This 40mm-wide Pirelli P Zero Race TLR tyre is the largest of the new sizes introduced to the range, bringing road-specific performance – good rolling resistance, impressive grip and a supple ride feel – to your gravel bike or any other machine you have that has generous tyre clearance.
I first reviewed the P Zero Race TLRs back in 2023 and I was very impressed overall, although the price was pretty had to swallow. Some of that can be attributed to the fact that they are fully made in Italy, I suppose.
Back then the sizes on offer were 26mm, 28mm and 30mm, but Pirelli has now added a 32mm, 35mm and this voluminous 40mm. It has also included a range of colour options, although this largest model is only available in black.
As some of you may know if you read the Staff Bikes piece posted last year, I use a gravel bike on the road for commuting, long-distance rides and as a general winter machine. For the majority of the time, it runs on 38mm Panaracer GravelKing Slick TLCs, which are very good but are essentially slick versions of gravel tyres, so while quick and reasonably supple for one of those, they don’t feel the same as a performance road tyre.
The Pirellis definitely do. Just like that 28mm version I reviewed a couple of years ago (and still use regularly), the 40mm tyre feels much more supple than its 120TPI carcass would have you expect. For reference, the Panaracers are 60TPI. This thread count means they give a great ride feel regardless of pressure, and it’s beneficial for comfort too.
Going wider obviously adds weight, with the 471g we recorded on our scales (Pirelli claims 445g) being much higher than the 305g of the 28mm, so you have to factor that in. But other than that, these tyres feel everything that a race tyre should.
More material in contact with the road hampers these over narrower options in terms of rolling resistance, but in terms of real-world speed it is fairly negligible. Compared with the GravelKings or the other tyres I’ve been using – WTB’s Exposure TCS Fast tyres – the Pirellis feel quicker-rolling on both smooth and rough road surfaces.
The SmartEVO compound has a soft, tacky feel to it, and that means impressive grip in the corners, and they inspire confidence in the wet, too. On a gravel bike I’m not going to be pushing the speeds into the corners that I would on a fast-handling race machine, but it was always good to know I could go into the bends without having to worry about a lack of grip.
The construction is based around Pirelli’s own tubeless-ready design, which it calls SpeedCORE and says consists of “a thin air-tight layer of rubber compound infused with aramid particles”. It also says: “This layer covers the internal part of the tyre allowing for better mechanical resistance, improved air retention and greater flexibility.”
Looking at the cross-sectional image on Pirelli’s website, there are also some layers of puncture protection between the SpeedCORE and the outer compound. I may have been lucky but I didn’t suffer with any punctures, and while there are a couple of small nicks and marks on the tyres, nothing has made it through to require the tubeless sealant to be deployed.
It’ll be interesting to see if Pirelli brings out a 40mm size in the 4S version for a bit more robustness when riding through the winter.
The P Zeros work with both hooked and hookless rims, and I found fitment to be generally easy. I used them on a couple of sets of wheels, including Fulcrum’s Rapid Red Carbon gravel wheels with a 25mm internal rim width, and Scribe’s Elan SL 50 road wheels, which are narrower internally at 21mm.
On both sets the tyres required a little bit of persuasion from a tyre lever to get them onto the rim, but I certainly didn’t find it a struggle, and I wouldn’t be concerned about having to remove them out on the road should I puncture.
No assistance from an inflator tank was needed to pump them up to pressure, with the good fit meaning that a track pump did the job on its own. Even without any sealant added, both tyres barely dropped any pressure over a 48-hour period, suggesting that the improved air retention claims are justified.
Value
All of these impressive attributes come at a price, though, with the P Zero Race TLRs costing £79.99 each. That’s quite a bit pricier than the £54.99 GravelKing Slick TLR, for example, which now comes in a 40mm size, replacing the 38mm I mentioned earlier. The other one I mentioned, the WTB Exposure, maxes out at 36mm and has jumped in price to £70, up from £55 when I reviewed it.
Both of those are gravel/adventure allroad tyres, though; if you want a true road tyre in this size there isn’t much competition. You might consider the excellent (and more expensive at £84.95) Continental GP5000S, and Michelin’s Power Cup TLR, which is cheaper at £69.99, but both max out at 32mm.
Schwalbe’s Pro One is a contender, available in sizes up to 38mm, and comes in just under the Pirelli at £74.99. We last reviewed the Pro One back in 2020, but I recently spent a lot of miles on a 30mm set when riding the Fairlight Strael 4.0 I tested recently; they are great tyres.
If you don’t need such a wide option, check out our guide to the best road bike tyres for more of our favourites.
Conclusion
As a road tyre its performance is impressive, with the only difference compared with its more svelte options being increased weight and a bit more rolling resistance. If you need a tyre of this size and don’t want to go down the slick gravel tyre route then this is really your only option – luckily, a very good option. It’s a true race tyre for your gravel/allroad bikes.
Verdict
Impressive road race tyre in a size worthy of your gravel or allroad bike
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road.cc test report
Make and model: Pirelli P Zero Race TLR 700×40
Size tested: 700×40
Tell us what the product is for and who it’s aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
Pirelli says, “The new generation of PZERO Race TLR is the most performing tire in our portfolio as well as being the first tire with a tubeless technology entirely made in Italy . The introduction of the new SPEEDCORE technology in the 120tpi casing, features the use of a layer of compound mixed with aramid which covers the inner layer of the tire, improving either the smoothness and the resistance of the rubber. Result: a less stiff but faster tire. The compound, on the other hand, maintains the same advanced SmartEVO technology, shared with the other high-performance tires in the PZERO range”
It’s a fast road race tyre in a chunky package.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
From Pirelli:
SmartEVO Compound – Features a single-compound formulation based on three different polymers, each of which provides opposite performances in a perfect blend of grip, speed and reliability. The advanced mixture of polymers with ‘smart’ behaviors are the key elements of the SmartEVO compound, providing grip in any weather condition and very low rolling resistance in a package made to sustain also high mileage and rougher road surfaces.
SpeedCORE Casing – SpeedCORE™ construction consists of a thin air-tight layer of rubber compound infused of aramid particles. This layer covers the internal part of the tyre and thanks to the presence of the aramid into the rubber blend, it allows for better mechanical resistance, improved air retention and overall greater flexibility: all contributing to the tyre’s overall performance
Sizes – 26/28/30/32/35 & 40mm, all 700c
TPI – 120
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Feel fast and grippy.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
Great performance for such a wide tyre.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
Buying a pair will cost you a fair whack.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
As a high-end performance race tyre the pricing is in line with Schwalbe, Continental and so on, but they are more expensive than slick versions of gravel tyres, such as Panaracer’s GravelKing.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Yes
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
Quite pricey at full RRP, but offer great quality and an impressive performance while being one of the only true road race tyres out there in this width. They’re very good.
About the tester
Age: 46 Height: 180cm Weight: 76kg
I usually ride: This month’s test bike My best bike is: B’Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components
I’ve been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,
1 thought on “Pirelli P Zero Race TLR 700×40”
These, in a 30mm width, are
These, in a 30mm width, are an absolute nightmare to fit on to Hunt Aerodynamacist’s! Gave up with tubes and had to go tubeless for my own sanity.