Continental GP5000 AS TR review: Race day performance with four-season protection

The Continental GP5000 AS TR sits in the brand’s highest tier of tyre offerings on the road, the GP5000 line. Launched in early 2023, the AS TR was designed to offer better wet weather performance and durability than the GP5000 S TR. The AS stands for ‘All-Season’ to highlight the enhanced performance in any weather conditions.

The tyres feature a new tread material which claims to be grippier in the wet, longer lasting, and feature better sidewall protection. This tread is a reformulation of its now famous BlackChili compound, tailored to create more wet grip. A thicker tread adds to the durability and longevity but does come at around a 50g penalty per tyre according to Continental, although the difference was 88g per tyre on our scales. The tread is paired with 'Lazer Grip', laser profiled tread grooves designed to further boost grip, as well as a Vectran breaker for added puncture protection. There are also two colour options as well as a healthy range of sizes.

Price-wise it is £5 more expensive than the GP5000 S TR at £84.95. This certainly makes them premium-level tyres that outprice most all-season offerings. However, the rolling resistance performance puts them beyond even some brands’ top race tyres. For that performance and enhanced durability, the steep price starts to look more justified.

Design and specifications

The main building block of the GP5000 AS TR tyres is the BlackChili compound. This has long been used by Continental in top-tier road tyres, but over the years has been refined and reformulated. This latest version has been specifically tailored for improved wet weather grip and cornering, an area that the brand's offerings have traditionally performed well in.

Tread depth has been increased, to increase the overall tyre lifespan, but also to reduce the chances of items penetrating the tyre and puncturing. This extra tread material has come at a weight penalty, adding a claimed 50 grams. However, when comparing the GP5000 S TR to the AS TR, we found the 28mm S TR tyres to be 88 grams lighter.

On the exterior of the tread is the brand's 'Lazer Grip'. A pattern that is lasered into the tread, aimed at enhancing cornering grip and stability in the wet and dry. We don't know exactly how the brand does this though. Internally a Vectran Breaker has been used to further boost puncture protection. This is a synthetically manufactured high-tech fibre, similar to spider silk apparently, and is a liquid-crystalline polymer. It is then spun from this liquid form into a multi-strand thread, creating something lightweight that has a very high tear resistance, similar to Kevlar in a bullet-proof vest. Flexible, but very difficult to penetrate. Continental also claim that it has zero adverse effect on rolling resistance, which would explain why it’s used in their GP5000 S TT, while some TT tyres forgo protection belts altogether. The GP5000 AS TR tyres also feature a four-ply sidewall rather than the three-ply of the GP5000 S TR for extra protection.

In terms of specifications, the GP5000 AS TR is available in two colour options. The first is a tan wall option for those who like that style, however, it comes with a small weight penalty. The other is a black sidewalled option, but with a Black-Reflex reflective coating to improve visibility from the side. 

Sizes are available from 25-35c, however, there is no 30c option. All tyres, save for the 25 which has a 21mm internal width maximum, can be used with up to 25mm internal width rims as tubeless, hookless, or clincher (with an inner tube). The actual measured width when fitted to our test Hunt 54 Aerodynamicist wheelset came out at 28.5mm for the 28mm variant.

Performance

Impressively, the GP5000 AS TR were relatively easy to fit to my wheels. I have found that the GP5000 line can be an absolute nightmare to fit, requiring tyre levers, grippy gloves, and a red face blurting profanities. The AS TR by contrast were impressively easy to fit, still requiring a good amount of wrist strength to get the final push over the rim but nothing excessive. Seating them was also a breeze, with no manipulation required around the rim to get them to seat properly and using just a track pump. In terms of installation, they have been one of the easiest tyres to fit and seat. The pair of wheels I used admittedly was a narrower one, Shimano RS170 alloy wheels which measure 23mm external and 17mm internal on the rim. Sometimes a wider rim can prove more difficult, but given these are my standard test wheels, the GP5000 AS TR compare favourably to the competition.

In terms of how the tyres measure, the GP5000 AS TR came out pretty true to size at 27.9mm on these admittedly narrower rims. On our test rims for our rolling resistance test, a pair of Hunt 54 Aerodynamicist Disc wheels with 20mm internal width, the tyres came out at 28.5mm.

For testing the tyres out on the road, it’s been pretty perfect weather to put an ‘all seasons’ tyre through its paces. A mix of wet and dry rides, muddy lanes, hedge trimmings, and various glass shards and debris at the side of busy roads has thrown pretty much anything that could be thrown at these tyres. The thicker tread and puncture protection belt both seem to do their job very nicely, with even intentional detours down lanes with fresh cut hedges in the rain having yet to result in any punctures or even the need to pick out bits of thorns from the tyre tread. Additionally, several hundred kilometres have made nearly zero impact on the wear dots around the tyre, indicating that the tread does have a fairly decent lifespan. Even the rear tyre, which due to having more weight over it tends to wear down faster, is still nicely round with wear dots fully intact.

