The new Ford Focus RS is a particularly demanding and sporty vehicle, representing a precise in-depth challenge for Michelin engineers, to specifically develop these two tires in order to propose tires able to meet the expectations of Ford teams. This advanced development process was carried out over almost 2 years, during which the car hit the tarmac of several tracks.

MICHELIN Ford co-development, an adventure shared between engineering and drivers

'The MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup 2 tire offers a surprising level of grip thus reducing lap times on the track, while bringing a highly appreciable level of precision to road handling for this FORD Focus RS, and maintaining its playful, dynamic character', highlighted David Put, development engineer and driver for Ford, 'all thanks to the joint work carried out by the Michelin and Ford Performance teams, with a level of mutual understanding, which enabled us to deliver a car which will delight the driving enthusiast'.

The specific development process managed by Michelin to satisfy Ford contributes to driving precision, vehicle stability, sporty handling and grip while maintaining tread resistance performance, for the MICHELIN Pilot Super Sport tire: C on the European label, with an A for breaking on wet tarmac.

'Ford's ambitions led us to develop very high technology tires which were fully compatible with the very special configuration of the Ford Focus RS. With this configuration, the mass distribution is centred at the front of the vehicle, and various adjustment options significantly affect the distribution of the four-wheel-drive system between the front and rear axles. Furthermore, with the clear aim of maintaining the dynamic temperament of this car, we were able to expand the grip envelope, particularly on bends in extreme circumstances', finished Pierre Chaput, Developer for MICHELIN Pilot Super Sport and MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires for the Ford Focus RS.

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Compagnie Générale des établissements Michelin SA issued this content on 2016-01-20 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 2016-01-20 15:23:04 UTC

Original Document: http://www.michelin.com/eng/media-room/press-and-news/press-releases/Products-Services/The-new-Ford-Focus-RS-is-equipped-exclusively-with-MICHELIN-tires-MICHELIN-Pilot-Sport-Cup-2-and-MICHELIN-Pilot-Super-Sport