Bald Used vs. New Vitour P1 Tire Test @ GRIDLIFE Road America

October 2, 2024

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Recently, we ran a test at GRIDLIFE Road America comparing extremely used (~45 sessions / ~9 days) Vitour Tempesta P1s against a brand-new set on a mostly stock C8 Corvette Stingray. Here are the results:

First A/B Test:

Used tires: Session 1 (P1), New tires: Session 2 (P2)
Conditions: 77°F, clear/sunny
Results: The new tires were faster by only 0.2 seconds over 2 1/2 minutes, with flying laps and no traffic on lap #2 for both sessions.
Conclusion: Minimal difference in performance or feel between new and used tires.

Second A/B Test:

New tires: Session 3 (Q1) - Fastest lap: 2:31.421 (in-car), 2:31.435 (transponder)
Watch the lap
Used tires: Session 4 (Q2) - Fastest lap: 2:31.461 (in-car), 2:31.626 (transponder)
Watch the lap
Conclusion: Once again, performance was nearly identical.

Final Qualifying Session (Q3):

Conditions: Late afternoon, 80°F, hot and muggy.
Used tires: Fastest lap #1: 2:30.326 (in-car), 2:30.412 (transponder)
Watch the lap
Conclusion: The used tires performed incredibly well, delivering a strong flyer lap.

Sunday Morning Last Dash Session:

Conditions: Cooler, low-to-mid 70s, overcast.
New tires: Fastest lap: 2:29.423 (in-car), 2:29.534 (transponder)
Watch the lap
Conclusion: The cooler conditions likely contributed to the improvement. Mike also ran faster during this session on the same tires he had been using all weekend.

Summary:

The performance difference between used and new Vitour P1s is negligible, even after 45+ sessions and nearly 10 days of hard driving. The P1s show no visible cords and continue to perform fast without cycling out!

Additional Results:

Mike Young (Stock C8Z on 295/345-19 Vitour P1s):
- Session times: P2: 2:26.768, Q1: 2:27.071, Q2: 2:27.042, Q3: 2:27.422, LD: 2:25.041
Justin Peachey (Modified C6Z running 345/19 square):
- Best time: 2:17.96, 9th overall. Justin brought a set of A052s to test but didn’t end up using them because the P1s allowed him to run full sessions and learn the track (his first time at Road America).