Compared to the standard GP5000 S TR, the main difference in the AS TR is the tread thickness, and apparently the tread pattern but comparing the two there is a very minimal difference aside from potentially deeper tread indents. This additional tread has likely been the cause for the AS TR weighing in at 335g compared to the 247g of the S TR. That thicker tread will almost certainly contribute to a longer tyre lifespan, as well as making it a bit more difficult for foreign objects to get through and puncture the tyre.

Interestingly the additional weight, even at the edge of the rim resulting in greater rotational mass, does not make the wheels feel sluggish by comparison. Yes, the wheels are perhaps a little less sprightly on steeper inclines to accelerate, but my test wheels are nearing 2kg themselves. For race day tyres, lighter is likely going to be that little bit easier to get up to speed. But to finish first, first, you must finish, and particularly for grotty weather and poor road surfaces, staples of the British Road Racing scene, the GP5000 AS TR are potentially less likely to suffer from a race-ending puncture.

It was impressive to see that the GP5000 AS TR don’t give up much in terms of rolling resistance to the GP5000 S TR. During our pedalling efficiency group test at the Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub, we used the GP5000 S TR as our benchmark tyre. At 9m/s (32.4kph) the AS TR were only 3.3w per tyre slower, and at 11m/s (39.6km/h) 5.2w slower. Out of 24 tyres, this put them just 5 places behind the race-specific GP5000 S TR, mightily impressive given the AS TR is an ’all seasons’ tyre rather than a race day one.

Riding out on the road myself, with changes in weather, atmospheric, and terrain conditions it’s impossible to quantifiably say if the GP5000 AS TR are faster than other tyres. But our testing does show them to be up there in rolling performance terms with some of the best race-day tyres. Another key element of course is cornering and grip, which were equally impressive. I’ve had issues previously with GP5000 (first generation) tyres slipping on wet, out-of-the-saddle climbs. With the AS TR there were no such issues, and wet weather cornering was an area where they felt more planted than most other tyres I’ve used. Probably the Pirelli P Zero Race TLR 4S came the closest, but that did not perform as well in rolling resistance testing. As for dry weather cornering, banking these tyres over around tight and twisty downhills I never felt like I was nearing the limit of the tyre's grip, more my confidence in myself. I did set a new personal best down a notoriously steep and twisty descent locally though which I ride often, so the tyres certainly don’t hold back when it comes to cornering performance.

An aspect that I like is the two available versions. I like a tan wall, I think they look great most of the time. Not so much when they get covered in road filth and chain oil during winter rides, but the option to have them is nice. The black sidewalls will look the same all through the winter, but the GP5000 AS TR have a fun little showpiece. The sidewalls are reflective, and light up when light hits them. It’s not as effective as a flashing light, but for adding a bit more visibility, especially from the side, it is a good safety feature that does nothing to detract from the performance.

Value

£84.95 / $110 is not cheap for a tyre, especially for a four-season tyre that is suggested as a fast training tyre. In fact, several tyres outperformed the GP5000 AS TR in our rolling resistance test as well as being on average £20 cheaper per tyre.

Those other tyres however are race day-specific tyres, with less puncture protection, they aren't substantially faster, and are also available in fewer widths. The GP5000 AS TR has a lot of things going for it, being both an impressively fast tyre with a significantly longer lifespan than most race day-specific tyres. This likely means not needing the shell out nearly £90 a tyre as often. Over the long run, the GP5000 AS TR is likely going to prove better value than similarly fast-rolling, cheaper race day tyres. Especially if you want something that's hardy but fast. 

Having the option for 32 and 35c sizes also makes these a fantastic option for those wanting fast rolling and resilient tyres, but with the grip and comfort benefits that larger volume rubber provides.

Given the versatility, long projected lifespan, and impressive rolling performance, I would be inclined to go for these over the GP5000 S TR for UK racing or fast-paced riding. I’m willing to sacrifice ~6w in speed for a reduced likelihood of punctures and a reduced rate of buying replacement tyres.

Verdict

The Continental GP5000 AS TR tyres are an excellent pair of race day tyres, as well as being a mightily impressive all-season training tyre. The two should not be statements that are compatible together, like saying a Land Rover Defender is a great race car or a Ferrari a great family off-road vehicle. Yet somehow the GP5000 AS TR does both things and does them very well.

Lab testing confirms that it is a fast tyre. Rigorous field testing shows that the tyres grip well and are resistant to punctures even when being thrown into filthy, wet, potholed, cutting-laden lanes. Weight is higher, but is necessary for puncture protection and increased lifespan. They are not cheap, but you’re very unlikely to find another tyre that will be this fast, grippy, and rugged all in one package.