CX/Gravel Tire Test: Hutchinson Caracal Race TLR (tan) 45

The Caracal Race from Hutchinson has become one of the most popular gravel bike tires on our website, thanks to its extremely low rolling resistance that challenges the fastest road bike tires. We've already tested the black sidewall version in the 40 and 45 mm sizes, and the tan sidewall version in the 40 mm size. The 40 mm tan sidewall version proved to be the fastest and lightest Caracal Race, which makes today's test of the 45 mm tanwall version the missing link in our final Caracal Race judgement.

The Caracal Race is this fast because it borrowed the SwiftEasy casing and Mach Tread 3.0 compound from Hutchinson's latest road bike tires. The Caracal Race is also part of Hutchinson's "Racing Lab" tire range, showcasing its latest tire technology.

When we dive into the specifications of the Hutchinson Caracal Race, we find no differences between the tan- and black-sidewall versions, and the specified weights are identical. We need our test results to see if the 45 mm tan wall version can repeat the powerful performance of the 40 mm tan wall Caracal Race.

As usual, we're going to compare the 45 mm tan-wall Caracal Race to the 45 mm black-wall Caracal Race, 40 mm tan-wall Caracal Race, 40 mm black-wall Caracal Race, as well as a selection of competing 44/45 mm gravel bike tires from other manufacturers.

Manufacturer Specifications

Manufacturer Specs
Brand	Hutchinson
Model	Caracal Race TLR (tan)
Year	2025
Supplied By	Bought in store
New or Used	New
Mileage	0 km
Price Range	High
Buy At
Manufacturer part number	PV533351
EAN	3248382098063
TPI	127
Compound	Mach Tread 3.0
Bead	Folding
ETRTO	45-622
Specified Weight	570 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi)	48
Made In	Pro Data
Available Sizes	40-622 (700x40c) 45-622 (700x45c)

Hutchinson Caracal Race TLR (tan) 45 Test Results

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight	570 grams
Measured Weight	576 grams
Measured Width Casing	45 mm (un-round)
Measured Width Tread	46 mm
Measured Height	42 mm (un-round)
Measured Knob Height Center	0.0 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	1.4 mm
Measured Total Thickness Center (excluding knobs)	2.60 mm
Measured Total Thickness Sidewall	Pro Data
All size measurements are taken at low air pressure on a 17.8 mm inner width rim.

Rolling Resistance Test Results

Rolling Resistance Test Results
Inner Tube	None (30 ml sealant)
Measured Width	45 mm
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 66 psi/4.6 bar 33-35 = 60 psi/4.1 bar 36-38 = 54 psi/3.7 bar 39-42 = 50 psi/3.4 bar 43-46 = 46 psi/3.2 bar 47-50 = 42 psi/2.9 barHigh Air Pressure (46 psi / 3.2 bar)	Pro Data
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 55 psi/3.8 bar 33-35 = 50 psi/3.4 bar 36-38 = 45 psi/3.1 bar 39-42 = 42 psi/2.9 bar 43-46 = 38 psi/2.6 bar 47-50 = 35 psi/2.4 barMedium Air Pressure (38 psi / 2.6 bar)	Pro Data
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 44 psi/3.0 bar 33-35 = 40 psi/2.8 bar 36-38 = 36 psi/2.6 bar 39-42 = 33 psi/2.3 bar 43-46 = 31 psi/2.1 bar 47-50 = 28 psi/1.9 barLow Air Pressure (31 psi / 2.1 bar)	15.7 Watts CRR: 0.00471
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 33 psi/2.3 bar 33-35 = 30 psi/2.1 bar 36-38 = 27 psi/1.9 bar 39-42 = 25 psi/1.7 bar 43-46 = 23 psi/1.6 bar 47-50 = 21 psi/1.4 barExtra Low Air Pressure (23 psi / 1.6 bar)	Pro Data
The CX/Gravel 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	42 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	2.60 mm
Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Pro Data
Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Pro Data
Sidewall Total Tire Thickness	Pro Data

Hard Surface Static Grip Test Results

Static Grip Test Results
Wet Grip Average	80 Points
Wet Grip Center	Pro Data
Wet Grip Edge	Pro Data
Measured Knob Height Center	0.0 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	1.4 mm
Grip in points = coefficient of friction * 100 CX/Gravel grip test rim width = 23.0 mm
Wet Grip Test and Off-Road Tires (info)

Conclusion

The 45 mm Hutchinson Caracal Race with tan sidewalls rolls a bit faster than the black-wall version in the same size, but it doesn't come close to the 40 mm tan-wall version in the rolling resistance test. It looks more and more like our 40 mm tan wall version, which was one of the first Caracal Races available for sale, was a golden sample (just 464 grams and 2.3 mm tread thickness) that ticked all the right boxes.

That doesn't mean the other versions aren't strong performers, but it simply means you need a bit of luck to get an extremely fast sample if your main priority is rolling resistance.

After testing all four versions of the Caracal Race TLR, we think it's safe to conclude that the tan sidewall versions roll a bit faster, as our tan 45 mm version was slightly heavier yet still rolled faster than the black version. Another confirmation of this is found in the sidewall puncture tests, where both tan walls perform a bit worse than the black wall versions, and it means you trade some sidewall strength for a lower rolling resistance.

Even though this Hutchinson Caracal Race TLR in the 45 mm size rolls a bit slower, it still confirms the Caracal Race TLR as the fastest rolling semi-slick tire. If we use the edge knob height filter on our CX/Gravel tires overview, we see the Caracal Race TLR 40 mm tan-wall, 40 mm black-wall, and 45 mm tan-wall dominating that page and taking the top 3 positions.

RATING: 4.8 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Highly Recommended

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