October 26, 2007
We’re seeing an evolution in many of today’s Max Performance Summer tires designed for Europe’s Autobahn, Autostrada and Motorway. One that includes the expanding use of asymmetric tread designs on top of sophisticated asymmetric internal structures. The newest example of this at the time of this test is the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric Max Performance Summer tire.
Recognizing that no single tire design can do it all, Goodyear offers multiple Eagle F1 tire lines tuned for different high performance driving conditions. And while many Eagle F1 tire lines were developed for Original Equipment use and must meet the vehicle manufacturer’s specifications, three distinctive designs have been brought out specifically to satisfy the replacement tire needs of driving enthusiasts wanting to tailor their tires to what, how and where they drive. These include Goodyear’s Eagle F1 GS-D3 (summer tire with excellent wet hydroplaning resistance), Eagle F1 All Season (year-round traction, including in light snow) and the new Eagle F1 Asymmetric Max Performance Summer tire that is designed to combine dry road handling and wet-road traction with pleasant cabin comfort.
We were favorably impressed by the media preview of the Eagle F1 Asymmetric and now it’s time for our team to put it to the test. In order to confirm how Eagle F1 Asymmetric tires measure up to some of today’s other Max Performance Summer tires, we compared the Eagle F1 Asymmetric to Bridgestone’s Potenza RE050A Pole Position, Continental’s ContiSportContact 3 and Michelin’s Pilot Sport PS2 tires. Like all summer tires, none of these tires are intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice. Our evaluation used 2006 BMW 325i E90 sedans with new, full tread depth 225/45R17 tires mounted on 17x8.0" wheels.
Our 5.6-mile loop of expressway, state highway and county roads provides a great variety of road conditions that include city and highway speeds, smooth and coarse concrete, as well as new and patched asphalt. This route allows our team to experience noise comfort, ride quality and everyday handling, just as you would during your drive to school or work.
The Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 displayed the lowest levels of tread noise among the group. The Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric followed very close behind, rolling along almost as quietly as the Michelin. Our team found the Bridgestone Potenza RE050A Pole Position generated somewhat more tread noise than the Michelin or Goodyear tires, with a bit of a growl heard when slowing to a stop. Continental’s ContiSportContact 3 produced minimal noise on the higher speed and concrete sections of our route, but did produce a singing tone when driving across smooth asphalt.
The Eagle F1 Asymmetric’s ride quality was found to be the most compliant of the group, doing a good job isolating the small- and medium-sized impacts. Bigger impacts and rolling terrain were not as well controlled, however. The Pilot Sport PS2 and ContiSportContact 3 also managed to smooth out most smaller bumps, both riding only slightly firmer than the Goodyear. The Potenza RE050A Pole Position was rated a close fourth, allowing more of the sharper road impacts to make their way to the driver through the seat and steering wheel.
The Michelin was well liked by our team for its blend of responsive steering and sure-footed handling. This tire always delivers a solid feel and smooth, linear steering response. The Bridgestone followed, well liked for its quick steering response and stable handling. The Goodyear was ranked third by our team, found to have slightly slower steering response and a slightly less precise on-center feel than the Michelin or Bridgestone. The Continental rounded out the group feeling a little less responsive when compared to the handling of the other three tires.
Our 1/3-mile per lap test track course includes 90-degree street corners, lane changes and simulated expressway ramps. Run in both dry and wet conditions, the test track allows our team to experience the traction, responsiveness, handling and drivability normally only encountered during abrupt emergency avoidance maneuvers or competition events.
In dry conditions, the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric proved fastest of the group. Plenty of overall grip and a neutral front/rear balance made this tire easy to drive quickly and at its limit. The Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 and Continental ContiSportContact 3 were both close behind, lapping our course within 1/10th of a second of each other but feeling quite different than each other. The Michelin held a slight advantage by the stopwatch, slicing its way through the lane change slalom and around the tight corners of our course. Around the skidpad and fast sweeping corner of our course, however, the Michelin displayed a hint of understeer. The ContiSportContact 3 lacked the absolute handling precision of the Michelin, but displayed a big plateau of grip at the limit, making it easy to control during hard driving. The Bridgestone Potenza RE050A Pole Position had crisp, responsive handling, but required constant small steering corrections while driving around the skidpad portion of our course.
In the wet, the Goodyear again finished ahead of the other three tires in this test, this time by a wider margin. The overall grip level was quite high, but felt a bit edgy at the limit, requiring more driver concentration and precision to optimize maximum performance. Again the Michelin and Continental tires challenged for second place, with the Michelin just edging out the Continental thanks to its responsive steering and balanced feel. What the Continental lacked in absolute responsiveness it showed strongly in its steering feel, predictability and overall driver confidence with plenty of advance warning when the limit of grip was approaching. Rounding the group was the Bridgestone Potenza RE050A Pole Position. While the tire displayed responsive steering, the overall grip level was not able to match that of the other three tires and its breakaway character was rather abrupt.
Bridgestone Potenza RE050A Pole Position (Max Performance Summer): Bridgestone’s Potenza S-02 Pole Position and Potenza S-03 Pole Position Max Performance Summer tires earned their front row starting positions when they were introduced thanks to the combination of wet and dry performance they provided. Bridgestone’s Potenza RE050A Pole Position with UNI-T Technology Max Performance Summer tire was developed to continue that heritage for sports car, sports coupe and sport sedan drivers. The Potenza RE050A Pole Position is designed to provide exceptional dry and wet road traction along with more responsive handling than the Potenza RE050A.
Continental ContiSportContact 3 (Max Performance Summer): The ContiSportContact 3 is Continental Tire’s Max Performance Summer tire developed for the drivers of powerful sports cars, sports coupes and luxury sedans. The ContiSportContact 3 is designed to combine outstanding braking capability and agile steering precision. Read more.
Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric (Max Performance Summer): The Eagle F1 Asymmetric is Goodyear’s Max Performance Summer tire developed for modern high performance vehicles that are more advanced, intelligent and luxurious than ever before. However since these vehicles are also more powerful, faster and heavier, they require tires that can provide control without conceding comfort. The asymmetric in the Eagle F1 Asymmetric name describes both the tire’s tread design and internal structure, both of which are designed to enhance performance in dry and wet conditions. Read more.
Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 (Max Performance Summer): The Pilot Sport PS2 is a Max Performance Summer tire member of the Michelin Pilot family of low profile, high-speed tires. Initially developed for Original Equipment (O.E.) on some of the world’s most prestigious sports cars and performance sedans, the Pilot Sport PS2 combines world-class dry road traction, handling and cornering. Some of the first Pilot Sport PS2 O.E. fitments included the BMW Alpina Z8, McLaren SLR and Porsche GT2 & GT3 models. Read more.
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