Thursday 5th January 2017

Subaru Forester STI: PH Fleet

Dan's Subaru gets gripped and sorted on fresh rubber

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Turns out it's surprisingly hard to get tyre fitters to, y'know, fit tyres. This being PH I fully expect someone to set me right on their business model being based on selling tyres as well as fitting them. But it is a little frustrating when you arrive at your third outfit in a row to find them hardly rushed off their feet yet unwilling to fit the set of fresh tyres you've arrived with.

Thanks chaps!

Uniting Forester with the set of Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3s I'd scored on test was a bit of a logistical exercise all-in. I'll spare you the details but it turns out you can fit four 18-inch tyres in an F-Type Coupe and spend three hours on the M1 with the acrid smell of rubber wafting from the passenger seat. Though I'd not especially recommend it.

Playing the 'financially astute' Yorkshireman card I thought I'd played a blinder by booking the car into the Halfords Autocentre in Leeds while I ran round and did some Christmas shopping, thereby ducking ruinous city centre parking charges. But they must have seen me coming. Thankfully their colleagues in Halifax did the job for £12 per wheel, just in time for the Forester to hit the wintry Yorkshire roads and put the Goodyears to the test.

I'm sure everyone has their own little checklists when doing the first walkaround of a prospective purchase but mine always includes looking at the tyres. Pick'n'mix budget rubber on a performance car to me speaks volumes about the owner's priorities and rings immediate alarm bells. On the flipside a matched set of quality rubber on a Shed-level car is reassuring. So the evenly worn Yokohamas the Forester arrived on from Japan were comforting, though the rubber had started to perish and they needed replacing.

I invested in a set of Eagle F1s for my old classic Impreza WRX back in the day and recall them working very well. The latest Asymmetric 3s launched last year and are Goodyear's 'Ultra High Performance' product, available in 17-inch to 20-inch sizing. Technology includes sticky Grip Booster compound and Active Braking Technology. This spreads the tread under load to increase the contact patch and reduces stopping distances by over two metres according to Goodyear's quoted DEKRA test - more info here in the promo vid.

Doing the job very well so far

Now fitted I'm sensing the sidewalls might be a bit stiffer than the Yokohamas (they're a slightly higher load rating, for starters) as there's a tad more feedback through the wheel over cambers and surface changes. No bad thing as Subarus don't tend to have a whole lot of steering feel as standard, and it doesn't seem to have come at the cost of low-speed comfort. Grip even on wet roads is eerily good, especially in partnership with the Forester's inherent traction. As much as I like cars that slide around a bit there's equal - if different - fun to be had in a car that can make the most of its performance even when the road surface suggests otherwise. Subaru weight distribution always means a degree of understeer on turn-in but once the nose is pointing where you want it you can go full beans in total confidence it'll just grip and go. Put it this way, I've been rather enjoying greasy slip roads of late. Passengers less so, possibly. Ditto my emboldened cross country pace on the local B-roads, further encouraged by my new burbly soundtrack.

An 'extra' 7,000 miles or so of wear life is another claimed benefit of the new Asymmetric 3s, which also appeals to my Yorkshire side given the £251.99+VAT official RRP for the 225/45 R18 91W size I needed. We'll see how that plays out over time but for now the Forester is playing to its strengths and very much in its element in the elements.

Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 construction

Grip Booster

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FACT SHEET
Car: 2005 Subaru Forester STI (JDM import model)
Run by: Dan Trent/the long suffering Mrs Trent
Bought: December 2015
Mileage: 122,843km (at purchase)
Purchase price: £9,500
Last month at a glance: An even faster winter bus with new tyres fitted!

Previous reports: 
Dan scores himself one of his all-time dream cars
Living the Subaru lifestyle dream
Dan versus JDM wind deflectors (with a little help from Sticky Stuff Remover)
JDM habit runs deep in the Trent family, which could prove costly
New exhaust brings the noise!

[Sources: Goodyear UK via YouTube]

[HaggisHunter91]

Not entirely car related but is that Gisburn Forest car park in the first picture?

