New Vs Worn Road Bike Tire: GP4000S II

Published: 2018-06-12 by Jarno Bierman


New Continental Grand Prix 4000S II on rolling resistance machine

In this article, I'll be comparing a brand new 28 mm Grand Prix 4000S II to a pair of used 28 mm Grand Prix 4000S II tires that have been used for 5000 miles / 8000 km over a 2 year period. I've wanted to do an article like this for a long time as it will give us some insight into what to expect when it's time to retire your tires. These tires were sent in by a reader that wanted to know the difference between a new and a used tire as well. Thank you, Alek.


Ad Buy Continental Grand Prix 4000S II at Amazon.com


Even though this comparison is based on data obtained from a pair of Continental Grand Prix 4000S II road bike tires, it should be useful for other tires as well. As the Grand Prix 4000S II is by far the most popular road bike tire of the last couple of years, I feel these are the perfect tires for this comparison.


Tire Condition


The tires used for this test were used for a period of 2 years and have covered 5000 miles / 8000 km in Ireland. The tires were rotated a couple of times which has resulted in close to the same wear for both tires. The bike was stored in Alek's hall most of the time and a couple of hours per day outside of the office. Alek reckons UV and heat exposure in Ireland is minimal.


The reason for replacing this set of 28 mm GP4000S II's was not the tread that has worn out, but the casing that has started to give up in several places. The tires were run at 60/70 psi most of the time and have also seen some light gravel use which might have contributed to wearing out the casing. The tread still has a good thickness as I've measured them at 2.1 mm and 2.2 mm tread thickness. A brand new GP4000S II comes in somewhere between 2.6 and 2.9 mm tread thickness.


One other thing that strikes out when looking at these tires is the extreme cracking of the compound. I've asked Alek about this and he mentioned the cracking started a long time ago and he assumed this was normal for the Black Chili compound. He also mentioned this didn't seem to affect their performance and the tires had amazing grip until the end.


Pictures of Tire Condition


Because pictures tell a thousand words with things like this, here are some pictures that tell more about the condition of these tires. All pictures were taken with a tire pressure of 100 psi / 6.9 bars.

Worn Continental Grand Prix 4000S II - Closeup of tread and sidewall Worn Continental Grand Prix 4000S II - Closeup of tread and sidewall Worn Continental Grand Prix 4000S II - Closeup of sidewall bulge Worn Continental Grand Prix 4000S II - Closeup of worn label Worn Continental Grand Prix 4000S II - Closeup of sidewall condition

Test conditions


  • Speed of 18 mph / 29 km/h
  • Total wheel load of 94 lbs/ 42.5 kg
  • 700 x 17C wheel
  • Temperature between 21-23 °C / 70-73 °F
  • 100 grams Continental Race 28 Inner Tube

To read about all other test conditions and how tires are tested, please read the Rolling Resistance Test Conditions Explained page.


Test Results


Weight and Thickness


New GP4000S II Worn Sample A Worn Sample B
Specified Weight 260 grams 260 grams 260 grams
Measured Weight 267 grams 245 grams 250 grams
Tread Thickness 2.6 - 2.9 mm 2.2 mm 2.1 mm
Sidewall thickness 0.55 mm 0.55 mm 0.55 mm

Continental specifies the weight of a brand new 28 mm GP4000S II to be 260 grams. My new sample is a bit heavier at 267 grams. The worn sample A comes in at just 245 grams, the worn sample B comes in at 250 grams. I don't know how heavy the worn tires were when new, but 245-250 grams is about what I would have expected from a GP4000S II with 5000 miles / 8000 km on the clock.


As mentioned previously, after 5000 miles / 8000 km worn sample A and worn sample B have a total thickness at the center of the tire of 2.2 and 2.1 mm respectively. A brand new GP4000S II usually comes in somewhere between 2.6 and 2.9 mm thickness. I think it's pretty astounding that these tires have only worn by 0.6 - 0.8 mm after all these miles. I've cut one tire in half to see how much tread is left over and it appears there's still close to 1.0 mm worth of tread before the casing would start to show.

