Team VitourP1.com at Gridlife Gingerman – P1 vs A052 Tire Showdown

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At Gridlife Gingerman, we had the chance to push the limits of both the Vitour P1 and the Yokohama A052 on the C8 Stingray Z51. Having done countless laps at Gingerman, it's a home track for me, but it was Justin’s first time. He spent most of Day 1 getting familiar with the car and the track, but by Day 2, he had it dialed in.

Tire & Car Setup:

• Tires Tested:
  • 295/315 A052
  • 295/345 Vitour P1
• Wheels: 18x10 (front) and 18x12 (rear)
• Car: C8 Stingray Z51 with 5VM/factory aero, AFE front sway bar, otherwise stock.

Day 1:

• Morning Session:
  • A052: 1:39.0 (Dallas)
  • P1: 1:38.7 (Dallas)
    Watch the lap

Day 2:

• First Session:
  The best conditions of the event. I went out on the A052s, but I had the PTM/TC settings wrong, which botched the first good lap. I corrected it for the second lap, but the A052s fell off quickly, and I couldn’t improve on my 1:39.0 from Day 1.

  I gave Justin the heads-up to avoid the same mistake, and on his second lap with the P1s, he pulled off a 1:38.4, edging me out by 0.3 seconds.

  • P1: 1:38.4 (Justin) – First lap: 1:39.2
    Watch the lap

• Second Session (Early Afternoon):

  • P1: 1:38.7 (Dallas)
    Watch the lap
  • A052: 1:39.0 (Justin)

Tire Comparison:

• Wear Rate:
  The difference in wear between the P1 and A052 is significant. I had to replace a rear A052 due to wear prior to this event, while the P1s have seen far more laps and still look like they can handle much more. The P1 offers a lot more longevity.

• Driving Feel:
  I found the Vitour P1 easier to drive on because of the substantially better feedback at the limit. I ran 3-5 lap sessions with the P1 and never felt the tires go “sketchy.” They consistently felt good, even as the sessions went on. While there may have been some fall-off over longer stints, they never felt bad.

  The A052s, on the other hand, were a one-lap tire. You could try a second lap, but it was always noticeably slower, and by the third lap, it was a waste of time.

• Grip and Handling:
  The P1 provided similar peak grip to the A052, though I noticed a touch more understeer due to the larger tire sizes.

Final Results:

The 1:38.7 lap on the P1 was enough to secure 2nd place in the unlimited class. Unfortunately, the PDR had some errors, and I wasn’t the best at remembering to turn it on, so I’m unsure if one of the 1:39 A052 laps was recorded.

Overall, the Vitour P1 not only matched the A052 in pace but also offered better longevity and heat tolerance, making it a more reliable choice for extended track sessions.