Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa - Product Evalution

Street tread that’s track-ready.

Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa - Product Evalution

Pirelli's marketing team is on a roll. Sales of the Angel ST introduced last year have been exceptional, with feedback from customers indicating that the haloed figure molded into the tread positively influenced their decision to purchase these new sport-touring radials. Apparently, it's not enough to simply introduce tires with enhanced performance if you hope to stand out amongst the other offerings currently populating dealer tire racks.

So, what's next, a Diablo sporting a pentagram? Don't laugh; using Pirelli's three-step online "MyTyre" process, buyers of new Rosso Corsas can create personalized decals based on three templates--circuit, logo or flag--and apply them to the recessed spaces on the sidewalls of these DOT-approved radials. Content is restricted to the software's Bible-Belt vocabulary, and the number of characters is limited to fewer than a Twitter post. Cost for six labels is $10.

Pirelli's Three Zone Compound found on the Diablo Rosso Corsa rear tire features a durable center tread and World Superbike-developed shoulder compound.

Positioned as a "hypersport" replacement for the Diablo Corsa III, the steel-belted single-compound front and dual-compound rear Rossos are intended for both road and track-day use. From a design standpoint, Pirelli placed an emphasis on cold and wet grip, along with extended mileage, as opposed to the all-out dry performance of, say, a dedicated supersport race tire.

The world press launch for the Diablo Rosso Corsa was staged at the Assen Circuit in Holland following the fourth round of the World Superbike series, for which Pirelli is the spec tire provider. Road Test Editor Don Canet had the opportunity to sample several sets of Rosso Corsas on a variety of late-model, liter-class sportbikes from Aprilia, BMW, Honda, KTM and Yamaha.

While Canet admitted that he wasn't thinking about the nearly two dozen patents at play beneath him, he quickly came to trust the neutral steering, excellent stability and high level of grip offered by the Rosso Corsas while he railed around the technical circuit at a footpeg-scraping pace.

Canet further reported that the combination of race-developed construction and public-road-friendly compounding agreed with each and every bike he tested, from the RSV4, S1000RR and CBR1000RR to the RC8 and YZF-R1, regardless of engine configuration or chassis setup. Even with a light spackling of raindrops blanketing the track late in the day, he continued to hot-lap with confidence and ease.

While sidewall personalization may attract the attention of the Facebook generation, the Rosso Corsa's silica- and carbon-black-enriched rubber recipe is far more inspirational in actual on-road use. MyTyre is a good choice for your sportbike.

DETAILS

**Pirelli Tire North America

100 Pirelli Dr.

Rome, GA 30161

706/368-5427

Price...$454-$531 per set**

Ups

  • Street-wise, track-savvy performance

  • World Superbike pedigree

  • Cool, custom sidewall "tattoo"

Downs

  • MyTyre sidewall customizing costs extra

  • Why does a 190/55-17 retail for $68 more than a 180/55-17?

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