Worn Continental Grand Prix 4000S II - View of inside of tire after cutting in half Worn Continental Grand Prix 4000S II - Closeup of view of inside of tire after cutting in half

Rolling Resistance


New GP4000S II Worn Sample A Worn Sample B
Rolling Resistance 120 psi / 8.3 bars 11.6 Watts
CRR: .00347
11.9 Watts
CRR: .00357
11.4 Watts
CRR: .00342
Rolling Resistance 100 psi / 6.9 Bar 12.0 Watts
CRR: .00360
12.4 Watts
CRR: .00372
11.9 Watts
CRR: .00357
Rolling Resistance 80 psi / 5.5 Bar 12.7 Watts
CRR: .00381
13.2 Watts
CRR: .00396
12.8 Watts
CRR: .00384
Rolling Resistance 60 psi / 4.1 Bar 14.1 Watts
CRR: .00423
15.0 Watts
CRR: .00450
14.5 Watts
CRR: .00435

When testing the rolling resistance of a tire that has less tread thickness than a brand new tire, we would expect rolling resistance to be lower. In practice, when a tire has been used and stored in varying circumstances, we also have to take the aging of the rubber compound into consideration. Wear of the Black Chili compound used on the GP4000S II is very low so other tires that show more tread wear after 5000 miles / 8000 km will perform slightly different here.


After testing both worn samples, we can see that at higher air pressures, rolling resistance is pretty much equal to the brand new GP4000S II. At lower air pressures, there seems to be a trend towards a slightly worse performance of the worn samples. This seems to make sense as at lower air pressures, the tread will deform more and the aged rubber will have lost some of its characteristics. At higher air pressures there will be less deformation and the thinner tread will offset the lost performance of the compound.


Puncture Resistance


New GP4000S II Worn Sample A Worn Sample B
Puncture Resistance Tread 11 Points 9 Points 9 Points
Puncture Resistance Sidewall 5 Points 5 Points 5 Points

Another interesting test is the puncture resistance of a worn tire when compared to the brand new version. When looking at the numbers from the puncture tests, we can safely conclude that puncture resistance of the tread goes down when the tread gets thinner. There doesn't seem to be any positive influence from the aging of the compound here. Because the Black Chili compound shows just 0.6 - 0.8 mm of wear, the tread puncture test is still reasonable, worn tires that start to show the casing will perform terrible here.


The sidewalls don't seem to be affected by the cracking of the casing as the sidewall puncture scores are still equal to the brand new tire.


Conclusion


Rolling resistance of a worn tire is not lower than rolling resistance of a brand new tire when the tire has been used for general use (at least a GP4000S II). The tires used for this test were mounted to a bike that has seen all kind of weather conditions and has been stored outside during office hours. The results might be slightly better for tires that have been stored in a cool basement and are only taken out on the weekends.


The final conclusion is that you don't have to be worried about slower rolling tires when replacing your worn out tires with new tires as the differences will be minimal at best. The good part will be that puncture resistance will be restored, offsetting any tiny rolling resistance advantage you might have gained from worn tires.


