Earlier this year, I competed in the SCCA Time Trial National Tour in Vegas, and things got off to a rough start. During the first session, I experienced an ABS failure, which flat-spotted my front tires, leaving us in a tough spot without any spares.
Luckily, we managed to source a set of Vitour P1 tires and a replacement ABS module, which were delivered directly to the track. After installing the new tires and ABS module, the car ran flawlessly for the rest of the event. My co-driver, Austin, and I really put the P1s through their paces with back-to-back 20-minute sessions, and they performed like champs. This was my first time running them on track, although I had already used them extensively in autocross, where they also performed well.
Comparing the new 245/17 Vitour P1s to the old, flat-spotted 255/17 Yokohama A052s I had originally brought, the P1s had noticeably more grip. Based on my experience with both tires in autocross, I’d say that if they were both new, the lap times would have been quite similar.
One thing that stood out about the P1 was its ability to provide more "flyer" laps compared to the A052. My co-driver set his best lap on his first one, while I didn’t, but we both found that the P1s performed exceptionally well for the first 4-5 laps before the grip started to taper off as they got hotter. Even when the tires were hot, the grip remained solid and reliable.
While we hadn’t planned on doing a tire test at the event, we did collect some useful data. I took photos of the tires throughout the event to document wear from the back-to-back sessions, and we also tracked our times using our phones. Our target pressures were 30-33 psi hot, and the alignment was set at around -3.6 front, -2.6 rear, with zero toe front and rear. For reference, the car is a basic shocks/diff/wheels/tires setup—no aero—on a Mazda RX-8 weighing in at around 2900 lbs and pushing 200whp.
I had already put a lot of time into testing the P1s as an early adopter over the past year and was already a fan of the tire. My experience at the Vegas event only reinforced that belief.
If you’re interested in trying the P1 for yourself, head to vitourp1.com Give them a try—I think you’ll be impressed!
