CX/Gravel Tire Test: Goodyear XPLR Slick 40

The Goodyear XPLR Slick is a 'Goodyear designed for Zipp' tire and optimized for the 32 mm internal width Zipp 303 XPLR wheelset. The XPLR Slick is Goodyear's fastest gravel bike tire, and its semi-slick tread pattern fits situations where you need maximum speed. If you need more off-road grip, you can also pick the XPLR Inter, which follows the same design principles but has a more versatile tread pattern.

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We haven't tested a lot of Goodyear gravel bike tires yet, but the XPLR range looks promising as it uses some tech from Goodyear's latest Eagle F1 R range of road bike tires that perform strongly in our tests. The 120 TPI casing is complemented with Goodyear's UHP Dynamic compound, an advanced compound offering low rolling resistance and high grip levels.

With the XPLR series being designed for a 32 mm internal rim width, the true size of the tire is always an interesting aspect. The XPLR Slick is only available in the 40-622 size, but our measurements show that it's much smaller than "conventional" tires of the same size. We're quite sure it will be very close to 40 mm on the 32 mm rims, but if you're expecting a huge volume, you're out of luck with these tires.

Manufacturer Specifications

Manufacturer Specs
Brand	Goodyear
Model	XPLR Slick
Year	2024
Supplied By	Bought in store
New or Used	New
Mileage	0 km
Price Range	Very High
Buy At	Ad Amazon.com
Manufacturer part number	GR.027.40.622.VZ04.R
TPI	120
Compound	Dynamic UHP
Bead	Folding
ETRTO	40-622
Specified Weight	440 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi)	50
Made In	Members Only
Available Sizes	40-622 (700x40c)

Goodyear XPLR Slick 40 Test Results

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight	440 grams
Measured Weight	444 grams
Measured Width Casing	34 mm (un-round)
Measured Width Tread	35 mm
Measured Height	30 mm (un-round)
Measured Knob Height Center	0.0 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	1.5 mm
Measured Total Thickness Center (excluding knobs)	2.60 mm
Measured Total Thickness Sidewall	Members Only
All size measurements are taken at low air pressure on a 17.8 mm inner width rim.

Rolling Resistance Test Results

Rolling Resistance Test Results
Inner Tube	None (30 ml sealant)
Measured Width	34 mm
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 66 psi/4.6 bar 33-35 = 60 psi/4.1 bar 36-38 = 54 psi/3.7 bar 39-42 = 50 psi/3.4 bar 43-46 = 46 psi/3.2 bar 47-50 = 42 psi/2.9 barHigh Air Pressure (60 psi / 4.1 bar)	Members Only
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 55 psi/3.8 bar 33-35 = 50 psi/3.4 bar 36-38 = 45 psi/3.1 bar 39-42 = 42 psi/2.9 bar 43-46 = 38 psi/2.6 bar 47-50 = 35 psi/2.4 barMedium Air Pressure (50 psi / 3.4 bar)	Members Only
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 44 psi/3.0 bar 33-35 = 40 psi/2.8 bar 36-38 = 36 psi/2.6 bar 39-42 = 33 psi/2.3 bar 43-46 = 31 psi/2.1 bar 47-50 = 28 psi/1.9 barLow Air Pressure (40 psi / 2.8 bar)	18.4 Watts CRR: 0.00552
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 33 psi/2.3 bar 33-35 = 30 psi/2.1 bar 36-38 = 27 psi/1.9 bar 39-42 = 25 psi/1.7 bar 43-46 = 23 psi/1.6 bar 47-50 = 21 psi/1.4 barExtra Low Air Pressure (30 psi / 2.1 bar)	22.6 Watts CRR: 0.00677
The CX/Gravel section is a multi tire size section, air pressures have been adjusted to the measured casing width. All numbers are for a single tire at a speed of 29 km/h / 18 mph and a load of 42.5 kg / 94 lbs. Use the formula: RR (Watts) = CRR * speed (m/s) * load (N) to calculate rolling resistance at a given speed and load.

Puncture Resistance Test Results

Puncture Resistance Test Results (higher is better)
Total Puncture Score Tread	44 Points
Total Puncture Score Sidewall	Members Only
Tread Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Members Only
Tread Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Members Only
Tread Total Tire Thickness	2.60 mm
Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Members Only
Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Members Only
Sidewall Total Tire Thickness	Members Only

Hard Surface Static Grip Test Results

Static Grip Test Results
Wet Grip Average	79 Points
Wet Grip Center	Members Only
Wet Grip Edge	Members Only
Measured Knob Height Center	0.0 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	1.5 mm
Grip in points = coefficient of friction * 100 CX/Gravel grip test rim width = 23.0 mm
Wet Grip Test and Off-Road Tires (info)

Conclusion

When going for a tire that's optimized for use on your (expensive) high-performance wheels, it's critical that the tire's performance is as good as it gets. All the tire and wheel optimization will only be useful when the tire itself shows competitive performance when compared to the best-performing tires.

Luckily, the Goodyear XPLR Slick performs strongly in our tests and, from a pure performance point of view, doesn't leave anything on the table. Of course, you're still bound to only 2 tire choices when going for the XPLR series, which makes the tire choice optimization more challenging as the tires have to fit your exact needs for the potential optimizations to pay off.

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RATING: 4.5 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Highly Recommended

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