Pirelli P Zero Race TLR 4S road tyre review

The Pirelli P Zero Race TLR 4S is the Italian brand’s high-performance, all-season tubeless road tyre.

Having previously existed only as a (highly rated) clincher tyre, Pirelli finally released an updated, tubeless-ready version earlier this year.

Combining the supple ‘SpeedCore’ casing from Pirelli’s lighter P Zero Race TLR with the SmartNet Silica compound from the Cinturato Velo winter tyre, the P Zero Race TLR 4S looks to bridge the gap between the two.

While its relatively narrow and round shape doesn’t inspire quite as much confidence in wet conditions as the best tubeless road bike tyres, it’s a successful effort overall.

As advertised, the Pirelli P Zero Race TLR 4S offers impressive speed and ride feel in a tougher, more durable package.

Pirelli P Zero Race TLR 4S details and specifications

The Pirelli P Zero Race TLR 4S tyre has a similar construction to the lighter P Zero Race TLR.

It uses the same SpeedCore, 120 TPI (Threads Per Inch) casing, which is intended to bring good suppleness and a racy ride quality.

On paper, those looking for a fast all-season tyre should take note – the P Zero Race TLR was the most efficient versus seven of its rivals when we tested it at the Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub, so there’s pedigree here.

Of course, there’s no guarantee that the Race TLR 4S will be comparably efficient, as it has a different compound: SmartNet Silica compared to SmartEvo on the P Zero Race TLR.

Pirelli claims the silica in the compound interacts with water more favourably, improving grip, while “microscopic rod-shaped particles” are “arranged systematically, rather than chaotically” to maximise resilience against sharp objects and reduce tyre wear.

If that all sounds as confusing to you as it does to me, don’t worry – to put it in plain English, Pirelli is saying the SmartNet Silica compound is tougher and more durable, if not quite as fast as SmartEvo.

This should be a trade-off many can accept in such a tyre, and it’s worth noting that it balanced it to great effect in the Race 4S clincher tyre.

The Race TLR 4S tyre is available in three sizes – 700x28c, 700x30c and 700x32c.

Given the P Zero Race TLR can be bought in 35c and 40c variants, it’s a surprise not to see those offered here. Arguably, a wider tyre would be even more appealing in the toughest conditions.

In keeping with the current standard at BikeRadar, I opted to test a set of 28c tyres. These, like the P Zero Race TLR, measured out relatively narrowly on my 20mm (internal width) test rims – 27.4mm at 80psi.

The tyre also has quite a rounded shape, which carries implications for ultimate ride confidence.

The 28c tyre costs £78.99, and £1 more each for the 30c and 32c variants. That’s in the region of £10 less than the Continental Grand Prix 5000 AS TR, but around £25 more than Goodyear’s Vector 4Seasons tyre.

I weighed the tyres at 344g each – 14g more than claimed – including the retaining band Pirelli supplied the tyre with.

Pirelli P Zero Race TLR 4S installation and setup

Setting up the Pirelli P Zero Race TLR 4S is easy.

I managed to fit one tyre without the use of a tyre lever, while the other needed just a little more encouragement (most likely due to my sometimes-wanting technique).

Once on the rim, the tyres inflated using just a track pump and a little hand pressure applied to the tyre over the valve inlet to help splay the beads for a couple of strokes.

The beads popped into place easily, and (incidentally) held air well when I left them with no sealant in for eight hours.

With sealant inserted and well distributed, the pressure loss was further reduced to the point where I could inflate the tyre to 80psi/5.5 BAR and not need to top up (70psi is my self-set lower limit on the test rims) for 48 hours.

Pirelli P Zero Race TLR 4S performance

On the road, the P Zero Race TLR 4S behaves much like its sibling – that is, it feels fast, grippy and supple. Essentially, all things you're likely to want from a racy all-season tyre.

I can’t tell the difference in compound when riding in a straight line at moderate speeds, save to say the tyre feels marginally less lively and responsive when accelerating or when driving on at 40 km/h or faster.

That said, because I already knew I was testing a slightly heavier, theoretically slower tyre compared to the Race TLR, my perception might be skewed slightly towards that expectation.

In any case, the difference between the two feels very small in reality.

Wet-weather grip is very good. I’d estimate it’s as grippy as either the Continental Grand Prix 5000 AS TR or Vittoria Corsa Pro Control, which is about as good as it gets right now for a tyre of this type.

However, the overall tactile feeling the tyre provides isn’t quite up to the same level as either of those two rivals – certainly, the Corsa Pro Control stands out in this respect.

The Race TLR 4S tyre is also a touch narrower and rounder in shape when inflated on a Hunt 54 Aerodynamicist Carbon Disc wheelset.

Combined, I felt this made my test bike feel a touch firmer and sharper to ride, compared to running the Continental or Vittoria alternatives (at the same tyre pressures, according to my track pump dial).

Personally, I’d prefer a slightly more compliant and easy-going experience from a tyre tasked with dealing with such a wide range of conditions, to help generate more confidence when the weather is bad.

Having said that, preferred ride feel is very subjective – if you like a firmer-feeling ride experience, the Race TLR 4S is likely to appeal.

You could also size up to the 30c or 32c options to get greater volume, but if your road bike is tight on tyre clearance this may not be feasible.

Pirelli P Zero Race TLR 4S bottom line

The Pirelli P Zero Race TLR 4S tyre performs like a close facsimile of its (on-paper) faster, lighter brethren. In good weather and with decent road conditions, it feels every inch a race tyre.

It’s also very easy to live with – setup is about as simple as it comes.

My only reservation is that its relatively narrow and round inflated shape doesn’t always inspire full confidence in the wet, despite grip levels being excellent.