The latest evolution of Continental’s hypersport lineup has arrived in the form of the ContiSportAttack 5, a tire designed to offer the best of both worlds for sport road riding and track riding.
Replacing the ContiSportAttack 4, this new-generation offering from the German rubber giant pushes further toward track capability while maintaining the usability riders expect from a street-focused tire. It’s best described as a high-performance road tire with trackday credentials, so we headed to Chuckwalla to put it through its paces.
At the core of the ContiSportAttack 5 is an updated compound formula derived from Continental’s BlackChili technology, the compound engineered to enhance grip while improving mileage durability. There’s more silica to aid in wet-weather performance with a faster warmup time for more grip when riding in cold, dry weather.
The structure has also been refined. Continental’s new MultiZoneBelt construction has the center section denser for greater stability and longevity, while the softer shoulders with greater spacing between the steel belts allow for a greater rubber footprint under brakes and high-load cornering.
There’s a new tread pattern as well with a greater ratio of uncut rubber—less grooves mean more rubber on the ground and better cornering performance, although Continental has been careful not to mess too much with the tire’s wet-weather performance.
According to Continental’s own testing, the new ContiSportAttack 5 is 1.2 seconds per lap faster around its test track in Germany, with significant enhancements in braking performance, handling and wet-weather grip, the latter resulting in a 2.2-second lap-time reduction when the wet circuit was used.
Lowdown | Continental ContiSportAttack 5 Tires
Standout Feature: Excellent front-tire feel and very fast warmup time when used on track
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
Very fast warmup from cold
Great front-end feel and fast turn speed
Faster drop off in rear-tire performance on track than expected
Rider Analysis | Continental ContiSportAttack 5 Tires
Before I start, an interesting piece of information: Continental doesn’t want you to change the tire pressures from the street settings when you go to the track.
I know, sounds insane, right? Continental says they have changed the way their tires work so rather than chasing an ideal pressure, you just run them from cold and gain a feel for how they are gripping.
Over the course of the day, I rode two supersport bikes, a naked bike and two 1000cc superbikes, and fastidiously checked the front and rear pressures the second I came into the pits. Each time, the pressures had jumped upward of six psi—one time it was nine psi—but I couldn’t fault how they were working. It is one of the great mind-boggling moments of my riding career.
Continental says this is due to the combination of the BlackChili compound and the MultiZoneBelt technology, but many other companies use variable belt tensions in their tires and insist that you must air the tires down substantially before riding.
Anyway, back to the performance.
The first thing you notice (once you’ve got the whole pressure thing out of your head) is how quickly the ContiSportAttack 5s warm up. Within four corners, I had a tentative knee down at Chuckwalla on stone-cold rubber, which is high praise indeed.
The front tire, especially, has excellent feel and offers quick turning while being stable on full lean, allowing you to trail brake that little bit harder each time.
Mid-corner behavior is particularly 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 approaching its limits too quickly.
The rear tire plays a good supporting 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 soaking and the rim is hot, the rear tire’s grip begins to fall away faster than I’d hoped.
When the grip finally goes, it misbehaves in both heavy braking and acceleration, with braking slides swapped for acceleration 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 problem 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 riding, which is where this tire is going 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 better while still being a good street tire, so the jury’s out on the Contis’ street performance.CNFor more information, visit https://www.continental-tires.com/products/motorcycle/tires/contisportattack-5/
Click here to read the Continental ContiSportAttack 5 Product Review in the Cycle News Digital Edition Magazine.
