Latest news with #MichelinPilotSport4S
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
2024 Hyundai Elantra N at Lightning Lap 2025
From the March/April 2025 issue of Car and Driver. Class: LL1 | Base: $34,850 | As Tested: $35,320 Power and Weight: 276 hp • 3242 lb • 11.7 lb/hp Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S; 245/35ZR-19 (93Y) HN The Elantra N's appearance at VIR this year constitutes a Lightning Lap mulligan. When we had an Elantra N at the 2023 running of our track event, we rued that Hyundai hadn't sent a second set of tires, so we set its official time on well-worn rubber. We posited that a fresh set of running shoes would improve the N's lap time by more than a second. Hyundai took us up on our offer and sent another six-speed-manual version of its compact sports sedan, this time with the extra rubber needed to set the fastest possible lap. The 2024 N we drove is essentially the same as the 2022 model we ran last time but with a handful of minor updates aimed at making it more trackworthy, including urethane rear-suspension bushings, a revised front fascia claimed to improve engine and brake cooling, and new forged wheels that reduce unsprung mass by a claimed 33 pounds. As to that prediction, we were, um, close. The N's 3:06.4 lap time was 0.9 second quicker than before, with the added grip of the fresh rubber showing in Turn 1, where we recorded a peak of 0.97 g versus 0.95 for the older car. The N was quicker this year in all but the final sector and zipped 0.4 second quicker through Sectors 2 and 4, which zigzag through multiple lefts and rights. Its improved time came despite lower straight-line velocity—mysteriously, its 129.0-mph top speed was 4.9 mph down on the older N's. Oh, and to put its lap time into perspective, it's a half-second quicker than the 518-hp Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG we ran in 2011. Nothing about the Elantra's basic nature changed since we pushed its limits two years ago. It remains great fun to sling around VIR thanks to sharp steering, approachable handling limits, and strong brakes—as happy on the track as it is fun on the street. Back to Lightning Lap 2025 You Might Also Like Car and Driver's 10 Best Cars through the Decades How to Buy or Lease a New Car Lightning Lap Legends: Chevrolet Camaro vs. Ford Mustang!
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Lucid and Pirelli Just Made the Air Sapphire Even Quicker
The all-electric Lucid Air Sapphire is one of the most ludicrous road cars ever offered for sale. The existing level of performance clearly hasn't satisfied the automaker, however, as Lucid has just rolled out a major upgrade for the car. For the first time, Air Sapphire customers will now have the chance to spec gummy Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS tires developed specifically for the 1234-horsepower EV. Despite the four-digit power output, the tri-motor Lucid Air Sapphire models come as standard with a regular set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires. We love the PS4S, but it wasn't exactly designed to maximize that sort of transparent grunt. During our 2025 Electric Performance Vehicle of the Year test, the 'mundane' rubber kept the Lucid from posting the fastest lap around the New York Safety Track: despite a 6.3-mph faster top speed on track (147.3 mph), the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT's 1:33.0 lap was 2.56 seconds faster than the Lucid. These new tires should help the American car close the delta. The tires were specifically developed between Lucid and Pirelli North America, with loads of on-track testing taking place throughout 2024. These included tests at California's Thunderhill Raceway, as well as sessions at Papenburg and the Nürburgring Nordschleife in Germany. Exactly the sort of places you'd want to test high-speed cornering grip. The new wheel and tire package, which includes a bespoke set of staggered forged aluminum wheel, will run customers $8250. Each tire can also be purchased individually, for $700 for fronts and $750 for rears. Lucid Service Centers will stock the stickier rubber, with deliveries and installation expected to begin April. We can't wait to get our hands on a Sapphire with the properly sticky rubber. The 'standard' example is already one of the most impressive vehicles I've experienced, and certainly among the quickest. That said, if you don't plan on tracking the super-sedan, you're probably just fine to save some cash and stick with the Michelins. You Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car
