Michelin Pro 2/3 Race vs Conti GP-4000
 

what are the differences? wear? pressure? grip? puncture resistance?

everything.

I haven't ridden P3R or GP4000, but if you do a search... you can find comparisons between P2R vs. P3R and GP4000 vs. P2R

from what I've seen on this forum:
A lot of the wear and durability variances seem to be derived from your weight.
P3R grips better than P2R

I actually just did a search about this over the weekend. After my search I added the Contis to my Christmas list. But depending on what you want the Michelins might be better for you.

my rear conti 4000 wore pretty fast.

My rear PR3s have worn pretty fast too....it's all relative.

PR3s are a great race tire that can be ridden all the time as long as you don't mind the wear rate. Buy 3 at a time and swap the front to the rear and put the new on the front when needed.

"my rear conti 4000 wore pretty fast. "


That is surprising. I have been getting close to 4000 miles per pair on GP4000's and then I use them on my trainer in the winter for another 1500 miles or so right down to the threads. I do rotate them front to back once in awhile to even out the wear. No flats now in my last 2 pair.

I've been using gp's for racing and TT's for the past year and a half with a switch to Pro 2's for one set. The 2's were fine, but feel wise I liked the GP's better. The one set of pro 2's I used wore out a bit quicker and seemed to pick up flats easier as well.

I weigh 200 lbs and get 2,500 miles and replace them using 4000S. I ride smooth pavement and significant chip and seal miles and the occasional recently chip and sealed road when I have to. Between last year and this year I have ridden 8,000 plus miles with only two flats and both of them were pieces of metal that would have flatted any tire.

GP's last at least twice as long as the P3's, probably 3 times. They are not as grippy as the threes. I haven't had punctures in either but a lot more cuts on the 3's than the GP's. Smoother, grippier ride on the 3's but don't wear very well.

Interesting... I have and do ride all three of these tires.

I raced/trained on P2R's

Race on P3R's

Winter train on GP4000's (not the black chili ones though).

My honest opinion?

Race on P3R's.

Train on P2R's.

Commute/junk/winter/rough road miles on GP4000's.

i have experienced the same think. i am 220 # and on my third rear tire. first two were right around 2500 milews each down to the core all around. only one flat whicfh was a large staple that would have fattened any tire. i am absolutely sold on conti gp4000s.

for what it is worth, i stopped rotating tires about five years ago. now i buy four tires at a time and wear out three rear to one front. it just seems easier.

I have 3,657 miles on my rear Conti 4000 with zero flats, and there still may be a couple of hundred miles left. The P2s are grippier imo and remain supple at higher pressures than the 4000. For long distance races, I like a 4000 on the back for dependable flat resistance and a P2 on the front for grip and suppleness. I haven't tried the P3s.

Better performing tire than p2s at the cost of durability. Still....I have had 2 flats in the last 4 years using p2 and p3s. Just notice that the p3s wear much faster than the p2s.

Night and day...

I won't ride the PR3's at night for fear of hitting something I can't see and destroying the tire. Don't have that fear with the 4000's.

55/Rad

I rode the PR2s for a while and switched to the 4000S.. I prefer the 4000S.. they last longer. Im heavier than most everyone that posted in this thread and I get 2500-3000 out of a rear and just swap it out.

May i throw a 3rd option at you?

Vittoria Rubino pro slicks. I recently gave them a try after running PR2s for a long time, and quite frankly....they feel the same to me, only they have a slightly narrower profile for a 23mm tire.

the biggest diff between them is ride. pr2/3 are more supple in sidewalls and filter out edginess in a road. chili gp's are firmer and you'll feel the road more. I personally always felt like the pr2's needed air even when fully inflated.

Contis for me. They have the edge when it comes to taking them on and off the rim easily. I've never had a Michelien tire i've liked except the set of Pilot Powers I had on my motorcycle before I went to Conti Sport Attacks.

I also like the predicable handling of Contis. The GP Supersonics are a great race tire. The GP4000 is a great all around tire and i've gotten fewer flats with them than I did with a set of Gatorskins.

I run Contis on my Ducati and my VW Jetta too.

i've used the pr3, conti 4000, and conti 4000s this year. I ride a lot of miles.

fyi, I weigh 165lb.

My opinion is, I'll never buy the pr3's again. They are far too easy to cut, get damaged, etc. I went through two rears before I gave up and went back to the conti 4000s. I don't trust them.

First rear got a slash from some glass on the road, second one got a tear in the sidewall from I've no idea what. I had five flats - all in the rear - with the pr3's this year.

I've have zero flats and significantly more miles on the conti 4000s model this year. It may be all in the head, but I think the 4000s ride slightly better than the 4000.

I liked the PR2's, tried the 4000S and had a flat after 2 days, then a sidewall failure with under 1k, I really like the Rubino Pro Slicks. I'm a big guy (6'3" 216 lbs) so I get about 1200-1600 miles per set.......

I've been using Pro 2's this past year. I like them but all i have to compare to is my Vredestein Fortezza SEs and the Sprinter's on my Zipps, which I really haven't ridden enough. I was just wondering if there is some overwhelming reason to try something else. Sounds like there's no need to try Pro 3's since I don't race and I'm a Clyde by a good margin.

Yeah, the rear seems to last only about 750-1000mi, at least that's what I have on the current GP4000S and it's due for replacement soon. But I can live with that.

My rear P2R lasted 10mi before the sidewall got ripped open by a loose rock. Haven't tried my luck with them again, or the P3R. I can live without the hassle of a busted tire in the middle of nowhere - or bad batches, or poor quality control, or fragile gear, depending on perspective.