P Zero vs GP5000
 

Been riding GP4000IIs for years but since they have been discontinued, do I just go with GP5000 or are the P Zero a better option?

BTW, i've had good luck with few flats with the GP4000IIs. I've heard the GP5000 are not as resistant.

I went from GP4000's for years to GP5000's last year. No flats yet, and flats with the GP4000's were also infrequent. Seem similar to me for puncture resistance?

I've ridden thousands of miles on the old GP4000 tyres, the new GP5000's tyres, and also the old and new version Pirelli P-Zero tyres. To be honest, I'd be hard pressed to tell the difference in a fully blind test, my N=1 experience is that...

• The Pirelli tyres in my opinion give a slightly nicer ride
• All the tyres felt fast, I doubt there is all that much real-world rolling resistance difference (EDIT: Apparently 4 watts difference, GP5000 is faster)
• The Pirelli tyres were easier to mount than the GP5000's (which seem tighter than the outgoing 4000's)
• Flat resistance and mileage seems slightly better on the Conti tyres

For what it's worth, I have always been a big Conti GP4000/5000 fan, but all my road bikes now roll on Pirelli tyres.

The pzeros are way sweet and come in a cool box. Doubt any of us can tell the difference in performance between the two.

Personally neither my computer, power meter or apps could discern much difference from the GP5000 S TR and Pro 1 TLE, where I had more variations than the tires. haha
Like others have noticed, the ride is a tad better than the GP5kS, which are better than the Pro 1. However, the advantage of the GP5k and Pro1 is the availability 32mm, which I put in the rear, which makes it so much more comfortable. Pirelli doesn't have a 32mm option, and thus I mainly use the Pro 1 TLE for the price, and then the GP5kS.

Overdue thread. Thanks

I'd go with the Pirelli over the GP5K. Never was a fan of Continental.

Pro One TLE is the way to go for me (2nd set - 2nd season), very easy to mount, never had a flat in over 5000kms and rolled on all sorts of things. Very comfy. They use fast though, but it's the price to pay for a performance tire.

the 0's have proven to me a better ride overall, equal reliability, slightly better traction in the dry/hot environment. The 0's might not net as high of mileage if ridden in the warmer/hot climate more frequently, but IMO, I'd rather have better traction overall tire life.

The above has been based on my experience & is comparing GP5000 to Velo 4S, Race, & P7

Another thinking is the Zero comes in a 26mm. I have a 1st gen Trek Emonda SLR and a 28mm will not fit the front. So the p Zero might be very slightly wider than the GP5000 and will fit.

When PZero is referenced, is everyone talking about the PZero RACE? (ie. not the ROAD). And tube-type? Not the TL versions for the Pirelli or Gp5?

Results might be different on a different width rim than BRR used, but apparently the PZero Race (tube-type) inflates to the same with as the GP5k (tube-type) and actually 1mm less height than the gp5k.
https://www.bicyclerollingresistance...li-p-zero-race

P Zero Road tube.

So if I don't "race" is there any advantage to use the race tires over the road version?

race didn't provide a long life & was susceptible to a tear widening faster if not addressed in a timely manner.... but that is sorta moot when the tire wasn't lasting as long.

Road is where I put the $.

Some of their test methodology ain't great, but the same BRR site actually indicates that pretty much the Road, while supposedly the 'training' tire version, and heavier, is LESS puncture resistant. So there's that. FWIW, there's another option that's out there as well.. the Race 4S (as in 4season). food for thought. Hard to find (and pricey) in the US though; I'd try these myself if they had a tanwall option like they do on other models. https://www.lordgun.com/pirelli-p-zero-race-4s-tire

They do come in a very swish box! 😂

As long as I can find the P Zero tyres in stock, I doubt I'll buy another GP5000 (and this is after tens of thousands of kms on GP4000/5000 tyres).

Yep and it's not intended for this either. Performance VS lifespan, can't have the cake and eat it too!

Not really, no. Usually, better tire = better performance, but less lifespan / resistance to puncture.

I have no experience with Pirelli tires, but I made the switch from GP4000IIs to GP5000s (both the tubeless and tubed variety) a couple of years ago and have been riding Long Island roads without a noticeable change in the frequency of flats, which is to say, almost never. If the GP5000s are slightly less puncture resistant than the older 4000IIs, I don't believe it is enough to make a real-world difference. Last year, I sliced a tubeless GP5000 open riding in Manhattan in the dark. It was one of those deals that no tire could survive and no amount of sealant could fix. Otherwise, my GP5000s have been trouble free. Since then I have been riding the tubed version of the GP5000 with TPU tubes. If you were happy with the 4000IIs, you will likely be happy with the 5000s.

I don't know if there's a difference in tread thickness between the tubed and tubeless version, but I'm currently sitting just a hair under 3k miles on my P-Zero Race TLRs, and the rear tire looks like it still has some good mileage left in it (wear dimples still visible, not terribly squared off). For a higher performance tire, this is about as good as I've gotten.

I mounted up a set of P-Zero Race's on some older 303s recently, and Pirelli's WAM chart was dead accurate- the Zipps measure 17.25mm internally, and at 95psi, the 28mm P-Zeros measure out to 26.9mm, when their chart said 27mm. I haven't had a chance to put miles on them yet (life...:crash:) to see if/how much they plump out with use, but if you have a relatively narrow internal width rim, I bet 26mm will work fine.

I recently switched from GP 5000’s to the Pirelli Road Race. I feel like to Pirelli’s are smoother faster ride. I also went all in for the expensive Pirelli tubes which are no doubt a contributing factor.

I have avoided the Conti based on the mounting issues I heard about on these here interwebs, however, I have been running P Zero Race on my Bontrager Aeolus Pro 51's and Pro 5's, and they have been great. Super easy to mount, very grippy, smooth riding.

FWIW I have GP5000's (clinchers) on Aeolus Pro 51's and they mounted fine, with no tire levers or anything. Granted, they are about a year old, and I just mounted them to the new wheels recently (so could have stretched a bit, potentially). I've heard horror stories about the GP5000 TL (tubeless); like so hard to mount that bike shops weren't able to get them on some wheels. I think the newer tubeless GP 5000 TR is supposed to be an improvement? Anyway, I have put the clinchers on that wheel and they seem to be pretty easy to get on, which was a concern of mine with the wheels.

Yep, good point, I should have referenced I was only discussing the tubeless version of the 5k's

GlennR,

Have you ever ridden the GP4000 4 Season tires? Still available, very puncture resistant and smooth rolling. Just another option.

I've owned all flavors of the GP5000 (tubed, TL and now S-TR) and they're all great. I don't find them any more prone to flats than any other tire I've used.
Any difference between these and the older GP4000s is splitting hairs.

The only ones that are difficult to mount are the TL's. The rest go on/off like any other road tire.