Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa V4 Tires (Updated)

Cycle News Staff | January 19, 2023

Pirelli’s fourth generation of the Diablo Supercorsa tire are now available in dealers. The new Diablo Supercorsa V4 tires are the result of 20+ years of experience in the FIM World Superbike Championship, with more than 3.5 million of them sold since 2007. There are two versions of the Diablo Supercorsa V4: the SC “Special Compound” version, available in three different compounds, is ideal for using on the tack, and the SP “Sport Production” is a street-legal tire that is made for using on both the racetrack and the street.

Here is detailed information from Pirelli’s press release:

Milan (January 2023) – Pirelli illustrates the fourth generation of Diablo Supercorsa tires in detail, announced in September and now available to the general public for purchase from January, both in the SP version, designed primarily for street use, and in the SC version, available in various compounds for track use.

Diablo Supercorsa V4 (this is the full name, where V4 stands for the fourth series) is an entirely new product compared with its predecessor, the Diablo Supercorsa V3, in terms of tread pattern, compounds, structures, and profiles. Both in the SC racing version and in the SP race replica version, Diablo Supercorsa is the highest embodiment of Pirelli’s sporting DNA thanks to its extremely high and sporty performance or, to sum up in one word: speed.

DIABLO Supercorsa SC V4 — **Diablo Supercorsa SC V4**

The Pinnacle of Pirellis Sportiness on the Street in its Fourth Generation

From 2002, the year the first Diablo tire was born, the line of products which bear this name has identified Pirelli’s motorcycle sport tires, continuing the success story which began in the ’70s, marked by exciting names such as Mandrake, Phantom, Gordon, Demon, and Dragon. With the Diablo family, Pirelli revolutionized global street tire paradigms, creating a proper brand, enriched year after year by technological innovations and the experience gained in the FIM World Superbike Championship, where Pirelli has been sole tire supplier since 2004.

After introducing the Diablo Superbike tires in 2005, slicks exclusively for track use designed for the Superbike category, in 2007, Pirelli launched the first generation of Diablo Supercorsa SC grooved racing tires, followed by the SP street version in 2008. Diablo Supercorsa SC became the absolute benchmark for the Supersport and Superstock categories, both in the world and national championships and even now it is the standard for those championships that still use treaded tires. In the same way, over the years, Diablo Supercorsa SP has been selected as OEM equipment on the most prestigious supersport and hypernaked bikes. The second generation of Diablo Supercorsa, presented in 2012, was then followed by the third in 2018, and now the fourth continues the path of technological excellence begun three decades ago.

One Soul, Two Products: SC and SP, From the Track to the Street

When Pirelli decided to make the first Diablo Supercorsa in 2007, they did so with a rather specific idea and goal. The idea was to make a racing tire respecting the basic philosophy of the World Superbike Championship, namely the bond with normal production, so not a prototype tire, but a product that can be used by both professional riders and normal motorcyclists. The goal is to take advantage of the top category in the production derived world series not only as a showcase to give the brand visibility but also as a laboratory to develop, with some of the best riders in the world and the most prestigious manufacturers, advanced technological solutions and tires not for exclusive use by the world championship riders, but also for everyday use. And it is precisely with Diablo Supercorsa that the motto dear to Pirelli’s heart was born, “We sell what we race, we race what we sell”, indicating how the very same tires used by professional riders in races can be purchased by any motorcyclist.

This is why, from the beginning, Diablo Supercorsa was developed as a single project but in two forms: the SC track tire in various compounds and its SP street version, both in standard production available for purchase on the market in order to meet not only the needs of track riders, but also sport street riding enthusiasts.

Over the years, Diablo Supercorsa SP has become the supersport tire of choice for all high-performance bike owners who want an uncompromising street riding experience, thanks to extremely high levels of grip and performance. But above all, as of today, it remains the best and most immediate example of the technological transfer from track to road of Pirelli tires, since it shares with the ‘SC’ the tread pattern, profiles, and many materials and technologies used in terms of structure, in addition to one of the two compounds it uses (the SC3).

Concentration of Technology, Performance and Safety Born in Superbike

Diablo Supercorsa, in both the SC and the SP versions, is a true concentration of technology capable of providing high performance combined with the highest safety standards thanks to the ability to interact and collaborate closely with the most modern and sophisticated riding assistance systems. It is the result of twenty years of studies, development, and testing of solutions by Pirelli in the FIM World Superbike Championship. It is a tire that was also designed with input from former world champions and developed with the support of all the manufacturers and teams that participate in the most important competition for factory derivative bikes.

Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SC V4

Diablo Supercorsa SC V4, where the abbreviation SC stands for “Special Compound”, is the best and fastest treaded track tire ever made by Pirelli. Thanks to the various compounds it is available in, Diablo Supercorsa SC V4 is intended for use by both professional and semi-professional riders, as well as by those who are simply trackday enthusiasts or riders just starting out in their careers who want to improve performance without making changes to the settings on their bikes.

Compared with its V3 predecessor, these are the features and relative benefits for the riders that Diablo Supercorsa SC V4 has to offer:

Latest-generation compounds for outstanding performance and grip
Racing structure for better support coming out of corners
Racing profiles to the advantage of rideability, line holding, and stability at high speeds
Tread pattern with patented Flash evolution for smoother power on leans and improved consistency of performance

Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP V4

In the same way, Diablo Supercorsa SP V4, where the abbreviation SP stands for “Sport Production”, is the sportiest tire ever for street use in the Diablo family. Compared with the SC version, Diablo Supercorsa SP complies with all the regulatory restrictions of the vehicles it can equip—such as, for example, the speed index requirement (W)—and it is less sensitive to temperature, as well as heating up more quickly and providing more mileage due to the compounds. This tire is intended for riders who love sport riding not only on the track but on the road as well. This undoubtedly includes owners of supersport street bikes from which the World Superbike Championship bikes are derived, but also track day enthusiasts who want a street legal tire so they can ride to the circuit instead of having to load the bike on a trailer and one that will also let them turn laps on the track without having to swap out tires.

Diablo Supercorsa SP V4 ensures significant benefits for riders:

Dual compound on both the front and the rear for maximum grip in leans and outstanding thrust coming out of turns, but also adequate mileage.
Latest-generation structures that work in unison with the compounds for optimum performance both on the road and on the track by simply adjusting the pressure.
Profiles, identical to those of the SC version which ensure a simple ride and maximum reactivity.
Tread pattern identical to that of the SC with the new flash pattern interrupted at the center with a slick area for smoother thrust at any lean angle and more consistent performance.

Both versions share the tread pattern, the profiles, the compounds in part, and some technological solutions in terms of structure.

Tread pattern

The interrupted FLASH design improves water displacement and the area of contact surface with the ground.
The slick section where the pattern is interrupted has an impact on the rigidity of the tread, reducing risks of groove deformation, and ensures better thrust at any lean angle.
The direction of the flash pattern on the tread follows the direction of the lateral force experienced in track riding, ensuring more even and consistent performance along with reduced warm-up time.
The first area of the shoulder without grooves guarantees greater contact between rubber and road surface both halfway and all the way into a lean in order to ensure greater grip on turns
The completely slick external area of the shoulder improves thrust at extreme angles Profiles
The same racing profiles, developed in the World Superbike Championship, of the Diablo Superbike slick tire and the other fourth generation hypersport tires in the Pirelli range.
Multi-radius profiles for abrupt direction changes, whereas the slick shoulder area provides high grip and outstanding line holding on corners.
The profile of the front improves handling, enticing the rider to lean into corners earlier, facilitating quick direction changes. It also provides exceptional stability thanks to the extended contact area in the leaning stage.
The rear follows the same pattern and similar geometry to the front in order to ensure synchronized performance of the set.
In the Diablo™ Supercorsa SP V4, the tire bead is designed to provide maximum performance both with tire pressure on the road and with track use pressure (2.3 Bar front/2.1 Bar rear with hot tires). It is precisely the possibility of decreasing tire pressure for track sessions that sets Diablo Supercorsa SP V4 clearly apart from the other tires in the Pirelli hypersport range.

Structure

The SC version shares with the Diablo™ Superbike slick both structure and material which are able to ensure top performance and greater ease of riding with the use of specific pressures for the track.
Compared with its V3 predecessor, the new V4 uses new materials, such as wider section structural cords made up of a high number of textile fibers braided together to give the tire greater rigidity combined with better shock-absorbing capabilities.
In the SP version, each size has its own structure, fine-tuned for optimum performance in combination with the width of the specific profile for that size, the proportions of the compound and the arrangement of the tread pattern. Additionally, the structure of the SP is optimized for street use, so also for long distances in a straight line on motorways.