Comments



Road Bike Rolling Resistance Reviews
Excludes previous models/discontinued tires
Visit the road bike overview to view all
Brand Model Watts
VittoriaCorsa Pro Speed TLR 285.6 W
VeloflexRecord TLR 256.3 W
VittoriaCorsa Speed G+ 2.0 (TLR) 257.0 W
ContinentalGrand Prix 5000 TT TR 287.1 W
ContinentalGrand Prix 5000 TT TR (TdF) 257.2 W
SchwalbePro One TT TLE Addix 257.5 W
ContinentalGrand Prix 5000 S TR 258.4 W
MichelinPower Cup TLR 288.5 W
ContinentalGrand Prix 5000 S TR 288.5 W
GoodyearEagle F1 SuperSport R TLC 288.5 W
MichelinPower Time Trial 258.6 W
VeloflexRecord (silica compound) 238.7 W
VittoriaCorsa Speed (tubular) 238.9 W
MichelinPower Cup TLR 258.9 W
VittoriaCorsa Pro TLR 289.3 W
ChallengeCriterium RS 259.4 W
VittoriaCorsa Pro TLR 269.6 W
ContinentalGrand Prix 5000 S TR (tanwall) 259.6 W
ZippTangente Speed Tubeless 259.6 W
TufoComtura Prima TR 289.7 W
SpecializedS-Works Turbo RapidAir 2Bliss Ready T2/T5 269.8 W
ContinentalGrand Prix TT 259.9 W
ContinentalGrand Prix 5000 2510.0 W
MichelinPower Road TLR 2510.1 W
SpecializedTurbo Cotton 2410.1 W
PirelliP Zero Velo TT 2310.2 W
ContinentalGrand Prix SuperSonic 2310.2 W
SchwalbePro One TLE Addix 2510.2 W
PirelliP Zero Velo Race TLR SL 2610.3 W
ContinentalGrand Prix 5000 All Season TR 2810.4 W
SchwalbePro One Aero TLE (Front) 2810.5 W
VeloflexCorsa Race TLR 2510.6 W
MichelinPower Cup 2510.6 W
SpecializedTurbo Cotton Hell of the North 2810.6 W
ContinentalGrand Prix 5000 All Season TR 2510.9 W
PirelliP Zero Race TLR SpeedCore 2810.9 W
MichelinPower Competition 2510.9 W
ContinentalGrand Prix Force II 2411.0 W
PanaracerAgilest TLR 2811.3 W
PirelliP Zero Race TLR SL (TechWall) 2811.3 W
ContinentalGrand Prix Attack II 2211.4 W
EnveSES Road Tire Tubeless 2511.4 W
BontragerR4 320 2511.5 W
SchwalbePro One Aero TLE (Rear) 2811.5 W
PirelliP Zero Race 4S 2611.6 W
SpecializedS-Works Turbo 2Bliss Ready T2/T5 2811.6 W
ZippTangente Speed 2511.6 W
MavicYksion Pro UST Tubeless 2511.7 W
PirelliP Zero Velo Race TLR 2611.7 W
GoodyearEagle F1 R TLC 2811.7 W
ChallengeStrada Pro HTLR 2511.8 W
VeloflexCorsa Evo TLR 2511.9 W
HutchinsonFusion 5 Galactik TLR 11Storm 2512.0 W
VittoriaCorsa N.EXT TLR 2812.1 W
WolfpackRoad Race 2612.1 W
VittoriaCorsa G+ 2.0 TLR 2512.2 W
VittoriaCorsa G+ (tubular) 2512.3 W
VeloflexCorsa Race (clincher) 2512.3 W
VittoriaCorsa N.EXT TLR 2612.3 W
MichelinPower Road 2512.4 W
PirelliP Zero Velo 2512.5 W
VittoriaCorsa Pro Control TLR 2812.5 W
VittoriaCorsa Control G+ 2.0 TLR 2512.6 W
PirelliP Zero Race 2612.6 W
PirelliP Zero Race TLR 4S SpeedCore 2812.8 W
SchwalbePro One (tubetype) Addix 2512.8 W
SpecializedS-Works Mondo 2Bliss Ready T2/T5 2812.8 W
VittoriaCorsa Elite (tubular) 2512.9 W
TufoComtura 4 TR 2812.9 W
