GT Radial Champiro HPY

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Similar High Performance Summer Tires
Michelin Pilot Super Sport
Continental ExtremeContact DW
Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sport

GT Radial Champiro HPY Review 
Max Performance Summer Tire

UTQG Ratings     Treadwear 300    Traction AA    Temperature A

GT Radial designed this asymmetrical tire with dry and wet handling in mind, along with a more quiet ride. If you click on the image of the tire to the left you can see the tread design in more detail. Wide circumferential grooves are built in to channel water away from the footprint, while the lateral grooves guide that water to the outside of the tire. The continuous center strip is designed to always be in contact with the road and aid in dry traction. 

The shoulder area of the tire is reinforced to ensure better handling and cornering. The tire is also made of an all new tread compound that increases traction and stability. For additional wet traction, silica is infused into the tread pattern as well. The Champiro HPY comes in V and Y speed rated versions, which are 149 mph and 186 mph respectively. Rim size ranges from 17 inches to 20.


So how does the GT Radial Champiro HPY handle when taken for a spin?

This is a pretty low profile tire and definitely designed for some high speed aggressive driving - so that's exactly what we did. We started off on some fun twisty back roads, to test cornering and handling. The tires gripped the road really well and steering response was nice and tight. Even when taking turns hard and accelerating through, the tires provided excellent traction. When coming up to a stop sign and braking hard from about 60 mph the tires stopped abruptly and did not slide out, which has definitely happened in some of our previous tests...

We then take the tires out for a second test in the rain to see how well they do in wet conditions. Steering response and handling was very good, but not as great as dry conditions as is to be expected. The tires still had good traction and you could tell that the tires effectively channel water out of the tire's footprint. No slipping occurred even when driven pretty hard and no hydroplaning on the freeway. 

Pros:

• Excellent traction and grip in dry road conditions
• Very good wet grip and traction too
• Steering response, handling, and cornering was precise and crisp
• Most high performance tires don't come with a warranty- this one has a 5 year limited warranty

Cons:

• Treadlife (this is part of the deal with high performance tires because of soft tread)
• This tire is for dry and wet traction only - no taking these on snow or ice

Conclusion:
This tire is a lot of fun to drive and handled well in all road conditions we threw at it. These Champiro HPY's provide outstanding traction, cornering, and steering response. This tire is very reasonably priced compared to many of its similar high performance counterparts and definitely a good value. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking to replace their current low profile summer tires. 

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