If you’ve got a sports sedan, sporty coupe, or crossover and you really want to get the most out of that car’s handling, cornering, and braking potential, performance tires are going to be the way to go. There are plenty of all-season tires that do well as far as handling and braking, but they still can’t deliver responsiveness and confidence that are quite as sharp and crisp as summer or ultra-high-performance (UHP) tires.

The Petlas Imperium PT515 is a summer UHP tire that’s designed to deliver that kind of adrenalin-pumping performance and at a surprisingly affordable price point. Let’s get in there and take a closer look at what this tire offers, with this Petlas Imperium PT515 tire review:

Features and Benefits

Here are some of the great innovations and forward-thinking design features that make the Petlas Imperium PT515 a standout performer and a great value in a summer UHP tire:

• Reinforced shoulder blocks are designed for sharp cornering ability, resisting inertia and tread deformation as you go hard into a curve
• Asymmetric tread is divided into two distinct segments, with the inboard side designed for dry-weather grip and the groove pattern on the outboard side optimized for wet-weather performance
• Wide circumferential grooves work as a system with angled grooves, removing water from the tire’s contact patch to resist hydroplaning on wet roads
• Advanced tread formulation is engineered for great adhesion to the road along with improved grip on wet pavement
• Computer simulated tread block array with inner and outer lateral channels, tuned to cancel and neutralize certain frequencies and overtones to keep road noise to a minimum
• Internal construction includes a polyester casing with twin steel belts and a spiral wound nylon cap ply
• Redesigned contact patch is longer, wider, and squarer, putting more rubber in contact with the road for improved handling, braking performance, traction, and wear properties

Pros and Cons

PROS:

• Very affordable price point
• Traction and handling are positive and sharp
• Ride quality is surprisingly quiet and supple

CONS:

• No limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty
• Summer tread compound – not good for colder weather
• Pattern noise can be a bit louder on some pavement surfaces

SimpleTire’s view on Petlas Imperium PT515 tires

Are you familiar with SimpleScore? SimpleScore is the ratings system that the SimpleTire team developed, to give you a quick, easy overview of any tire’s performance strengths and weaknesses. With SimpleScore, we take into account the tire’s technical details, specs, manufacturer info, customer reviews and other data points, then that’s all processed into a 1-10 numerical score for the categories of traction, handling and longevity, along with an overall average SimpleScore. In the case of the Petlas Imperium PT515, the SimpleScore numbers break down this way:

Petlas Imperium PT515:

• Traction: 7.8
• Handling: 7.8
• Longevity: 7.9
• Overall average SimpleScore: 7.8

SimpleScore numbers like that are pretty impressive, but they look even better when you remember that the SimpleTire price on the Petlas Imperium PT515 runs from $46.97 to $72.96 per tire, depending on tire size.

Right off the top, let’s address one of the Cons listed above. Summer and UHP tires like the Petlas Imperium PT515 are designed with a tread formulation that’s softer and stickier for good traction and braking performance - in some cases, UHP tires might be as soft as a pencil eraser. That means they can deliver phenomenal grip and keep your vehicle glued to the road on turns, but the downside of that tread compound is that it will stiffen up and lose grip in subfreezing weather, and tire manufacturers advise against using summer or UHP tires if temperatures are lower than 40-45 degrees Fahrenheit.

With the Petlas Imperium PT515, its system of sipes, circumferential, and angled grooves do a great job of resisting aquaplaning on a wet road. Even with high-horsepower sports sedans and muscle cars, the Petlas Imperium PT515 is capable of cornering and steering response that punches far above its weight class. At highway speed on road trips road manners are solid and stable without a need for constant corrections, but the Petlas isn’t numb or sluggish; this tire also responds well to driver commands during an emergency swerve or cornering.

Some drivers remarked about a firmer ride on some surfaces, which has to do with stiffer sidewalls and shoulders of the Petlas, but that also means a more rigid tire that’s capable of better cornering ability. One of the biggest challenges for any performance tire’s handling envelope is its rigidity. As a vehicle enters a turn, its weight and momentum try to keep pushing it forward, putting a lot of stress on the tire’s sidewall and shoulders. That leads to deformation of the tread (aka “tread squirm”), sometimes with the inboard side of the tire leaving the pavement altogether. The reinforced shoulder blocks of the Petlas Imperium PT515 are designed to resist deformation, helping to deliver confident handling and cornering ability.

All in all, it’s our take here at the SimpleTire team that the Petlas Imperium PT515 is a performance tire that compares well to premium brand tires that cost much, much more.

Vehicles the Petlas Imperium PT515 is a good replacement tire for

While not used as original equipment, the Force UHP is a good replacement tire for vehicles like the:

• Acura TL
• Audi A6
• BMW 135i
• Dodge Challenger
• Chevrolet Corvette
• Kia K5
• Ford Mustang
• Honda Civic
• Hyundai Veloster
• Jaguar XKR
• Lexus GS350
• Lincoln LS
• Mazda Miata MX-5
• Mercedes-Benz E550
• Nissan Maxima
• Pontiac G6
• Scion tC
• Subaru BRZ
• Toyota 86
• Volkswagen CC Sport
• Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio
• Cadillac CT4-V
• BMW M3
• BMW M4
• Dodge Charger
• Audi RS5
• Lexus RC-F
• Porsche Panamera
• Porsche Cayenne
• Mazda CX-30
• Mazda CX-90
• Audi SQ8
• BMW X3
• BMX X4