2s to the C8’s rear wheels, while wrapping his front wheels in BMW Cup 2s.

The results are pretty dramatic in two ways. First, Speed Phenom shaved almost two seconds off his previous lap times despite driving in fairly heavy traffic. More on this in a moment. And second, an entire day of 30-minute hot-lapping sessions destroyed SP’s front and rear driver’s side tires. (Willow Springs includes many hard, high-speed left turns).

To be fair, some of SP’s time-improvements may have come from him becoming more confident in his new C8. He also spent the day following a friend around Willow Springs, learning a better line. But still, as anyone who has stepped up to the Cup 2s will tell you, they make an instant and obvious difference on track.

Tire-wear seems like more of a concern. Speed Phenom has is C8 setup for the track, which includes negative-three degrees of front camber. Still, his front-left Cup 2 is almost down to the belt. As this set of Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires cost $2,000. That’s a pretty big expense for a single track day. By contrast, SP’s track multiple days on his Pilot Sport 4S tires, and they still look brand new.

In summary, Speed Phenom recommends the PS4S tires that come standard with the Z51 package if you only occasionally track your C8. But you want the best performance and you have the budget, the Pilot Sport Cup 2s will take your C8 to the next level.

And stay tuned to the very end of the video where Speed Phenom also recommends a few locations to place paint protection film if you are tracking your C8.

What do you think, track rats? Are Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires worth the expense to shave a few seconds? Should Speed Phenom try out the Goodyear equivalents? Should GM and Michelin get collaborating on a set of C8-specific Cup 2s? Share your thoughts over here in THIS THREAD!