It isn’t usually {that a} new tiremaker comes into our area as a viable competitor, particularly one which strikes straight to the entrance of the sector. For 2025, Vitour was that firm, and its Tempesta P1 was that product: pointy-end grip, long-term consistency, category-leading sturdiness and a variety of motorsports-friendly sizes.
Enter the Vitour Tempesta Enzo V-01R
The Enzo was Vitour’s authentic try at constructing a aggressive Tremendous 200, but it surely fell simply wanting the day’s class benchmarks, just like the Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R and BFGoodrich g-Power Rival.
To make issues worse, the Yokohama Advan A052 arrived on the scene shortly thereafter, pushing the bar even larger. Vitour went again to the drafting board, finally creating the P1.
In the meantime, the Enzo discovered a house in drifting, with a number of compounds provided all over the world. In that venue, sturdiness, consistency and value are valued as a lot as final grip–identical as as we speak’s North American endurance highway racing scene.
However which compound can be finest for the U.S. market? This previous spring, we have been requested to assist reply that query and might now launch these outcomes publicly.
{Photograph} courtesy Vitour
As a testing benchmark, we selected the Continental ExtremeContact Force, the spec tire for the World Racing League. It’s additionally one of many strongest entries on ChampCar’s 2026 “white record” of allowed tires. (Read more here.) We’ve examined the ExtremeContact Power quite a lot of occasions, so we’ve comparative knowledge to successfully rank its efficiency in opposition to the total panorama of 200tw choices.
Two variations of the Enzo have been provided: one within the V01R compound and the opposite in V02R. The previous was in the end chosen for U.S. manufacturing, so we’ll concentrate on that right here.
As soon as once more, we tapped our Triple Threat ND Miata as take a look at mule. We now have 1000’s of laps behind its wheel at our residence observe, Harris Hill Raceway. The automotive’s setup has been tweaked to be each fast and constant round that considerably bumpy circuit. Tire dimension was 245/40R17 mounted on 17×9-inch wheels.
Every set of tires was heat-cycled with a 45-minute freeway drive, six laps of progressively rising tempo laps and one other 45-minute freeway drive, then eliminated and cooled for no less than 24 hours. Notes have been taken relating to the freeway trip high quality and avenue driving dynamics.
Take a look at day climate was excellent. Cloudy skies and 67° to 77° ambients saved observe temps tremendous constant over the course of the morning.
One 20-minute warmup session was pushed on scrubs, each for observe and to wash up the observe from in a single day mud and filth accumulation. When occasions stabilized on the recognized finest tempo for these tires, observe evolution was full and testing started.
Continental ExtremeContact Power
- $273 every (from Tire Rack)
- Quick lap: 1:26.4
- Common of laps 3-6: 1:26.7
On the highway: The Continental ExtremeContact Power exhibited a linear and direct response to steering inputs to ship an athletic dealing with attribute. It was harsh over highway irregularities and noisy on something apart from clean pavement.
On the observe: When pushed to the restrict, the Continental ExtremeContact Power was extremely responsive, simply driving right down to an apex. Audible suggestions introduced impending slip. Breakaway was a bit edgy however restoration was simple.
Full grip was not obtainable till after a tough out lap and partial push lap. At that time, the efficiency was fairly constant throughout the session.
Vitour Tempesta Enzo V-01R
- $218.00 every (direct from Vitour)
- Quick lap: 1:25.7
- Common of laps 3-6: 1:26.8
On the highway: The brand new Vitour Enzo V01-R was quiet with no considerable drone. Trip consolation was fairly clean for a UHP tire, with highway irregularities absorbed fairly nicely.
Steering response was common for this class, with a largely progressive really feel. Small inputs generated small reactions for a relaxed driving expertise on the freeway, however bigger inputs elicited sportier dealing with on twisty roads. On-center feeling was reasonable.
On the observe: The V-01R got here alive on observe, turning extra the tougher it was pushed. It was desirous to dive to apexes and ship the grip to remain on line. Little or no warmup was wanted on the out lap for full tempo, and the tire heat-soaked a bit after one and a half laborious push laps. Tempo was constant thereafter.
Continental ExtremeContact Power (retest)
- Quick lap: 1:26.1
- Common of laps 3-6: 1:26.3
To bracket the take a look at and verify for any potential observe evolution or driver enhancements, we ran the Continental ExtremeContact Power once more on the finish. It was persistently one- to two-tenths faster than within the first session, which knowledge evaluation confirmed to be because of barely improved grip within the Flip 3-2 complicated. Because the tire had residual warmth from operating earlier, it additionally didn’t want as a lot warmup this time.
Conclusions
Testing reveals that the Vitour Tempesta Enzo V-01R is superior to the Continental ExtremeContact Power in single-lap tempo, but it surely falls off to a constant deficit of no less than a half second in comparison with the Continental.
At full tread, the Enzo V-01R exhibited pace-versus-heat traits typical of many within the Excessive Efficiency Summer season class of tires: a few fast laps, then a drop-off of a full second for the rest of the session.
The Continental ExtremeContact Power, against this, stays extraordinarily constant throughout lengthy periods. It has no preliminary flyer laps, as an alternative settling proper into a really particular tempo vary. That is best for endurance racing, its meant design function.
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