METZELER Tyre RACETEC SM K2 165/55 R 17 NHS TL

NHS competition tyres for professional supermoto racing

Racetec™ line tyre specialised for supermoto. Advanced racing compounds and profile for the most effective straight and sideways riding

Front compounds

RACETEC™ SM compounds are differentiated between front and rear tyres.
Fronts are 100% silica compound with a reduced porosity, capable to ensure fast warm up and self-cleaning properties when riding in the off-road section of the track.
RACETEC™ SM can be used also without tyre warmers.
RACETEC™ SM front tyre compound choice should be based on asphalt friction coefficient (high severity/friction and low severity/friction, depending on the circuit or road race) and asphalt temperature (with the threshold being around 25°/30° degree).

Rear compounds

RACETEC™ SM compounds are differentiated between front and rear tyres.
Rears compounds feature an enhanced thermal stability to keep under control the overheating effect triggered by drifting in shoulder area.
RACETEC™ SM can be used also without tyre warmers.
RACETEC™ SM rear tyre compound choice should be based on asphalt friction coefficient (high severity/friction and low severity/friction, depending on the circuit or road race) and asphalt temperature (with the threshold being around 25°/30° degree).

Neutral handling and trajectory precision

RACETEC™ SM is the sole supermoto tyre adopting 0° radial steel belt both on front and rear tyres, coupled with a lightweight carcass to promote ease of handling and trajectory holding.
The result is a stable tyre that distributes forces uniformly to the contact surface.
RACETEC™ SM fronts feature a large central diameter which leads to a wide contact patch that enables a more efficient braking and the possibility to keep braking into corners. The thick lateral section provides enhanced dampening properties for off-road sections and prevents chattering on on-road sections.
Rear profile is obtained through the multiple radius contour technology, which deliver different behaviors at different lean angles. The crown and shoulders feature a sharper radius for faster and precise handling (crown) and greater cornering stability (shoulder).

Predictable drift

RACETEC™ SM enables a predictable rear drift, ensuring ease of control in each cornering phase.
The concept of predictable drift derives from the supermoto cornering technique that may be explained as follows: 

• At turn in, when braking and downshifting, the whole weight is transferred to front axle. While the front tyre enhances braking efficiency and trajectory precision. Thanks to the wide profile and 0° steel belt, the rear is almost completely unloaded and the sharp center portion of the profile enables the rider to trigger the rear-end drift
• In the mid-point of the curve, during the lean and with balanced throttle, the weight of the motorcycle is equally split on both tyres. In this context, the combination of the rear wide profile with the specific compound enables the rider to control the drift phase
• At turn out, with full throttle, the load is entirely transferred to rear tyre where sidewall structure deforms to stretch the contact patch to the maximum design value, ending the drifting phase and engaging maximum grip and traction