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Review: Michelin Pilot 2CT tires

2K views 2 replies 2 participants last post by  Nastybutler 
#1 · (Edited)
In thinking about how many miles I got out of my last set of the 2CT's in @Neanderthal 's thread about his Bridgestone's I realized I should do a review of the 2CT's since they held up so well to crappy asphalt and varied weather and road conditions. By and large I kept the pressure at 32 psi front/ 35-36 psi rear for normal usage, 30/32 for track days and an advanced riders course.

My rear tire lasted over a season and a half, or roughly 7,000 miles, and that includes a track weekend at a "track" that has WW2 airfield pavement which is about as rough a surface as you can find. The cords were showing when I replaced it for a new one. The front I just had changed to a new one around 1,500 miles later, and that was largely due to one extra track weekend just about finishing it off.

So what did I think of that set of tires in the time I had them on my ST3? In a word: perfect. I loved everything about them. Good, predictable turn in and rock steady once a line was established. Good feel and feedback, which since I'm not flexible enough to get a knee down was very important when I was in a tight corner on the very edge of the tire I was able to feel when I was starting to go over that edge and easily tip it back to where it needed to be. (Side note: The little Michelin man at the edges of both front and rear was worn away by the time I got rid of them, and the direction arrows that are even closer to the edge were mostly worn away on the rear, but not the front.)

One of the things that I really like about these tires is how quickly they warm up and get grippy, which is important since quite a bit of my riding is on asphalt that has a temperature below 50 F in the spring and fall. These tires take very little to warm up and provide confidence even when the road is cold. Grip is outstanding once they warm up no matter the type of surface (provided it's not dirty/sandy) as long as it's above freezing, and even when it is freezing, as long as the road is dry, I don't have any qualms taking roundabouts at a nice clip.

Warmer temps (for me 70 to 80 F is "warmer") don't bother the tires either and they never feel greasy, although tar snakes can cause momentary slips at those temps, but as long as you don't chop the throttle, they go right back to gripping.

On the track, at my pace, I never felt the tire was holding me back. I'm still a newb to roadracing, and it'll be a long time before I consider needing a tire that's more performance oriented.

These do just fine in the wet, although I tend to be cautious when it's wet, and tend to avoid riding in the rain, so I don't have the most experience here, although they don't inspire quite as much confidence in the wet as my PR3's did on my FZ6R. Not a huge drop off, but as I say, I don't ride much in the rain and when I am in the rain, I tend to go easy in any corner. Braking and accelerating seem to be good compared to the PR3s.

What else can I say about these? For a tire that grips well, warms up quick and provides a high level of confidence, that they managed to last as long as they did is quite amazing to me. For my purposes they are perfect. If I rode in the rain more and didn't do track days, I might go with the PR3/4s, but I'm willing to sacrifice a few miles and have average wet traction for the excellent dry grip and feedback these provide. They are definitely worth the money and I'll keep buying them until Michelin comes out with a better version.
 
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#2 ·
All I would ride on my 08 Daytona were the 2ct. TJ hooked me up and I have a lot of the same to say about them
Great tires. Really fun grip and confidence. And even when I pushed the line a little much, it wouldn't leave me sliding.
I would also highly recommend these
Tires, though the rear only lasted about 5k miles for me
Front was about the 5500. Could had easily had another 1k out of it. But I like new rubber : )
 
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