Even though it’s only begun its involvement with MotoGP as the new spec tire manufacturer for the past year, Michelin is already looking to capitalize on that relationship by introducing a new flagship sport tire, designated the Power RS. Superseding the Pilot Power 3 as the French company’s top-of-the-line sport rubber, the new Power RS is primarily intended for road use while easily handling the occasional track day outing. Michelin is claiming that the new tire easily outperforms its European competition such as the Pirelli Diablo Rosso III, Dunlop SportSmart 2 (Note this is not the same tire as the US-made Sportmax Q3), Bridgestone Battlax S21 Hypersport, Continental ContiSportAttack 3, and the Metzeler Sportec M7 RR.

Part of that increased performance is surely due to new tires’ increased “land/sea ratio” (the amount of rubber surface area compared to the amount of void created by the tread grooves). The Power RS has a land/sea ratio of just 6.2%, compared to the 10% ratio of the Pilot Power 3. In fact, the Power RS’s land/sea ratio undercuts Michelin’s own Power Supersport Evo track day tire, which comes in at 7.5%.