It is difficult to deny Pirelli’s dominance in the Malaysian superbike tyre market, more so with the introduction of the Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa V4, in SC and SP compounds. While many sportsbike riders have gotten used to using SC compound tyres on the road, the difference is now distinct enough that Pirelli warns against using it thus.
But why the sudden division between the Supercorsa SC (Special Compound) and SP (Sport Production) tyres? First off, the SC, or Supercorsa SC V4 in its latest iteration, is a track use only tyre, while the SP is a dual-compound tyre for road use (though you can take it out on the track.)
To that end, Pirelli Asia invited paultan.org out to Sepang International Circuit to test the new Supercorsas, mounted on a pair of Honda CBR600RRs. The Supercorsas were mounted on two bikes set up almost identically, to allow for easy back-to-back comparisons.
Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa V4 SC (left), and Supercorsa V4 SP
We took the SP equipped track bike out first, to see what differences there were between this and the (extremely large number of) previous generation Supercorsa SPs we’d ridden over the years. First off, we noticed warm up was quick, with no tyre warmers installed.
For a street oriented sports tyre, the Supercorsa SP is, as mentioned earlier, constructed from two compounds. The centre of the tyre has a rubber compound designed for wear resistance and consistent grip, while the edges are made from a softer rubber mix giving exceptional grip when the motorcycle is leaned over.
In terms of feedback, it was noted the Supercorsa V4 SP gave better response to the rider, especially from the front tyre. Pulling in after four laps, a request was made to change tyre pressures front and rear, going up two p.s.i. from the 30 front/28 rear we set out with.
Heading out, there was a marked improvement in turn in and response, allowing the CBR600RR to stay with and occasionally overtake the 1000 cc super bikes in the corners (although all bets were off in the straights.) Performance stayed consistent throughout the session and though we would have liked to really take the SPs to the end just to see what it would feel like when performance dropped off, time did not permit.
Changing over to the Supercorsa V4 SC, it was immediately noted the sidewall flex was a little less compared to the Supercorsa V3 SC. We guess it was inevitable, with Pirelli’s participation in the World Superbike Championship, that its production “race” tyre would become even more race focused.
Here’s the thing, if you mount the Supercorsa V4 SC on your road bike, then ride it on the road, any shortcomings in your suspension setup are going to become readily apparent. This is an unforgiving tyre meant for race use, and if you do take this up Goh Tong or Bukit Tinggi, you do it at your own risk.
Out on the track, the V4 SC shows its pedigree, it being a very focused, single compound, race tyre. The tyre is very quick on the turn into corners, and doing the flip-flop when changing direction in turns four, five and six showed no hesitation and instability.
Close to the edge, the SC tyre is composed, and in the words of C Y Khoo, who races for Mobilub Suzuki Racing Team on a Suzuki GSX-R1000, this is good enough for, “a few seconds gained, especially in the back half (South Track) of Sepang.” Again, we were not able to determine tyre life as we only had a couple of sessions out on the track, something which will call for more track time and tyres.
So, at the end of the day’s testing, a couple of points were apparent. The Supercorsa SP, while a good performance tyre and can be used on the track, is best suited for sporty road riding, this being something your wallet will thank you for.
The Supercorsa SC is intended only for track use, and in conjunction with tyre warmers. On the track, the SCs are sublime and rewards the rider with a good suspension setup and smooth riding style.
