Description
Faster through the corners.
The popularity of the first-generation Continental Grand Prix 4000 was thanks to its unmatched versatility: It was light enough for a hilly ride, but beefy enough to survive chip & seal unscathed; its low rolling resistance made it an ideal choice for race wheels, but it didn't puncture at the first sign of road debris; it stuck to the road when you cornered at high speeds, but it didn't feel sluggish when you accelerated. It was a design that needed little in the way of improvement, but the engineers at Continental made some substantial improvements nonetheless -- and the finished product is known as the Grand Prix 4000s Clincher Tire.
The GP 4000s offers Continental's Black Chili rubber compound. They first developed this for the Moto GP racing circuit, and they've brought it over to their top-end bike tires. Super-tiny carbon black particles are incorporated into the rubber formula to provide benefits along three lines:
1. The tiny size of the Black Chili particles allows them to mold to the road surface more readily. It gives the tire greater ability to conform to imperfections in the road surface. Better contact with the road means better grip in demanding situations such as high speed cornering.
2. Since the Black Chili particles are so small, more particles fit into the contact patch of the tire -- reducing tire wear and increasing tire longevity.
3. The Black Chili particles are literally more flexible, which reduces the rolling resistance of the GP 4000s.
The Continental Grand Prix 4000s has a dynamic siped tread pattern for all weather traction. A Vectran layer sandwiched underneath the tread adds significant puncture resistance. The GP 4000s is available in 700x23 and 700x25 in Black/black.
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Share your thoughts
What do you think of the
Continental Grand Prix 4000 S Tire - Clincher
? Share a...
Confidence Inspiring
Joshua
Member since
I love how they corner and climb steep hills. I am extremely happy with these tires and would recommend them to anyone. Plus, I have only had one flat in the past 2 years.
Good tire bad sitdewall
Matt
Member since
This tire is light, rolls smooth and fast. Grip is consistent and great. I don't know how they wear because they get holes in the sidewall before they wear out. I have been through about 4 of these. Love the tire hate the sidewall.
Best clincher... ever.
Duncan Poling
Member since
I have put about 2500 miles on a pair of 23's, and I am in love. They are responsive, tough,and FAST (noticeably fast). They climb well, roll smooth on the flats, and are confidence inspiring on the downs. Great for commuting, training, and race day.
The 4000's are the best tire for the money, hands down. Stay away from Michelin and Vitorria, just stick with ze-Germanz for an amazing and honest tire.
Tough, sticky, awesome
Dustin Warr
Member since
- Gender: Male
- Familiarity: I've used it several times
I've put a few hundred miles on these bad boys and so far so good. I was flatting out on every ride with my old meats and not one yet on these.
...wore them out plus more
dewolf
Member since
these are great tires! they roll great, they have excellent grip and you can get quite a bit out of them. I did rotate front to back after a while to even the wear out as they wore flat in the contact area and then right down to the fabric in the tread area and they were still going strong. I pushed it beyond that for a couple of rides just to see what would happen. The rubber was micro thin and shredded in a couple of areas and they still did not flat. Finally took them off and parked them for a new set! I got approx 4000km-5000km from them ...maybe I can get them retreaded.
Fast and tough.
paul
Member since
- Gender: Male
I love these tire I have never had a blow out,in the Three years I've been riding on them.
Racing Tires
Ted Fundoukos
Member since
These are made to race and not to put on thousands of miles of use. They are light weight and have a very thin side wall which tend to tear easily if you brush them up against a curb. You will know as you will keep getting flats. If you plan on training for thousands of miles better to get the gator hard skins or 4 season continental. With that said, they are awesome tires.
Great tire
paul
Member since
- Gender: Male
- Familiarity: I've used it several times
seems like these tires a bomb proof,a little pricey,but saving money on tubes.
perfect
Cujo
Member since
2500 mile tires even for a fat kid on country roads. 2 flats, that is no exaggeration. Great ride and bomb proof rubber. These are and will be my only tires.
Excellent Speed and Grip
Colin Godby
Member since
These are excellent dynamic tires, but the weight makes them slightly prone to damage on the sidewalls. Nonetheless, I love the black chili compound and the 25mm width is great for rougher UT roads.
recommended
Eric Hill
Member since
Durable, high pressure tire, great for training, and the treadwear indicators are a good idea. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because this tire is very hard to mount and dismount. The bead should be easier to work with. I would like a slightly lighter tire but that may reduce it's durability.
i weigh 200 lbs should i switch from a 23...
dwight
Member since
i weigh 200 lbs should i switch from a 23 to a 25 tire? I ride a Specialized Roubaix Comp and do a lot of climbing. Is there a difference in ride with the 25.
har4190168
Member since
As a Clydesdale, your concern ridding needs to be on rims and tire psi. A wider tire will slow you down, add stability, but not impact your weight on it. A lighter rider can use a lower PSI tire, i shop for the highest I can find; Im switching to tubular zipp firecrest this year for this. I weigh in at 230lbs and still ride a 700x20, I hate 23s. A rule of thumb is you PSI rating should be 80% of your body weight, we are screwed.