Also at a rough guess is it an Orange Five and Transition on the roof?

Kieran

[benjijames28]

I put these tyres on my Audi a3, I've done a few thousand miles and have been happy with them.

Can't moan for 86 quid a corner fitted!

Step above the crap budget brand that was on before.

[Dan Trent]

HaggisHunter91 said:

Not entirely car related but is that Gisburn Forest car park in the first picture?

Also at a rough guess is it an Orange Five and Transition on the roof?

Kieran

Well spotted! Orange one is my Five and the blue one my wife's Four; living in Halifax it's pretty much compulsory to support the home team but no bother with that given they're literally built to suit the local riding!

Dan

[G30001]

Have these on my MKV Golf R32 and love them, although I paid £92 a corner fitted for the same size 225/40 R18 not sure if that was a launch promo though.

Had a set of Asy 2's on my Leon Cupra R before and these 100% a step up.

Done over 5K on them and they look new.

[Ryvita]

Little bit advertorial there Dan, but never mind eh?

Still, good choice on tyre. I have the older version of the same thing, but they suit the car well. Next job is to get the Whiteline uprated rear ARB on and that will dial out a bit of the understeer. £250 including the adjustable drop links I think? And it's an easy job you can do yourself in about an hour. VERY WORTHWHILE.

Also have you done the Snorkusectomy yet?

[Dan Trent]

Shhh! Mrs Trent may be reading!

Dan

[Doktor Avalanche]

I had my F1 eagles fitted to my Forrester STI (Litchfield) by Cranleigh Tyres, who actually come out to fit.

[rtz62]

Not quite sure if these are the same, other than the load rating Dan;
Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 - 225/45 R18 95Y XL FP TL?
They are listed on Camskill Tyres at...£113.05 inc vat, which by my reckoning is not that far shy of getting 3 for the price of 1 at that RRP (ok, £40-ish out, but hey-ho!)
Now, I'm sure someone with your degree of 'finacially-astute yorkshireman' savvy won't have paid that full price, (swmbo did mention you might use the extra ££ you will have saved to buy new 'ob-nail boots, a whippet, bart'hat, thar knows; her attempt at humour, and I'm too frightened / respectful of her to argue!)

[FF24]

If you're ever heading through York, Yorvac Tires at Clifton Moor fit any tire for £10 a corner. Great service from the guys there too. (no affiliation)

[macky17]

Actually Imprezas and Foresters have great inherent steering feel. The trick is to ditch the dreadful, huge, heavy standard steering wheel and fit an aftermarket offering from OMP or Momo, etc. Yes, you lose the airbag (buying the correct steering boss from Japan will give you a resistor which keeps the airbag light off) but the transformation in steering weight/feedback has to be experienced to be believed. Much easier to get comfortable also if you are tall...

[C7 JFW]

Great car, interesting to say the least. I'm tempted by one these given the huge volumes of grip.

[Dan Trent]

rtz62 said:

Not quite sure if these are the same, other than the load rating Dan;
Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 - 225/45 R18 95Y XL FP TL?
They are listed on Camskill Tyres at...£113.05 inc vat, which by my reckoning is not that far shy of getting 3 for the price of 1 at that RRP (ok, £40-ish out, but hey-ho!)
Now, I'm sure someone with your degree of 'finacially-astute yorkshireman' savvy won't have paid that full price, (swmbo did mention you might use the extra ££ you will have saved to buy new 'ob-nail boots, a whippet, bart'hat, thar knows; her attempt at humour, and I'm too frightened / respectful of her to argue!)

Them's the ones! Full disclosure, etc, if it wasn't already clear but Goodyear provided these to me as review samples, which is why I quoted the RRP. The assumption being that the 'canny' tyre buyer will not be paying that. Still, gives something to work back from!

Interesting point on the steering wheels too. I'd say I'd try that but I suspect that would cause even more domestic disquiet than the exhaust. Pick your battles and all that!

Cheers!

Dan