Pirelli has overhauled their premium year-round highway bike tire with the brand new tube-type P Zero Race 4S clincher, the primary of many tires to come back that they’re making totally in Italy. We had the prospect to get in a few highway rides on the up to date tire, and it appears to strike a fast-rolling steadiness between the racier P Zero Race however with additional sturdiness and a longer-wearing tread.
Pirelli P Zero Race 4S tires, made-in-Italy
driving photographs by Roo Fowler, c. Bike Connection Company
Only a week in the past Pirelli shared the information of their new Italian bicycle tire manufacturing functionality at their fully revamped, now hi-tech manufacturing facility simply up the highway from their Milan, Italy HQ. And the primary product out of the robotic meeting line is that this clincher Race 4S four-season tire.
We’re advised that new equipment remains to be being put in and arrange within the plant, so tube-type tires have been the primary to come back off the road. However TLR tubeless tires might be made within the new manufacturing facility quickly, as effectively. They’re additionally beginning with highway tires, however the entire Race stage tires will ultimately transfer manufacturing to Italy, each on-road & off-road.
What’s new?
On the skin, the brand new Race 4S appears fairly much like the unique P Zero Velo 4S tire that we noticed when Pirelli returned to biking tires 5 years in the past, simply with a tweaked shoulder sipe association. However inside, Pirelli fully redeveloped the tire to pair higher summer season efficiency with the already good winter efficiency. The shift in focus makes the brand new Race 4S much less of a winter tire like its predecessor, and extra of a real ‘set it and overlook it‘ tire for driving year-round.
To try this, the tire will get the very same tender but fast-rolling SmartEvo rubber compound as the usual P Zero Tempo, simply with about 2mm thicker rubber so it should put on longer. To make that work effectively within the winter, the bigger sipes / tread grooves minimize into the shoulders create extra flex within the rubber as you lean, heating up the rubber for improved grip, whereas additionally higher adapting to contact the highway.
The 120tpi tire additionally strikes to a extra versatile nylon puncture safety belt that helps the thicker tire casing keep versatile for low rolling resistance and higher grip in all climate.
The brand new tire can be tailored to wider trendy rims, but the clincher doesn’t go fairly as broad as tubeless variations. Obtainable now in 26 (240g) & 28mm (260g claimed) widths designed for a 19mm inside hooked rim, Pirelli additionally gives very useful charts on their web site and the tire’s packaging telling the actual anticipated widths on numerous rims. The 28s I’ve been driving differ from 27mm on a 17c rim, as much as 31mm on a 25c rim.
The brand new Pirelli P Zero Race 4S tire is offered now for $85 / 70€ as a clincher solely. A 30mm model is coming quickly. And as much as 32mm TLR tubeless variations are within the pipeline for supply this summer season.
First Driving Impressions
The brand new Pirelli P Zero Race 4S feels as quick as the usual P Zero Race now that it shares the identical rubber compound. And the extra aggressive sipes on the 4S shoulder promise quicker heat-up of the tire when you begin cornering which actually ought to assist grip in chilly climate (or chilly surfaces) highway driving. These sipes additionally do a superb job of serving to the rubber adhere to irregular highway surfaces.
Driving the brand new 28mm tires (which measured true to dimension on a 19mm inside rim), they undoubtedly carried out finest with decrease pressures within the 75-85psi vary for me (an 80kg rider). At these low pressures (in comparison with Pirelli’s suggestions) they gave me loads of grip on quick, twisty descents, even with the occasional sand & grit washed throughout the highway. And with virtually double the tread thickness and a brand new puncture safety layer, they need to maintain up higher than the usual Race tire whereas driving year-round.
We don’t have too many driving pictures to share of the brand new tires, as they have been mounted to a brand new Italian highway bike that gained’t be launched till later this yr. However suffice it to say that the brand new tires appear to carry out as Pirelli describes them – a pleasant steadiness of fast-rolling & good cornering grip in a variety of temperatures outdoors, and so they promise to be additional long-wearing and sturdy.
Now, I’ll simply be ready for these wider tubeless variations to roll off the Italian manufacturing line…
