So instead of buying race skis can I tune my piste ski edges at racing angles to achieve the same (or close) ice grip?
I actually want that "race grip" on hard snow.
So what will happen if I tune my p800 at 1 and 3 degress for instance (I dont know what the default angles are). Will the perform like race skis (at theast the grip aspect)?
Quick answer: yes, they will have significantly more grip on boilerplate, which seems to be what you are after.
Longer answer: 1/3 is not "race" enough and I would say at a minimum, go 0.5/3.0 and 0.5/4.0 would be better and more noticeable. Also, make sure the edges are "razor" sharp so you must handle them carefully, lest you cut yourself. You can get too sharp, but just do some hockey stop slides on ice a few times and they will dull down quickly to a comfortable level. If too dull to start with, they won't get sharper by skiing on them. You will get a sense of what's too sharp pretty quick, and that's what they make gummy stones for. What you won't get from a ski that does not have a race ski construction and strength, is high grip and precision at very high speeds. A race ski is stiff enough to not twist and loose its grip at high speeds. That's the other part of what makes a race ski perform like it does. Obviously tuning won't change that and you have what you have. What your changes will reveal is how "race ski like" the construction of your ski is and how high a speed it can still grip at. Your P800 should be pretty good, and I think you will be happy with the results.
Don't be scared of this tune, in soft snow the ski will feel exactly the same with the new tune. On firm snow, the ski should respond similar to soft snow. No more sliding out or skidding around. They way I tell if my edges are "proper" is when skiing on boilerplate feels like soft snow when I have my skis on edge. The turn response is basically the same. If you think about it, in soft "packed" snow (not powder) your skis will always grip when you want them to. On boilerplate (close to ice) they should do the same thing with very good edges. On glare, "hockey rink" ice, even a race ski has its grip limits, which are more about how hard the ice surface is and how much a skis metal edge can penetrate it. I have been able to achieve very good grip on my non-race skis on everything up to boilerplate. "Hockey rink" ice seems to be its own category and requires slowing down and a light touch.