CX/Gravel Tire Test: Hutchinson Caracal Race TLR 40

The Caracal Race is a new gravel bike tire from Hutchinson, and they claim it's the fastest gravel tire on the market. Hutchinson borrowed the SwiftEasy casing and Mach Tread 3.0 compound from their latest road bike tires, and together with the semi-slick tread pattern, the Caracal Race at least has all the right ingredients to back up their claims.

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The Caracal Race is also part of Hutchsinon's "Racing Lab" range of tires, representing the tires offering their newest tire technology. Be aware that the Caracal Race should not be confused with the regular Caracal, as even though that tire comes with the same tread pattern, it's technically a completely different tire that uses a more conventional casing design and compound.

The semi-slick tread pattern looks fast and reminds us of some other semi-slick tires that come with a true slick center tread. The slick center tread on the Caracal is even a bit wider than what we're used to seeing, and it should behave like a slick tire when going in a straight line. The edge knobs are pretty low, but they look like they will grip well both on- and off-road.

Hutchinson has kept it simple as the Caracal Race is only available in the 40 mm size with brown sidewalls. We've tested it and can already tell you the Caracal Race is extremely fast..

Manufacturer Specifications

Manufacturer Specs
Brand	Hutchinson
Model	Caracal Race TLR
Year	2024
Supplied By	Bought in store
New or Used	New
Mileage	0 km
Price Range	High
Buy At	Ad Amazon.com
Manufacturer part number	PV532641
TPI	127
Compound	Mach Tread 3.0
Bead	Folding
ETRTO	40-622
Specified Weight	475 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi)	51
Made In	Members Only
Available Sizes	40-622 (700x40c)

Hutchinson Caracal Race TLR 40 Test Results

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight	475 grams
Measured Weight	464 grams
Measured Width Casing	40 mm (un-round)
Measured Width Tread	41 mm
Measured Height	37 mm (un-round)
Measured Knob Height Center	0.0 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	1.3 mm
Measured Total Thickness Center (excluding knobs)	2.30 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	40 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 (50 psi / 3.4 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 (42 psi / 2.9 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 (33 psi / 2.3 bar)	13.6 Watts CRR: 0.00408
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 (25 psi / 1.7 bar)	16.7 Watts CRR: 0.00501
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	37 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	2.30 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	1.3 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 we qualify gravel bike tires as tires that have an edge knob height of at least 1.0 mm, we can confirm Hutchinson's claims: the Caracal Race is the fastest gravel bike tire on the market. The Caracal Race rolls even faster than the slick 38 mm Schwalbe Pro One road bike tire, which is one of the fastest and most popular road bike tires.

Surprisingly, the low rolling resistance doesn't come at the cost of wet grip as the center grip in our hard surface wet grip test comes in near the top. The edge grip is a bit lower, but we see that more often on semi-slick tires where the knobs offer less grip on a hard surface than a slick tread.

Even the puncture resistance of the tread is decent, but the sidewalls aren't the strongest that you can find.

Hutchinson has delivered the fastest semi-slick gravel bike tire to date, and we're impressed by the overall performance of the Caracal Race.

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RATING: 5.0 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Highly Recommended

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