A little more than a year ago, our initial test of the Vitour Tempesta P1 rocked our amateur motorsports world. Here was a new tire that was clearly faster than everything else out there, yet it was made by a company unknown in our circles and shepherded by a man with a history of …
Nankang Sportnex CR-S V2
As one of the quickest, most consistent and durable tires in the category, the CR-S V2 has become a favorite for track day enthusiasts and time attack competitors. Its heat tolerance is legendary, standing up to abuse even on a hot day without slowing.
The downside is the need for some initial energy to activate the compound, so it’s not a great choice for autocross. Further, Nankang has suffered importation documentation challenges throughout 2024, making it unavailable for a time in many popular sizes. That situation promises to be rectified for 2025, and some new sizes are expected.
Since it wasn’t stone cold, the CR-S V2 turned on with just a hard out lap. It did gain a bit more pace by lap two and then stabilized. We love the feel of this tire, encouraging you to push hard down to the apex and giving just the right amount of audible feedback as you near the limit. Recovery from excessive asks is progressive with a minimum of time loss.
Yokohama Advan A052
On the other end of the temperature spectrum is the A052. It needs very little energy to develop full grip, but it heat soaks quickly when worked hard. This is ideal for the short-duration runs seen in autocross. This also makes it a great intermediate wet tire, as constant dousing with water keeps it in the ideal temperature window. Those traits can be modified by shaving or wearing to lower tread depths so the tire becomes more consistent–at the expense of more prep to activate.
At full tread, the A052 is tricky to maximize. The limit of grip is high but vague, and excursions over it generate excess heat that then slows the tire prematurely. Get it right, though, and it’s a screamer. We explored a bit on lap one and then put it all together on lap two before the tire got hot and complained audibly. Still, this cooler day was kinder to the A052 than summertime use where drop-off is more dramatic.
Vitour Tempesta P1
On our out lap, we were struck by the immediacy of the P1’s loaded steering response, which took a bit of getting used to. Grip also came in fairly quickly, though we didn’t fully trust it on our first timed lap.
The first turn has a 100 mph, flat-out, blind corner entry right at the limit–assuming the tires can handle it. We gave up a couple tenths right there but connected all the dots on the second pass. For the third lap, we were again timid on that one entry, but the rest of the lap overlaid nicely with the flyer. So that’s three strong laps in a row, a far cry from the single first-lap flyers we saw last year. Bravo, Vitour.
Nankang Sportnex CR-S V2 (retest)
To bracket our test and verify that conditions hadn’t changed, we reran the first tire–and got the same results as before. Not surprising, as the weather was mild and super consistent. Plus, we were essentially alone that day on track, so there no was no surface evolution from additional traffic.
Bridgestone Potenza RE-71RS
We had one more ace up our sleeve for this day. Alongside the Yokohama Advan A052 and Nankang Sportnex CR-S V2, the third leg of the Holy Trinity of 200tw tires is the Bridgestone Potenza RE-71RS.
With heat characteristics landing squarely in between the other two, the RE-71RS has found a home both hunting apex curbs and dodging cones. It needs just a little heat to turn on and tolerates it well for multiple quick laps. Our test set was left over from a previous test and had been worn to about 6/32 inch, so this wouldn’t be a perfect comparison. Still, data is data, so we threw them on. The lap times they then turned this day were consistent with those exhibited when full tread, giving us confidence in their veracity.
The RE-71RS has a fairly direct feel, with cornering loads building in linear fashion. It’s especially good at combined loading events, trail braking easily and putting power down early on corner exit. Breakaway is progressive with quick recovery. It’s a tire that inspires confidence.
Conclusions
The Vitour P1 again delivered pace well above the current top dogs in same-day testing, but this time it did so for multiple laps. Further, we saw none of the severe graining we noticed last year with our first set. What a difference a year makes.
But does this make it an overdog for competition use? Maybe. It’s certainly not the wrong answer.
Before we go and put the Vitours on all of our competition vehicles, we need to do some long-term testing to see what happens at lower tread depths. We’ve run 24s at Harris Hill before on all of those other tires, but only when tread depth is reduced. Will the P1 go faster still with wear? Or will it stay consistent with full-depth pace? Watch this space for more answers.
