At the last Indy points event, I had a chance to test the P1 in truly wet conditions. I came prepared with two setups: the 295/345-19 Vitour P1 and a square 295-20 A052 setup. I ran with a co-driver, prior C-Mod national champion Nick Myers.
We started with a run on the P1 and while we generally felt alright about the performance, we then switched to the A052 for the second run. The difference was noticeable—the A052 had more grip, especially in braking and cornering. After a few more runs on the A052, we switched back to the P1 and found ourselves over a second off the pace. Too many variables to say with certainty exactly how far off, but there was no doubt which tire worked better in full wet in any case.
That said, it wasn’t all bad for the P1. Top raw and 2nd pax was on the P1, albeit in a much dryer heat. The previous day's event, completely in the dry, P1 occupied 1st 2nd and 3rd raw and pax.
Speaking strictly to the E-Ray’s performance, it was solid in the wet. Even though neither Nick nor I had a run where we really strung everything together, we were still the fastest raw in the wet and finished in the top 10 PAX for the event. Keep in mind, most drivers had the advantage of dry conditions, and only a GS Civic from our heat edged me out by a tenth on pax with Nick less than a tenth behind me.
In summary, while the P1 performed great in the previous weekend rain, I suspect much of that was down to the cars/drivers. Based on this wet event, the P1 might not be the best 200tw rain tire, but compared to some other options I have driven on, I would say certainly not the worst either.
