The Diablo's in the detail: New Pirelli Supercorsa V4 brings track performance to the street

The Diablo Supercorsa tyres from Pirelli are catering for their sportiest customers with the fourth generation of this set of motorcycle tyres for both the street and the track – using a dual-compound design on the front for the first time.

The Italian firm claim the new Supercorsa V4, available in road-focused SP or trio of racier SC options, is the sportiest street and fastest treaded track tyre they have ever manufactured. But how have they done it?

The new front design employs a fresh avenue of thinking for the Italian maker and features a silica base-compound, which covers the entire profile of the tyre.

The shoulders of the Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa tyres are constructed from the same rubber as that used in the SC3 racing version. That allows riders to lean on the front end with confidence.

By comparison, the rear now has a softer central compound, and wider sides also made from the same SC3 rubber, but still maintains the same, underlying base-compound as the front. 

In addition to the dual compound on the front, both variants of V4 feature a different construction to the V3 predecessor as well as alterations to the profile, which has been directly taken from the Diablo Superbike slick and matches the other fourth-generation sports tyres in the Pirelli range.

Structurally, the track-centric SC is identical to the Diablo Superbike slick and differs from the old V3 with the use of wider section structural cords, made from numerous textile fibres braided together, with the aim of giving the tyre greater rigidity and improved shock absorption.

The SC is available in three compounds, SC1, SC2 and SC3 (basically soft, medium and hard), to suit different weather conditions, track surfaces and riding styles.

As their sportiest road tyre, the SP is structured differently dependant on the size of the tyre with the goal of fine-tuning performance in relation to the width and specific profile for that size, the proportions of the compounds used and the arrangement of the tread pattern.

The slick shoulders of the tyres add grip while cornering, while the bead construction on the SP allows it to operate at a relatively low pressure of 30PSI when hot on trackdays.

Additionally, the direction of Pirelli’s distinctive ‘flash’ tread pattern follows the flow of the lateral force generated by hard braking and accelerating and is said to give a more consistent performance with reduced warm-up times. Clever stuff!

Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa V4 in detail

As quick as lightning: The interrupted flash tread design improves water distribution, while the extended areas in between provide a larger impact area with the road.

Doubling up: In a first for Pirelli the front tyres of both the SC and SP versions are constructed with two rubber compounds to increase cornering performance alongside good road durability.

Appointed profile: The slightly pointed profile of the Diablo Supercorsa tyres give different radius profiles at different lean angles to maximise entry and exit speeds.

Street-legal track tyre: Pirelli say the idea behind the SC version was to give riders a trackday tyre they could legally ride to the circuit on.

Choose your weapon: The SC is available in three compounds: SC1 for maximum feeling at the front on abrasive surfaces, SC2 for maximum stability, to the race ready SC3 for extended trackdays.