Pirelli Rolls Out Latest-Gen Diablo Supercorsa Sport Tires

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The new release of the Diablo Supercorsa SP and SC tires completes the revamp of Pirelli’s Diablo sport tire series. (Pirelli/)

One hundred and fifty years—that’s how long the company we now know as one of Italy’s premier tire manufacturers has been in existence. When Giovanni Pirelli founded his limited partnership back in 1872 to produce “elastic rubber items,” there weren’t even any true production motorcycles available to the public yet; Indian didn’t start turning out bikes until 1902, and Harley released its first production model in 1905. To its credit, the famed Italian brand hasn’t rested on its laurels, as evidenced by last year’s Diablo Rosso IV Corsa revamp. For its most recent update, Pirelli has released the fourth generation of Diablo Supercorsa rubber, which is now available to the public in two versions: the SP option, designed primarily for street use, and the SC version, available in various compounds for the track.

Pirelli has leveraged decades of World Superbike racing experience to develop its latest Diablo Supercorsa sport tires. (Pirelli/)

Pirelli’s first-generation Diablo Supercorsa SC grooved racing tires didn’t come into the scene until 2007, but the Supercorsa SCs went on to become the benchmark for the Supersport and Superstock categories, and Pirelli was awarded sole tire supplier status to the World Superbike Championship even earlier than that. In the consumer world, the Diablo Supercorsa SP has been selected as OEM equipment on some of the most desirable supersport and hyper-naked models currently available (looking at you, Ducati Panigale V4 and V4 S). With successive generations of Diablo Supercorsas continuing to push the technological envelope, the whole series became a success story, not just from a design standpoint, but also in terms of sales volume; since their debut more than 3.5 million Diablo Supercorsa tires have been sold worldwide.

Related: Supersport Bikes

The fourth generation of the Diablo Supercorsas represent a complete redesign of the previous-gen V3 tires. (Pirelli/)

Pirelli says both versions of the Diablo Supercorsa V4 tires (”V4″ signifies the fourth generation) are entirely new compared with the previous Supercorsa V3s, in terms of tread pattern, compounds, and profiles, and much of their development has been influenced by the brand’s involvement in the World Superbike Championship series.

On the competition side, the treaded Supercorsa SC V4 (“SC” is for “Special Compound”) targets professional and semi-professional riders, as well as trackday enthusiasts or riders who want extra performance without making big changes to their bike’s settings. The Supercorsa SC V4 improves on the Supercorsa V3 by offering the latest-generation compounds for better grip, as well as an improved structure with wider section structural cords for stability when exiting corners; it shares its structure and materials with Pirelli’s Diablo Superbike tires and is designed for use with specific tire pressures used at the track. The multi-radius tire profile, developed with lessons learned in the WSB series, is likewise tweaked to enhance rideability and stability at high speeds, whereas the slick shoulder area provides greater grip in corners. The front profile aims to improve handling by enticing riders to lean into corners earlier for quicker directional changes, with the rear following the same pattern and similar geometry to ensure synchronized performance. Pirelli also updated the tread pattern with what it calls “Flash evolution,” for smoother feedback at lean and better consistency.

The Supercorsa SC V4s are available in different compounds to suit various riding styles and conditions. (Pirelli/)

The Supercorsa SC V4 is available in three compounds for both the front and rear.

SC1 - Front: delivers maximum feel / Rear: offers performance at high temperatures with not very abrasive asphalt

SC2 - Front: offers maximum stability and consistency / Rear: good for consistent performance; ideal for low temperatures or extremely abrasive asphalt

SC3: Best choice for extended track sessions, but not intended for professional racing

use.

Suitable for both trackdays and canyon strafing, the Diablo Supercorsa SP V4 tire is the more street focused of the two. (Pirelli/)

The Diablo Supercorsa SP V4, on the other hand, caters more to spirited street riders (“SP” stands for “Sport Production”), but as you might expect, is designed to meet the mandated restrictions found on street-legal bikes—such as the speed index requirement (W). The SP tire is also less sensitive to temperature, and made to heat up more quickly while also offering more mileage thanks to its use of different compounds. Pirelli says it’s aiming the SP version at riders hooked on strafing apexes both on the track as well as in the canyons, which includes trackday rats looking to ride to the circuit and then turn laps without having to swap tires.

To achieve those fairly disparate goals, the Supercorsa SP V4 relies on dual compounds and the latest structure on both the front and the rear tire for maximum grip at lean and a better contact out of turns. Pirelli also says the tire is designed to offer longer-lasting mileage, though its profile and tread pattern is identical to that of the SC version, with the new “flash” pattern at the center broken up with a slick area for greater contact between rubber and road surface. What sets the Diablo Supercorsa SP V4 apart from Pirelli’s other hyper-sport-focused hoops, though, is its performance under various tire pressure scenarios. Pirelli says the tire bead is designed to provide maximum performance whether using higher on-road pressures or the decreased pressures needed for track sessions.

The Supercorsa SP V4 uses a dual compound layout in both the front and rear tire. (Pirelli/)

The Supercorsa SP V4 utilizes a dual compound arrangement both at the front and the rear. The front’s layout features a central and base compound paired with a second compound on the tire shoulders; the base compound, made entirely of silica, covers the entire profile of the tire and contacts the asphalt at the central section. The shoulder compound is the same as on the SC3 racing version, and uses 100 percent carbon black formulation.

The SP V4 rear tire brings a softer central compound (100 percent carbon black) and a wider side, but keeps the same base compound as the front, which Pirelli says is optimized to work in a broad range of temperatures. The compound on the tire shoulders is the same as is used up front (the SC3), for max grip on high-speed exits. The base compound, which is beneath the two compounds contacting the asphalt, is a 100 percent carbon black formulation.

What sets the SPs apart from other Pirelli hyper-sport hoops is their adaptability for both street and track. (Pirelli/)

With the release of the Diablo Supercorsa V4, Pirelli says it’s now finished its revamp of the fourth generation of the Diablo sport family which began in 2021 with Diablo Rosso IV. The 2023 Pirelli range now consists of the Diablo Supercorsa SC V4 track tire, the street-focused Diablo Supercorsa SP V4, the Diablo Rosso IV Corsa, and Diablo Rosso IV, with each tire set covered by patents developed by Pirelli in the World Superbike Championship. The difference between them lies in the type of use, desired performance on dry and wet asphalt, and in the mileage each one offers.

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