CadexRace Tubeless 2513.0 W
VittoriaCorsa G+ 2.0 (open) 2513.0 W
MaxxisPadrone Tubeless Ready 2513.1 W
MaxxisHigh Road 2513.2 W
ChallengeStrada Pro 2513.4 W
SpecializedS-Works Turbo 2413.4 W
BontragerR3 Hard-Case Lite TLR 2513.6 W
PirelliP Zero Road 2613.7 W
Rene HerseChinook Pass Extralight 2813.8 W
SpecializedS-Works Turbo T2/T5 2613.8 W
PanaracerRace L Evo 3 2513.9 W
GoodyearEagle F1 TLC 2513.9 W
ContinentalGrand Prix 2514.0 W
VittoriaCorsa N.EXT 2614.0 W
ContinentalUltra Sport III 2514.1 W
VittoriaCorsa Control G+ 2.0 (open) 2514.1 W
ContinentalCompetition (tubular) 2514.2 W
MichelinPro 4 Endurance v2 2514.5 W
MichelinPower Endurance 2514.5 W
ContinentalGrand Prix 4 Season 2514.6 W
PirelliP Zero Velo 4S 2514.7 W
IRCFormula Pro Tubeless RBCC 2514.8 W
MavicYksion Elite 2515.0 W
TufoComtura Duo 2815.1 W
VittoriaZaffiro Pro G+ 2.0 2515.2 W
VittoriaRubino Pro G+ 2.0 2515.2 W
ZippTangente Course 2515.3 W
MichelinKrylion 2 Endurance 2515.4 W
MichelinPro 4 Service Course 2515.4 W
SchwalbeOne Performance Addix 2515.4 W
SchwalbeOne TLE Performance Addix 2515.8 W
MichelinLithion 2 2515.9 W
PirelliCinturato Velo TLR 2616.0 W
SchwalbePro One HT (tubular) 2516.1 W
PanaracerRace A Evo 3 2516.4 W
SchwalbeDurano Plus Addix 2516.4 W
ClementStrada LGG 2516.9 W
MichelinDynamic Sport 2517.3 W
PanaracerRace D Evo 3 2517.4 W
SchwalbeDurano 2518.0 W
SchwalbeLugano II 2518.0 W
VredesteinFortezza Senso All Weather 2518.0 W
ContinentalGatorskin 2519.3 W
ContinentalGator Hardshell 2519.5 W
SchwalbeDurano DD Addix 2519.5 W
MichelinPower All Season 2521.3 W
MaxxisRe-Fuse 2522.6 W
View All
CX/Gravel Rolling Resistance Reviews
Brand Model Watts
ContinentalGrand Prix 5000 S TR 3212.8 W
Rene HerseSnoqualmie Pass TC Extralight 4413.5 W
ChallengeStrada Bianca Pro HTLR 4014.8 W
UltradynamicoCava Race 3314.9 W
SchwalbePro One TLE Addix 3415.5 W
ContinentalGrand Prix 5000 All Season TR 3515.6 W
SchwalbeG-One RS Super Race 3515.7 W
ChallengeStrada Bianca Pro HTLR 3615.7 W
SchwalbePro One TLE Addix 3215.8 W
ContinentalGrand Prix 5000 TL 3216.0 W
SchwalbeG-One RS Super Race 4016.2 W
ContinentalGrand Prix 5000 All Season TR 3216.3 W
ContinentalTerra Speed TR (tanwall) 4516.4 W
PanaracerGravelKing TLC 3516.6 W
VittoriaCorsa N.EXT TLR 3216.7 W
PanaracerGravelKing TLC 4017.0 W
ContinentalTerra Speed TR 3517.0 W
VittoriaCorsa N.EXT TLR 3417.2 W
ChallengeGetaway Pro HTLR 4017.4 W
Rene HerseSnoqualmie Pass TC 4417.4 W
TufoGravel Thundero 4017.4 W
TufoGravel Speedero 4017.5 W
SchwalbeG-One RS Super Race 4517.6 W
ContinentalTerra Speed TR 4017.8 W
TufoGravel Thundero 4418.1 W
TufoGravel Speedero 3618.2 W
ContinentalTerra Hardpack TR 5018.6 W
UltradynamicoCava Race 4218.9 W
PanaracerGravelKing TLC 3219.0 W
