Road Bike Tire Test: Continental Grand Prix 4 Season 25
Contents and Test Summary
- Introduction
- Manufacturer Specifications
- Size, Weight, Thickness
- Rolling Resistance: 17.6 Watts
- Puncture Resistance: 61 Points
- Static Wet Grip: 70 Points
- Conclusion: 4.0 / 5 Recommended
- Comments
- Continental Grand Prix 4 Season 25
(100% is best)
The Grand Prix 4 Season is Continental's top-of-the-range all-season tire made to be a year-round companion for training and (light) competition use. The Grand Prix 4 Season is closely related to the Continental Grand Prix 5000 (read our review) but comes with additional layers of reinforcement and a compound more optimized towards grip in wet and cold conditions.
Just like the Grand Prix 5000, the Grand Prix 4 Season comes with the well-known Continental 3/330 casing that, unlike the Grand Prix 5000, has been reinforced with a layer of DuraSkin that runs from bead to bead. A double layer (single layer on Grand Prix 5000) of Vectran anti-puncture material under the tread pushes the puncture resistance of the tread beyond what we see with typical all-round road bike tires.
We already tested the Grand Prix 4 Season back in 2015, but since we added our wet grip test only recently, we found wet grip test data can't be missing for the Grand Prix 4 Season as it's one of the most popular winter tires. We performed all our tests on a new sample, which gives us an excellent opportunity to see if anything has changed over the past 7 years.
Manufacturer Specifications
| Manufacturer Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Brand | Continental |
| Model | Grand Prix 4 Season |
| Year | 2022 |
| Tire Type | Tubetype (clincher) |
| Supplied By | Bought in store |
| New or Used | New |
| Mileage | 0 km |
| Price Range | High |
| Buy At | |
| Manufacturer part number | 0100175 |
| EAN | 4019238409116 |
| TPI | 3/330 |
| Compound | - |
| Bead | Folding |
| ETRTO | 25-622 |
| Size Inch | 28" |
| Specified Width (mm) | 25 |
| Specified Weight | 230 grams |
| Max Air Pressure (psi) | 120 |
| Made In | Pro Data |
| Available Sizes |
23-622 (700x23c) 25-622 (700x25c) 28-622 (700x28c) 32-622 (700x32c) |
Continental Grand Prix 4 Season 25 Test Results
Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
| Size, Weight and Thickness Measurements | |
|---|---|
| Specified Weight | 230 grams |
| Measured Weight | 228 grams |
| System Adjusted Weight (tire + inner tube (100 gr) |
328 grams |
| Measured Width | 27 mm (un-round) |
| Measured Height | 24 mm (un-round) |
| Total Tire Thickness Center | 2.8 mm |
| Total Tire Thickness Sidewall | Pro Data |
| Unmounted Casing Width | 66 mm |
| Unmounted Tread Width | Pro Data |
| Tread Cover (Tread / Casing Ratio) | Pro Data |
| All size measurements are taken at an air pressure of 100 psi / 6.9 bars on a 17.8 mm inner width rim. | |
Rolling Resistance Test Results
| Rolling Resistance Test Results | |
|---|---|
| Inner Tube | Conti Race28 (100gr butyl) |
| Measured Width | 27 mm (un-round) |
| Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 22-24 = 132 psi/9.1 bar 25-27 = 120 psi/8.3 bar 28-29 = 108 psi/7.4 barUltra High Air Pressure (120 psi / 8.3 bar) |
Pro Data |
| Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 22-24 = 110 psi/7.6bar 25-27 = 100 psi/6.9 bar 28-29 = 90 psi/6.2 barExtra High Air Pressure (100 psi / 6.9 bar) |
Pro Data |
| Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 22-24 = 88 psi/6.1 bar 25-27 = 80 psi/5.5 bar 28-29 = 72 psi/5.0 barHigh Air Pressure (80 psi / 5.5 bar) |
17.6 Watts CRR: 0.00528 |
| Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 22-24 = 66 psi/4.6 bar 25-27 = 60 psi/4.1 bar 28-29 = 54 psi/3.7 barMedium Air Pressure (60 psi / 4.1 bar) |
Pro Data |
| The Road Bike 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 | 61 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 | 2.8 mm |
| Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle | Pro Data |
| Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle | Pro Data |
| Sidewall Total Tire Thickness | Pro Data |
Static Grip Test Results
| Static Grip Test Results | |
|---|---|
| Wet Grip Average | 70 Points |
| Wet Grip Center | Pro Data |
| Wet Grip Edge | Pro Data |
| Grip in points = coefficient of friction * 100 Road bike grip test rim width = 19.0 mm |
|
Conclusion
- Continental Grand Prix 4 Season 25
(100% is best)
We've found some significant differences between our 2015 test results and the latest test results of a recent Grand Prix 4 Season sample. Our results show that the most recent sample rolls faster, but puncture resistance has gone down by quite a bit. We're not sure if there has been an actual change in the design of this tire or its materials, or it's about the "freshness" of the tires as the compounds usually harden a bit when stored for longer.
Although the Grand Prix 4 Season is advertised as a tire that offers superior grip under wet conditions, it's something we haven't found in our static wet grip test. The grip is better than the Grand Prix 5000, but it's not as good as we might have expected from an all-season tire. The compound itself grips better, but as the casing has been made more robust (and thus less flexible), the ultimate increase in grip is limited to just a few points.
RATING:
4.0
/ 5
TEST VERDICT:
Recommended