Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa V4 SP

Description

The Two Tyres 1-minute guide to the Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa V4 SP

What is it: Pirelli’s top of the range Hypersports tyre, now in its 4th incarnation. It’s the second stickiest road-legal tyre in Pirelli’s range, sitting just under the Supercorsa V4 SC and it’s a great ride to the track, do the trackday tyre. While it’s a seriously good tyre, we’d opt for the Rosso 4 Corsa which we think is a more sensible option for UK road riders, due to the fact they warm up faster, last longer, won’t abandon you if it rains and yet they still have the same SC3 compound on the edge of the tyres.

What tyre it replaces: The Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa V3 SP

Who is it aimed at: Performance bike riders who want the ultimate in terms of handling precision and outright grip.

Typically seen on: It’s the OEM tyre on a lot of manufacturer’s top-end Sportsbikes, from the Panigale V4, to the Fireblade SP and the MV F3 RR.

V4 SP highlights: The new profiles now ape those of the slicks used in WSBK. The dual compound front and rear tyres both use the same compound on the shoulders as the firm’s SC3 slicks.

V4 SP sizes: Available in a wide variety of 17″ only sizes, to fit everything from a YZF-R125 (yes, really!) right up to a Panigale V4.

A cheaper option: The Supercorsa V3 SP is still in production and is that bit cheaper.

The competition: Check out the Michelin Power GP2, Continental Race Attack 2 and Dunlop D212 GP Racer Treaded

Pirelli Product Information

DIABLO Supercorsa V4 (this is the full name, where V4 stands for the fourth series) is an entirely new product compared with its predecessor, the DIABLO Supercorsa V3, in terms of tread pattern, compounds, structures, and profiles. Both in the SC racing version and in the SP race replica version, DIABLO Supercorsa is the highest embodiment of Pirelli’s sporting DNA thanks to its extremely high and sporty performance or, to sum up in one word – speed.

The DIABLO Supercorsa SP V4, where the abbreviation SP stands for “Sport Production”, is the sportiest tyre ever for street use in the DIABLO family. Compared with the SC version, DIABLO

Supercorsa SP complies with all the regulatory restrictions of the vehicles it can equip – such as, for example, the speed index requirement (W) – and it is less sensitive to temperature, as well as heating up more quickly and providing more mileage due to the compounds. This tyre is intended for riders who love sport riding not only on the track but on the road as well. This undoubtedly includes owners of supersport street bikes from which the World Superbike Championship bikes are derived, but also track day enthusiasts who want a street legal tyre so they can ride to the circuit instead of having to load the bike on a trailer and one that will also let them turn laps on the track without having to swap out tyres.

DIABLO Supercorsa SP V4 ensures significant benefits for riders:

• Dual compound on both the front and the rear for maximum grip in leans and outstanding thrust coming out of turns, but also adequate mileage.
• Latest generation structures that work in unison with the compounds for optimum performanc both on the road and on the track by simply adjusting the pressure.
• Profiles, identical to those of the SC version which ensure a simple ride and maximum reactivity.
• Tread pattern identical to that of the SC with the new flash pattern interrupted at the centre with a slick area for smoother thrust at any lean angle and more consistent performance.

Tread pattern

• The interrupted FLASH design improves water displacement and the area of contact surface with the ground.
• The slick section where the pattern is interrupted has an impact on the rigidity of the tread, reducing risks of groove deformation, and ensures better thrust at any lean angle.
• The direction of the flash pattern on the tread follows the direction of the lateral force experienced in track riding, ensuring more even and consistent performance along with reduced warm-up time.
• The first area of the shoulder without grooves guarantees greater contact between rubber and road surface both halfway and all the way into a lean in order to ensure greater grip on turns
• The completely slick external area of the shoulder improves thrust at extreme angles

Profiles

• The same racing profiles, developed in the World Superbike Championship, of the DIABLO Superbike slick tyre and the other fourth generation hypersport tyres in the Pirelli range.
• Multi-radius profiles for abrupt direction changes, whereas the slick shoulder area provides high grip and outstanding line holding on corners.
• The profile of the front improves handling, enticing the rider to lean into corners earlier, facilitating quick direction changes. It also provides exceptional stability thanks to the extended contact area in the leaning stage.
• The rear follows the same pattern and similar geometry to the front in order to ensure synchronised performance of the set.
• In the DIABLO™ SUPERCORSA SP V4, the tyre bead is designed to provide maximum performance both with tyre pressure on the road and with track use pressure (2.3 Bar front / 2.1 Bar rear with hot tyres). It is precisely the possibility of decreasing tyre pressure for track sessions that sets DIABLO SUPERCORSA SP V4 clearly apart from the other tyres in the Pirelli hypersport range.

Structure

• Compared with its V3 predecessor, the new V4 uses new materials, such as wider section structural cords made up of a high number of textile fibres braided together to give the tyre greater rigidity combined with better shock-absorbing capabilities.
• In the SP version, each size has its own structure, fine-tuned for optimum performance in combination with the width of the specific profile for that size, the proportions of the compound  and the arrangement of the tread pattern. Additionally, the structure of the SP is optimised for street use, so also for long distances in a straight line on motorways

Compounds

DIABLO Supercorsa SP V4 is dual compound both at the front and the rear.

Front:

• The first DIABLO Supercorsa tyre to adopt two compounds at the front.
• Layout with a central and base compound paired with a second compound on the tyre shoulders.
• The base compound, which covers the entire profile of the tyre and emerges coming into contact with the asphalt at the central section, is full-silica and extremely versatile, providing thermal stability and ensures consistent performance in both cold and hot temperatures.
• The compound of the shoulders is the same one used in the SC3 racing version, in 100% carbon black formulation, and it is capable of ensuring outstanding handling and maximum grip even at full lean.

Rear:

• Compared with the front, this has a softer central compound and a wider side, but still maintaining the same base compound of the front in support of the two compounds in contact with the asphalt.
• The central compound is 100% carbon black and optimised to work effectively in a broad range of temperatures because it provides grip and quick heating in various conditions.
• The compound used on the shoulders is the same as the one used on the front, so SC3, for maximum power coming out of corners.
• The base compound, which is beneath the two compounds that are in contact with the asphalt, has a 100% Carbon Black formulation and was designed to work in the best possible way with the other two compounds, providing thermal stability and a better feeling for the rider.