Originally Posted by
Roadies_Rok
For the sake of this comment I was referring primarily to ride comfort. The Michelin Pro race 4 Service Course tire that came on my bike when I bought it is/was a full on racing tire and placed speed and performance over comfort. The Continental Ultra Sport III tires I just bought and put on my bike today are a general purpose tire placing a higher priority on comfort plus they are wider, 700 x 25 versus 700 x 23 and therefore by default more comfortable. As far as performance I can't speak to that at the moment since the short ride I took today was just to the end of the road to see of all was working. I haven't had the chance to push the tires but I intend to do that tomorrow on my ride. Definitely more comfortable and we will see as to the performance of the tire.
On tires meant for paved road use, performance and comfort are not in opposition to each other. If anything, high-performance tires tend to provide a smoother ride than lower-performance tires. And, if you pump your tires stiff enough that your body gets uncomfortably vibrated by the ride, this tends to be slower than if you pump them lower so that the ride is smooth: the vibration is being stolen from your forward motion.
If your new tires provide a smoother ride, it's probably mostly because you're pumping them squishier.