Is This Why Porsche And Michelin Developed A Brand New Tire For The 20-Year Old Carrera GT? - story Go to full screen story Fullscreen

Is This Why Porsche And Michelin Developed A Brand New Tire For The 20-Year Old Carrera GT?

While these cutting-edge tires should make the analog CGT quicker and safer, there could be more to the development of this fresh rubber than meets the eye

by Amreetam Basu on October 13, 2024, 10:00

Born from Porsche’s shattered F1 dreams, the Carrera GT is considered one of the last truly analog supercars of the early 2000s and when I say analog, I genuinely do mean it. This thing had traction control and ABS, and that’s it. No fancy stability control to save you from your own stupidity.

Unsurprisingly, the Carrera GT proved to be a bit of a handful for some drivers. Porsche disclosed that by the time production ended, a fair 200 examples had met their demise in rather ugly ways. But here’s the thing: Porsche has been keeping a watchful eye on the leftover examples. The German automaker has been offering top-notch support, even replacing tires for free, years after the car went out of production!

Now, nearly 20 years after it first hit the road, Porsche and Michelin have just dropped some fresh rubber for the legendary Carrera GT! They’ve cooked up some ultra-high-performance tires with a new rubber compound and fancy structure to boost grip in both wet and dry conditions. So, if you’re lucky enough to own one of these analog beasts, you can now tackle corners with even more confidence (and hopefully avoid any unplanned off-the-pavement excursions).

The new tires and their benefits

Is This Why Porsche And Michelin Developed A Brand New Tire For The 20-Year Old Carrera GT? storyboard - image 194542

So, these new Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires are a straight swap for the old Pilot Super Sports from 2013 (and even the original Pilot Sport PS2s from way back when the Carrera GT first hit the scene). What’s the big deal? Well, Michelin has cooked up some clever new rubber compounds for these tires, giving them even more grip in the wet and dry. Basically, they’ve made it even harder to lose control of this analog supercar (not that anyone’s complaining).

Porsche says these new tires will not only help you shave a few seconds off your lap times but also make the Carrera GT a bit more manageable when you’re really pushing it. And get this: Michelin has shortened the braking distance by a whopping eight feet from 62 mph! Even from 124 mph, you’ll come to a stop nearly 40 feet shorter. That’s a great improvement, even for a supercar.

“The new tires not only make the Carrera GT faster, they make it easier for the car to be driven at speed. This shows that tire development is always moving forward. Motorsport, in particular, is a development platform that ensures that advances in tire technology find their way directly into series-production tires. This technology transfer enhances performance significantly.” - Porsche development driver, Jörg Bergmeister

Beyond Safety: Potential Strategic Motivations

Porsche’s motives for this seemingly generous act of tire-giving seem unreal after almost two decades of the Carrera GT’s discontinuation. There could be something more at play here. I wanted to specifically highlight Carrera GT owner and renowned YouTuber Doug DeMuro’s recent video, where he brought up a few things about why Porsche may be doing this. Here’s the gist of what he went over.

Firstly, those old Carrera GT tires were certainly a handful. Remember all those high-profile crashes? Given how much tire technology has advanced since the early 2000s, Porsche figured, it would probably be wise to hand out some fresh rubber than face a barrage of lawsuits from disgruntled widows and mangled millionaires. Call it preventative maintenance, if you will.

Porsche issued a recall back in April 2023, demanding CGT owners stop driving and get the supercar checked for potential suspension issues that could cause the Carrera GT to crash. According to Doug, this whole recall situation was also a brilliant way to reconnect with Carrera GT owners who might have fallen off the Porsche dealership radar, especially if they choose to take it to a specialist like Repasi Motorwerks.

Is This Why Porsche And Michelin Developed A Brand New Tire For The 20-Year Old Carrera GT? storyboard - image 194545

They’re also, the kind of people who buy a multi-million dollar supercar and then stash it away in a climate-controlled garage, only to be seen at the occasional Concours event. Porsche wants those people back in the fold, ready to be tempted by their latest and greatest upcoming offerings.

Speaking of offerings, that brings us to the third and perhaps the most cynical reason for this whole tire extravaganza: the Mission X. Porsche’s next flagship supercar concept, (electric this time) hasn’t exactly set the world on fire with excitement.

But what better demographic to convince, than a bunch of deep-pocketed Carrera GT owners, who’re already invested in the brand? By showering them with free tires worth a couple of thousand dollars ($2,500), and service credits, Porsche is hoping to soften them up for the electric hard sell. It’s a classic case of "Look what we’re doing for you, now buy our new shiny thing!" Clever, eh?

Summing up the free CGT Tire Upgrade

Is This Why Porsche And Michelin Developed A Brand New Tire For The 20-Year Old Carrera GT? storyboard - image 195067

Porsche decided to give the legendary Carrera GT a new set of rubber nearly 20 years after it stopped making it. These fancy new tires give the car more grip and make it safer to drive fast. But Porsche it seems isn’t just being nice. The automaker probably wants to avoid getting sued over those old tires leading to mishaps, and through the recall process, bringing owners into dealerships, hoping to tempt Carrera GT owners with its next best thing. But let’s be honest, I believe that the Carrera GT remains an incredible machine, even with all its quirks. It harks back to a time when supercars were all about raw power and driver skill and with these new tires, I hope that they should be even more fun to drive, be it on the racetrack or out on the road.

Amreetam Basu

Amreetam Basu

While Amreetam hustles during the week, free time means one thing: hitting the open road. He dreams of cruising the Alps in a German masterpiece – a Porsche 992 911 GT3 RS or an F87 BMW M2 would be ideal! This 26-year-old automotive journalist loves every part of the job. Read full bio