Good tire with higher pressure
Spoke
Member since
After 3 pinch flats in the first month I came to the conclusion that the sidewall strenght and tire shape required a higher pressure be maintained at least in the rear tire. I incresed the pressure from 125 to 135psi and had no more pinch flats.
The tires are smooth and wear well and were a replacement for my GP 4's.
My belief is many people are running this tire at 110psi and are having issues. I believe these tires are rated 145psi so pump them up.
Write your question here...I have two new...
Don German
Member since
Write your question here...I have two new Schwinn bikes that have 700 x 38C tires. I need a relpacement tube. What size in inches should I buy?
Troy Barry
Member since
Just a replacement tube use the 35+ size tube, one solution for this replacement can be found at http://www.realcyclist.com/michelin-airstop-butyl-tube-road
I got a small sidewall tear after about...
mik2990158
Member since
I got a small sidewall tear after about 100 miles. After all the great reviews, I was surprised that no one complained about the durability. Was this just an isolated incident?
Josh Chapman
Member since
Hey,
Sounds like it could be a lemon. If you haven't passed the 30 day mark since purchase just go ahead and swap it out with RealCyclist, they will gladly take care of you.
mik2990158
Member since
Thanks. I put the contis back on the rear to replace the hutchinson fusion 2's I'd worn out and didn't get the same cornering I was used to. I barely missed wiping out on a down hill section and somehow managed to do a fixie style skid to straighten out. The sidewall tear was tiny so I put it back on. It feels like the tire itself had already flattened out after a handful of rides. Unfortunately, I did not buy this one from RC and it's been a while.
Like you say, it may have been a lemon, but I'll be switching back to Hutchy's. I'm not much of a speed demon, so I don't mind the extra weight/rolling resistance.
Outstanding Tire
dfu4040712
Member since
Probably the best clincher I have used. It rolls very well. It doesn't feel like the fastest tire in the world, but the ride is excellent, the quality of construction is first rate, and it feels solid and durable. For me this is an excellent tire for fast club century rides. The Pro Race 3 may feel lighter with lower rolling resistance but it may be more prone to flats than the strongly built GP 4000S.
Excellent all around product.
Excellent on time delivery from RealCyclist too!
2000kms and still going
Michael van Loenen
Member since
The best tire I have used bar none - I used to like Hutchinson as they were cheaper but kept getting side wall blowouts.
I have had the Conti 4000s for 2000 kms and so far they have lived up to all the reviews I have read. I was told to swap the back tire to the front after 1000kms as they take 1000kms or so to harden up. I did notice that the back tire did wear pretty quick over that time (slight flat spot) but now its been on the front for 1000kms it hasnt really worn at all, plus the tire thats now on the back has hardned up sufficiently it still looks almost new with no flat spot yet.
Im pretty sure Ill get another 2000kms out of them, which makes them well worth the price.
JLWINNAPA2412732
Member since
No one in their right mind should ever swap a back tire to the front. When the back wears out toss it and put the front on the back and the new tire on the front . Unless you like cornering on a tire with a square profile ??
Great tires
Tom Chell
Member since
I have been riding Continentals for decades. The Grand Prix and the Continentals in general are by far the most durable tires out there. I usually get about 1500-2000 miles per set. In most seasons never flat. Great life, very light weight. Perfect tires for all round performance.
Crème de la Crème
Damon Salter
Member since
Dont be fooled by imitations, this is the tire that all others attempt to live up to. Over two years on these and I have no complaints.Build Quality is awesome.Ride is awesome.Wear is ridiculously good, especially in Black Chili.Dry/Braking traction is good.Dry/Cornering is so predictable you know and learn to trust the tire like no other.Wet/Cornering, Yes I am not kidding you can go race pace into the wet corner. Unbelievable.Fit and finish is great.
Great tire...
rbt3674337
Member since
I've been riding the 4000S for about 2 years and haven't come across a better all around tire. They really wear well, very tough and have a good feel on the road. I also rode them for a week in the rain at a CTS camp and they performed very well.
View all contributions... Be patient, it might take a while.

Duncan Poling
Member since