Nankang Sportnex CR S vs Vitour Tempesta P1
- TR Score
- 7.3/10
- Owners say
- 71% · 4
- TR Score
- 8.5/10
- Owners say
- 80% · 1
In the 2 independent tests that ran both tyres, the Vitour Tempesta P1 finished ahead 2 times and the Sportnex CR S not once. The Tempesta P1 stopped 1.2% shorter in the dry.
Data updated
Which should you buy?
Choose the Vitour Tempesta P1 if your priority is maximum dry-track pace and strong braking/lap-time potential for the money, and you're willing to manage a bit of late-stint movement and higher mass. Choose the Nankang Sportnex CR-S if you want a more all-round trackday tyre with better wet confidence in some conditions, quieter/less harsh road behavior, and especially strong durability for frequent sessions-even if it gives up a small but consistent edge in dry braking and long-run speed.
Where the Sportnex CR S is stronger
- Stronger wet security in AutoBild: shorter wet braking (50.1 m vs 51.9 m) and marginally quicker wet handling (133.96 s vs 134.01 s)
- Very rounded balance with few glaring weaknesses in AutoBild; predictable in mixed conditions and less “spiky” than some rivals at the limit
- Lower noise and decent road manners for the category (wins subjective noise 6.25 vs 6.0; described as pleasant damping/moderate noise)
Where the Tempesta P1 is stronger
- Consistently better outright pace and ranking across the two shared tests (2nd vs 3rd; 2nd vs 4th overall)
- Best-in-comparison dry braking in both tests (28.6 m vs 28.9 m; 30.26 m vs 30.7 m), translating to tangible gains into heavy braking zones
- Better long-run performance/average pace (wins both long-run metrics; notably 153.12 s vs 157.42 s in AutoBild), matching comments that it can run near top-tier pace
The bullet points are analysis of the shared tests and of owner reviews; the measured wins in each discipline are in the tables below. Where the two disagree, the figures are right.
Sportnex CR S vs Tempesta P1 at a glance
| Category | Sportnex CR S | Gap | Tempesta P1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared tests won2 shared tests | 0 | 2 | |
| Dry7 measurements | 1 | The Tempesta P1 stopped 1.2% shorter in the dry (2 tests) | 6 |
| Wet5 measurements | 3 | 2 | |
| Comfort2 measurements | 1 | 0 | |
| Tyre Reviews Scoreevery test and review we hold | 7.3/10 | The Tempesta P1 by 1.2 | 8.5/10 |
| Owner rating4 and 1 reviews | 71% | The Tempesta P1 by 9 points | 80% |
Wins count every measurement the shared tests recorded for both tyres; a tick marks the tyre ahead on that line. Subjective driver scores count as wins but are never averaged, because each test uses its own scale.
Head to head in 2 tests, 2025 to 2026
Each row is one published test in which both tyres ran on the same car, in the same size, on the same day. The line is the whole field, winner on the left.
| Test | Sportnex CR S | Field | Tempesta P1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 AutoBild Track Day Tyre Test | P3 of 5 | P2 of 5 | |
| 2025 Tire Rack Extreme Performance Track Tyre Test | P4 of 7 | P2 of 7 |
Performance profile
5 measurements from the 2 shared tests, each tyre shown as its share of the better figure in every test.
Where each is furthest ahead
Sportnex CR S
Tempesta P1
Point at or tap any spoke for both tyres' figures.
In each test the better of the two figures counts as 100% and the other as its share of it, so a 36 m stop against 34.2 m is 95%; each spoke averages the shared tests that recorded it. 4 measurements recorded in only one shared test are left off; every measurement is in the table further down.
Every measurement, side by side
Averages of the figures both tyres posted in the same tests. The gap is the average of each test's own gap, so figures from different cars and years are never mixed. Open a discipline for its measurements, and a measurement for every test's figure.
| Measurement | Sportnex CR S | Gap | Tempesta P1 | Wins | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29.8 | 1.2% | 29.43 | 0-2 | |||||||||
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| 125.2 | 0.3% | 124.6 | 1-1 | |||||||||
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| 129 | 1.6% | 126.6 | 0-2 | |||||||||
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| scored | 6.1% | scored | 0-1 | |||||||||
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| 52.65 | 0.8% | 53.05 | 1-1 | |||||||||
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| 83.49 | 0.8% | 83.23 | 1-1 | |||||||||
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| scored | 8.3% | scored | 1-0 | |||||||||
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| scored | = | scored | 0-0 | |||||||||
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| scored | 4.2% | scored | 1-0 | |||||||||
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Braking distances and lap times are better when lower; speeds, wear and grip figures when higher. A test's figures are its own: sizes, cars, surfaces and temperatures differ from one to the next, which is why the averages here are only ever of tests the two tyres shared. "Scored" rows are subjective driver ratings: each test uses its own scale, so only the wins are counted.