Compounds

Diablo Supercorsa SC V4 is available in three compounds for both the front and rear:

SC1 – Front: maximum feeling / Rear: top performance with high temperatures and not very abrasive asphalt
SC2 – Front: maximum stability and consistency / Rear: consistent performance and ideal for low temperatures or extremely abrasive asphalt
SC3 – The race-for-fun choice for extended track sessions, but not intended for professional racing use

Diablo Supercorsa SP V4 is dual compound both at the front and the rear.

Front:

The first Diablo Supercorsa tire to adopt two compounds at the front.
Layout with a central and base compound paired with a second compound on the tire shoulders.
The base compound, which covers the entire profile of the tire and emerges coming into contact with the asphalt at the central section, is full-silica and extremely versatile, providing thermal stability and ensures consistent performance in both cold and hot temperatures.
The compound of the shoulders is the same one used in the SC3 racing version, in 100% carbon black formulation, and it is capable of ensuring outstanding handling and maximum grip even at full lean.

Rear:

Compared with the front, this has a softer central compound and a wider side, but still maintaining the same base compound of the front in support of the two compounds in contact with the asphalt.
The central compound is 100% carbon black and optimized to work effectively in a broad range of temperatures because it provides grip and quick heating in various conditions. Additionally, it ensures stability at high speeds and resistance.
The compound used on the shoulders is the same as the one used on the front, so SC3, for maximum power coming out of corners.
The base compound, which is beneath the two compounds that are in contact with the asphalt, has a 100% Carbon Black formulation and was designed to work in the best possible way with the other two compounds, providing thermal stability and a better feeling for the rider.

More details on available sizes of Diablo Supercorsa SC and SP V4 are available on the Pirelli.com website at the following links:

The following is a press release from Pirelli….

The new product, both in SP race replica and SC compound versions, is in the final stages of development and testing, to be on sale from the beginning of 2023.

Milan (September 12, 2022) – The fourth generation of Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa tires, both in the SP racing street version and SC option (available in different compounds and designed for track use), is successfully completing final stages of development and testing and it will be available to the public from the start of 2023.

Compared to its predecessor, the Diablo Supercorsa V4 (V4 indicates the fourth generation) is a completely renewed product in terms of tread design, compounds, structures and profiles. Diablo Supercorsa, both in the racing and in the race replica version, is a tire homologated for road use and has always been an emblem of pure performance and absolute sportiness, in other words ‘speed’.

Diablo Supercorsa was born thanks to the experience of Pirelli in the FIM Superbike World Championship, which since 2004 has partnered with the Italian tire company as its sole supplier. After having launched in 2005 the Diablo Superbike slick tire for exclusive use on the track and designed for the maximum competition of derived from the series, in 2007 Pirelli presented the racing tire Diablo Supercorsa SC, which was followed in 2008 by the SP (Sport Production). Over the years, in its SC compound version, Diablo Supercorsa has become the absolute reference of the Supersport and Superstock classes not only worldwide but also for many national championships and still represents the standard for those competitions that still use treaded tires.

Diablo Supercorsa has not only marked a turning point for professional riders: with the SP version, it has represented a revolution in the world of road tires for motorcycles. It created a new segment, that of the racing-derived hypersport tires designed to equip the most prestigious and powerful supersports bikes in the world, the same bikes seen in action in the Superbike World Championship. Over time, and with the evolution of two-wheels that have seen the birth of hypernaked increasingly high-performance and similar to the faired ‘cousins’, Diablo Supercorsa SP has become the reference supersport tire for all those owners of motorcycles with high performance, who want an uncompromising riding experience on the road, thanks to the highest level of grip and performance.

It is precisely with Diablo Supercorsa that the Pirelli’s motto “We sell what we race, we race what we sell” was born, to indicate how the same tires used by professional riders can be purchased by all motorcyclists. To date, Diablo Supercorsa SP remains the best and most direct example of technological transfer from the track to the road among Pirelli tires, since it shares the profiles and many materials and technologies used for the structure with the SC version. But unlike the SC version, which uses full racing compounds, the SP adopts a dual compound solution, with a racing compound on the shoulders and a road compound in the central band, to meet road requirements and ensure adequate mileage.

The SC version, available in different compounds designed to adapt to different asphalt conditions and temperatures, remains the first choice for professional, semi-professional or trackday enthusiasts who want a treaded tire capable of offering maximum performance on the track.

With Diablo Supercorsa V4, Pirelli completes the renewal process of the fourth generation of the Diablo sports range, which began in 2021 with the Diablo Rosso IV and continued in 2022 with the Diablo Rosso IV Corsa.

Read the Cycle News Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV Corsa Tire Review

For more information, visit www.pirelli.com/tires