TufoGravel Thundero HD 4019.2 W
PanaracerGravelKing SS TLC 4019.2 W
PirelliCinturato Gravel H 4019.5 W
Rene HerseSnoqualmie Pass TC Endurance 4419.6 W
SpecializedRoubaix Pro 2Bliss Ready 3219.7 W
SchwalbeG-One Overland Super Ground SpeedGrip 5020.0 W
TufoGravel Swampero 4020.1 W
SpecializedS-Works Pathfinder 2Bliss Ready 4220.2 W
SpecializedS-Works Mondo 2Bliss Ready T2/T5 3520.2 W
MichelinPower Gravel 3520.3 W
SpecializedPathfinder Pro 2Bliss Ready 4220.3 W
Rene HerseBarlow Pass TC 3820.4 W
PanaracerGravelKing SK TLC 4020.9 W
ChallengeStrada Bianca Race TLR 3621.2 W
ChallengeGetaway XP Pro HTLR 4021.3 W
PirelliCinturato Cross H 3321.4 W
ContinentalSpeed King CX RaceSport 3221.4 W
PirelliCinturato Gravel M 4521.7 W
VittoriaMezcal III TNT G+ 2.0 4421.9 W
MichelinPower Gravel (v2) 4021.9 W
ContinentalTerra Trail TR 4022.2 W
HutchinsonOveride 3522.2 W
PirelliCinturato Gravel M 4022.7 W
WTBRiddler TCS Light 3722.8 W
MichelinPower Adventure TLR 4822.9 W
SpecializedPathfinder Pro 2Bliss Ready 3823.0 W
Rene HerseSteilacoom TC 3823.1 W
PanaracerGravelKing Plus TLC 3523.1 W
VittoriaTerreno Dry TNT G+ 2.0 3323.2 W
PirelliCinturato Gravel RC 4023.2 W
ZippG40 XPLR 4023.3 W
VittoriaTerreno Zero TNTG+ 2.0 3723.4 W
Rene HerseHurricane Ridge TC Extralight 4223.8 W
PirelliCinturato Velo 3523.8 W
TeravailCannonball Light & Supple 4223.9 W
SchwalbeG-One R Super Race 4024.2 W
MaxxisReaver EXO/TR 4024.2 W
WolfpackGravel SuperSpeed TLR 4024.2 W
Rene HerseSnoqualmie Pass TC Endurance Plus 4424.3 W
Rene HerseHurricane Ridge TC 4224.4 W
PirelliCinturato Gravel RC-X 4024.7 W
VredesteinAventura 3824.7 W
SchwalbeG-One Bite Super Ground SpeedGrip 4024.8 W
WTBResolute TCS Light 4224.8 W
SchwalbeG-One Speed Super Ground V-Guard SpeedGrip 4024.8 W
MaxxisRambler EXO/TR 120 TPI 4025.0 W
PanaracerGravelKing SS Plus TLC 4025.5 W
VittoriaTerreno Mix TNT G+ 2.0 3325.6 W
PirelliCinturato Gravel S 4025.6 W
ChallengeGrifo Pro 3325.7 W
WTBNano TCS Light 4025.8 W
PirelliCinturato Cross M 3325.9 W
SchwalbeG-One Ultrabite TLE SpeedGrip 4026.0 W
SchwalbeG-One Allround Super Ground SpeedGrip 4026.0 W
IRCBoken Doublecross 4226.3 W
WTBByway TCS Light SG2 4026.6 W
VittoriaTerreno Dry TLR G+ 2.0 4026.6 W
VittoriaTerreno Wet TNT G+ 2.0 3328.4 W
ChallengeGravel Grinder 3328.7 W
HutchinsonTouareg Hardskin TLR 4029.0 W
PirelliCinturato All Road 4029.7 W
MaxxisRe-Fuse Gravel 4030.1 W
BontragerGR1 Team Issue 4030.4 W
GoodyearConnector Ultimate 3531.4 W
View All
Mountain Bike Rolling Resistance Reviews
Excludes previous models/discontinued tires
Visit the MTB overview to view all
Brand Model Watts
SchwalbeThunder Burt Super Ground Addix Speed15.7 W
SchwalbeRocket Ron LiteSkin Addix Speed18.1 W
ContinentalRace King Protection (E-25)18.2 W