Scores beyond the shared tests
On the Tyre Reviews Score, which weighs every test and review we hold, the Sportnex CR S scores 7.3 and the Tempesta P1 8.5 out of 10.
| Sportnex CR S | Category | Tempesta P1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 57 | Dry | 87 | ||
| 36 | Wet | 39 | ||
Category scores are percentiles among tyres of the same season and class: 90 means this tyre out-performs 90% of them, measured across every test we hold, not only the ones it appeared in.
What owners say
| Sportnex CR S | Category | Tempesta P1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Dry Grip | 8 | ||
| 3.7 | Wet Grip | - | ||
| 7.8 | Road Feedback | 9 | ||
| 8.8 | Handling | 10 | ||
| 7 | Wear | 5 | ||
| 3.5 | Comfort | - | ||
Owners rate the Sportnex CR S 71% from 4 reviews and the Tempesta P1 80% from 1. Reviews are vetted by hand before publication; ownership is not verified.
Nankang Sportnex CR S
- 71%from 4 reviews
- 20,702 milesdriven by reviewers
All 4 Sportnex CR S reviewsI've purchased these tires three times so far. Between these tires I have had Falken RT660+, RT615k+ and Kumho V730. None have been as consistent and performant all the way down to the end of the tire's life.
I use these for autocross at 275/35-18 on an 18x10" Apex VS5R wheel. The tire is extremely well supported on that size wheel. Nankang measures the tire on a 9.5" wheel but it's a bit pinched on that width so I'd recommend going larger.
I find that the compound comes on quickly and handles heat really well. I've never had to spray them down even during the Florida summers. I do make sure to get them to 32PSI hot and they'll hot lap no worries.
Vitour Tempesta P1
- 80%from 1 reviews
- 2,000 milesdriven by reviewers
All 1 Tempesta P1 reviewsThe P1 is a really nice steering tire, and if you get it in the right window, it's fast. But on my vehicle, it overheats very quickly. A good autocross tire, but not a good track day tire.
Sizes, EU label and lineage
| Category | Sportnex CR S | Tempesta P1 |
|---|---|---|
| Season | Summer | Summer |
| On the market since | - | 2025 |
Reading the results
Written from the test results and owner reviews above. It is analysis, not a measurement: where it and the tables disagree, the tables are right.
This is a close-run head-to-head between two budget-friendly, trackday-focused “semi-slick style” summer tyres that punch above their price point: the Nankang Sportnex CR-S and the Vitour Tempesta P1. Across two independent tests in similar wide performance sizes (275/35 R18 and 275/35 R19), both show genuine circuit capability, but they go about it differently in how they deliver speed and how they hold up over a stint.
Conclusion
Across both shared tests, the Vitour Tempesta P1 is the more consistently fast track tyre. It takes both overall head-to-head wins (2/2), leads dry braking in both tests (28.6 m vs 28.9 m; 30.26 m vs 30.7 m), and is also stronger over a long run where heat management and consistency matter (e.g., 153.12 s vs 157.42 s in AutoBild's long-run metric). It also scores higher on subjective dry handling (8.75 vs 8.25), aligning with the pro feedback that it's stable, offers good feedback, and can run near the very top tyres for pace-especially impressive for the money. The trade-off is that it's heavy (56.2 kg set in AutoBild, the heaviest there) and it can lose a bit of composure late in longer stints, plus wet braking can be only mid-pack depending on conditions.
Sportnex CR S vs Tempesta P1: your questions
Is the Nankang Sportnex CR S or the Vitour Tempesta P1 the better tyre?
In the 2 independent tests that ran both tyres, the Vitour Tempesta P1 finished ahead 2 times and the Sportnex CR S not once. On the Tyre Reviews Score, which weighs every test and review we hold, the Sportnex CR S scores 7.3 and the Tempesta P1 8.5 out of 10.
Which is better in the wet, the Sportnex CR S or the Tempesta P1?
The Sportnex CR S led 3 of the 5 wet measurements the shared tests recorded.
Which is better in the dry?
The Tempesta P1 led 6 of the 7 dry measurements the shared tests recorded. On average it stopped 1.2% shorter in the dry across 2 tests.
What do owners say?
Owners rate the Sportnex CR S 71% from 4 reviews and the Tempesta P1 80% from 1.
Run either of these?
Your review is the part of this page no test can supply: how the tyre wore, how it aged, what it was like in the rain in year three. It takes about five minutes.
Where this data comes from
Finishing positions and measurements are transcribed from each published test. A test only counts here when both tyres ran in it, so every figure was recorded on the same car, size and day as the one it is compared to.
About the TR Score
The Tyre Reviews Score rates each tyre out of 10 from every independent test result and vetted owner review we hold, so two tyres can be compared even before a test has run them together.
Who does the testing
Every test published as a Tyre Reviews test is run by Jonathan Benson, who has been testing tyres independently since 2007.
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