Road Bike Tire Test: Pirelli P Zero Race 4S 26
Contents and Test Summary
- Introduction
- Manufacturer Specifications
- Size, Weight, Thickness
- Rolling Resistance: 14.0 Watts
- Puncture Resistance: 50 Points
- Static Wet Grip: 73 Points
- Conclusion: 5.0 / 5 Highly Recommended
- Comments
- Pirelli P Zero Race 4S 26
(100% is best)
Choosing the right all-season / 4-season road bike tire can be hard as those concepts have different meanings in different parts of the world. We've seen some "all-season" tires that are totally optimized towards grip and some others that are bullet proof from a puncture resistance stand point. Pirelli's take on a 4-season tire seems different again and we consider the Pirelli P Zero Race 4S to be a "performance all-season" tire with an exceptionally low rolling resistance for an all-season tire.
The P Zero Race 4S replaces the P Zero Velo 4S (read our review) which was Pirelli's first try at a 4-season tire and we tested that tire back in 2017. As we've only introduced our wet grip test recently, we can't compare grip of the new and old versions but at least we'll be able to compare many other parts that should give a good indication of the changes.
We'll also compare it to the "regular" P Zero Race (read our review) and the P Zero Road (read our review) which were both released back in 2021, and together with the Race 4S, make up Pirelli's traditonal tube-type (clincher) road bike range. We're not aware yet of a TLR version of the 4S yet but given that tubeless road bike tires seem very popular these days, that would be a great addition.
The P Zero Race 4S is only available in the 26-622 and 28-622 sizes which seems a bit limited these days. We've tested the 26-622 version and we'll compare it to some of the most popular tube-type road bike tires.
Manufacturer Specifications
| Manufacturer Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Brand | Pirelli |
| Model | P Zero Race 4S |
| Year | 2022 |
| Tire Type | Tubetype (clincher) |
| Supplied By | Bought in store |
| New or Used | New |
| Mileage | 0 km |
| Price Range | High |
| Buy At | |
| Manufacturer part number | 4203200 |
| EAN | 8019227420326 |
| TPI | 120 |
| Compound | SmartEvo |
| Bead | Folding |
| ETRTO | 26-622 |
| Size Inch | 28" |
| Specified Width (mm) | 26 |
| Specified Weight | 240 grams |
| Max Air Pressure (psi) | 116 |
| Made In | Pro Data |
| Available Sizes |
26-622 (700x26c) 28-622 (700x28c) |
Pirelli P Zero Race 4S 26 Test Results
Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
| Size, Weight and Thickness Measurements | |
|---|---|
| Specified Weight | 240 grams |
| Measured Weight | 233 grams |
| System Adjusted Weight (tire + inner tube (100 gr) |
333 grams |
| Measured Width | 27 mm (un-round) |
| Measured Height | 24 mm (un-round) |
| Total Tire Thickness Center | 2.9 mm |
| Total Tire Thickness Sidewall | Pro Data |
| Unmounted Casing Width | 65 mm |
| Unmounted Tread Width | Pro Data |
| Tread Cover (Tread / Casing Ratio) | Pro Data |
| All size measurements are taken at an air pressure of 100 psi / 6.9 bars on a 17.8 mm inner width rim. | |
Rolling Resistance Test Results
| Rolling Resistance Test Results | |
|---|---|
| Inner Tube | Conti Race28 (100gr butyl) |
| Measured Width | 27 mm (un-round) |
| Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 22-24 = 132 psi/9.1 bar 25-27 = 120 psi/8.3 bar 28-29 = 108 psi/7.4 barUltra High Air Pressure (120 psi / 8.3 bar) |
Pro Data |
| Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 22-24 = 110 psi/7.6bar 25-27 = 100 psi/6.9 bar 28-29 = 90 psi/6.2 barExtra High Air Pressure (100 psi / 6.9 bar) |
Pro Data |
| Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 22-24 = 88 psi/6.1 bar 25-27 = 80 psi/5.5 bar 28-29 = 72 psi/5.0 barHigh Air Pressure (80 psi / 5.5 bar) |
14.0 Watts CRR: 0.00420 |
| Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 22-24 = 66 psi/4.6 bar 25-27 = 60 psi/4.1 bar 28-29 = 54 psi/3.7 barMedium Air Pressure (60 psi / 4.1 bar) |
Pro Data |
| The Road Bike 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 | 50 Points |
| Total Puncture Score Sidewall | Pro Data |
| Tread Puncture Force Sharp Needle | Pro Data |
| Tread Puncture Force Blunt Needle | Pro Data |
| Tread Total Tire Thickness | 2.9 mm |
| Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle | Pro Data |
| Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle | Pro Data |
| Sidewall Total Tire Thickness | Pro Data |
Static Grip Test Results
| Static Grip Test Results | |
|---|---|
| Wet Grip Average | 73 Points |
| Wet Grip Center | Pro Data |
| Wet Grip Edge | Pro Data |
| Grip in points = coefficient of friction * 100 Road bike grip test rim width = 19.0 mm |
|
Conclusion
- Pirelli P Zero Race 4S 26
(100% is best)
The Pirelli P Zero Race 4S performs surprisingly strong in nearly all of our tests and only the wet grip tests seems to indicate this is an all-season tire. Rolling resistance is surprisingly strong and puncture resistance seems to be in-line with most other all-round road bike tires. When compared to the previous edition of this tire (P Zero Velo 4S) we also see that rolling resistance has gone down at the cost of less puncture resistance.
When we compare the P Zero Race 4S against both the P Zero Race (read our review) and P Zero Road (read our review), the 4S completely outclasses those tires. Surpringly, even when it comes down to rolling resistance, the 4S is the better choice out of those tires. This might seems strange but we feel this is possible because the 4S is made in Pirelli's new factory in Italy and they seem to be made to a higher quality than the previous editions.
When compared to other tires from competing brands, we now consider the P Zero Race 4S to be 1 of the 3 top-performing road bike tires together with both the Continental Grand Prix 5000 (read our review) and Michelin Power Cup (read our review). There are some slight differences between these tires and it depends on your preferences which one will suit you best. Jump over to our comparison section to compare these tires side by side:
Pirelli P Zero Race 4S Vs Continental Grand Prix 5000 Vs Michelin Power Cup
RATING:
5.0
/ 5
TEST VERDICT:
Highly Recommended