Michelin Track Connect
Geeky, yes. But also savings in my Cup 2 costs — at least it was my objective. Bought new tires:
Front: Michelin Pilot Sport CUP 2 255/35 ZR19 96Y XL, Connect
Rear Michelin Pilot Sport CUP 2 275/35 ZR19 100Y XL, Connect
And bought also 4 sensors plus main unit and downloaded MICHELIN Track Connect app. Notice, I have ZCP 19" BMW Style 359 Competition Package Wheel Set.
Installation
Tire mounting was done by a Michelin approved specialist. One has to be careful mounting tires, to avoid braking the sensors. Sensor direction is also important.
Head unit installation and sensor pairing is straightforward. I used method #2. Select tire from app, deflate this tire about 10 sec. Sensor senses the pressure loss and pairs this tire with head unit. Repeat for the rest 3 tires. I found it comfortable to have mobile phone on me, while deflating — it shows when sensor is successfully paired. Head unit is in the center storage box, connected to USB power connector.
On the track
Track Connect has two modes for track: warm-up mode and racing mode. Warm-up mode shows only tire temperatures. I made three 3,5 km laps to warm tires initially and Track Connect suggested how much I have to release pressure from each tire.
In race mode, you can easily follow, are you in the optimal pressure and temperature zone. Display is uncluttered and all zones are color coded. Green is good. Pretty straightforward to follow. In practice it shows that in the beginning of the session your pressures are too low and you have to keep warming the tires up, before pushing hard. Later you can see, if you are overheating the tires and have to release more pressure or to cool down.
After the session you’ll get additional adjustment values and detailed data about pressure and temperature changes during the session.
It even reminds you, that these corrections are valid, if you will continue racing in 30 minutes.
One may notice, that track turns contra-clockwise — outer side tires get more load.
All in all, Track Connect gives you confidence, that tires are in optimal working regime. But I like to know, that I don’t wear them prematurely due to incorrect pressures or overheating even one tire.
