PRODUCT REVIEWI
The rear tire plays a good sup-
porting role, up to a point. For a
few laps, grip is almost on par with
dedicated track DOT rubber, but
once there's been some heat soak-
ing and the rim is hot, the rear tire's
grip begins to fall away faster than
I'd hoped.
The front tire, especially, has
excellent feel and offers quick turn-
ing while being stable on full lean,
allowing you to trail brake that little
bit harder each time.
Mid-corner behavior is particu-
larly impressive. The tire maintains
composure at high-lean angles,
giving riders the confidence to carry
speed through corners. There's
a consistent, reassuring level of
front-end grip that encourages
pushing harder without the tire ap-
proaching its limits too quickly.
• VERY FAST WARMUP FROM COLD
• GREAT FRONT-END FEEL AND
FAST TURN SPEED
• VERY FAST WARMUP FROM COLD
• FASTER DROP OFF IN REAR-
TIRE PERFORMANCE ON TRACK
THAN EXPECTED
List Price: Front: 120/70 ZR17 $279.95 Rear: Starts at $355.95 for
160/60 ZR17, up to $420.95 for 200/55 ZR17
Website: www.continental-tires.com
When the grip finally goes, it
misbehaves in both heavy brak-
ing and acceleration, with braking
slides swapped for accelera-
tion slides and a general loss of
confidence. It's fine up to a certain
point, and if you're a mid-level
trackday rider, perhaps this prob-
lem won't befall you.
However, if you're used to a
decent club-day pace, you'll hit the
limit of the rear tire much faster
than you will the front, so that's
something to bear in mind.
One of the issues with this test
is that we didn't do any street rid-
ing, which is where this tire is go-
ing to be a much better proposition
than just track riding alone. There
are tires out there that will handle
the track side of the equation bet-
ter while still being a good street
tire, so the jury's out on the Contis'
street performance.
Rennie Scaysbrook
A look at the various technologies within the ContiSportAttack 5.
Here, the MultiZoneBelt (2)
construction is easy to see. Denser
windings on the center give way to
more spaced-out windings on the
tire's shoulder.
P102