SchwalbeRacing Ralph Super Ground Addix Speed19.0 W
ContinentalSpeed King II RaceSport19.1 W
SchwalbeRacing Ralph LiteSkin Addix Speed20.5 W
SchwalbeRacing Ralph Super Race Addix Speed21.5 W
SchwalbeRocket Ron TL-E Addix Speed22.2 W
ContinentalRace King RaceSport22.4 W
SchwalbeRacing Ralph 2019 TLE Addix Speed22.5 W
SchwalbeRocket Ron TL-E Addix SpeedGrip22.7 W
VittoriaMezcal TNT G+ 2.023.5 W
SchwalbeRacing Ray TLE Addix SpeedGrip23.8 W
SchwalbeRacing Ralph TL-E Addix SpeedGrip24.2 W
VittoriaMezcal XC Race TLR G+ 2.024.4 W
ContinentalCross King Protection 29x2.224.5 W
ContinentalRace King Performance ShieldWall24.9 W
VittoriaBarzo TNT G+ 2.025.5 W
SpecializedS-Works Renegade 2BR T5/T725.9 W
SpecializedS-Works Fast Trak 2BR T5/T726.0 W
MaxxisAspen EXO TR26.1 W
IRCMythos XC26.3 W
ContinentalRace King Performance26.3 W
MaxxisRekon Race EXO TR26.6 W
MaxxisRekon Race MaxxSpeed EXO/TR26.8 W
SpecializedS-Works Ground Control 2BR26.8 W
MaxxisIkon 3C MaxxSpeed TLR27.0 W
ContinentalRace King Sport27.0 W
ContinentalCross King Protection 29x2.328.4 W
MaxxisAspen MaxxSpeed EXO/TR28.5 W
MichelinJet XCR28.7 W
PirelliScorpion XC RC Lite Team Edition28.8 W
MaxxisArdent Race 3C EXO TR30.6 W
MichelinForce XC30.8 W
ContinentalMountain King II RaceSport31.5 W
MichelinForce AM32.9 W
KendaSmall Block Eight35.6 W
MaxxisIkon eXCeption Silkworm38.2 W
TufoXC11 TR38.6 W
VittoriaAKA40.7 W
View All
Touring Bike Rolling Resistance Reviews
Brand Model Watts
CompassBon Jon Pass15.6 W
ContinentalGrand Prix Urban16.9 W
SchwalbeMarathon Almotion (OneStar)17.1 W
VittoriaVoyager Hyper17.7 W
ContinentalContact Urban18.4 W
SchwalbeMarathon Efficiency18.5 W
SchwalbeMarathon Supreme19.1 W
SchwalbeMarathon Almotion Addix19.4 W
SchwalbeMarathon Almotion TLE Addix19.7 W
PanaracerPasela PT (ProTite)20.6 W
ContinentalSport Contact II20.6 W
SchwalbeMarathon (GreenGuard)21.3 W
SchwalbeEnergizer Plus21.5 W
CSTE-Series Reach21.9 W
SchwalbeGreen Marathon22.4 W
ContinentalTop Contact II24.2 W
ContinentalUrban Taraxagum24.2 W
ContinentalContact II24.3 W
SchwalbeMarathon Racer24.6 W
SchwalbeKojak24.8 W
ContinentalCity Ride II25.1 W
SchwalbeMarathon Plus25.5 W
SchwalbeMarathon Mondial Evo26.7 W
VredesteinPerfect-E27.3 W
SchwalbeMarathon E-Plus27.4 W
ContinentalTop Contact Winter II28.5 W
VittoriaRandonneur32.4 W
ContinentalE.Contact33.4 W
View All
Fat Bike Rolling Resistance Reviews
Brand Model Watts
SchwalbeJumbo Jim LiteSkin PaceStar29.4 W
SchwalbeJumbo Jim SnakeSkin31.1 W
SpecializedFast Trak Fat35.9 W
VeeRubber Vee 838.3 W
SurlyLarry40.9 W
45NRTHVan Helga43.5 W
45NRTHHusker Du44.2 W
SurlyLarry 27 TPI45.5 W
VittoriaBomboloni TNT46.4 W
MaxxisMammoth47.2 W
PanaracerFat B Nimble47.9 W
KendaJuggernaut Pro51.7 W
View All