Goodyear Eagle F1s melting on winter track days?

[Kozy]

Hi all, going to my first trackday in December, but I have a concern about my tyres. I have heard rumours that Goodyear Eagle F1s, as good as they are on the road, are not much cop on track as they tend to go off rather quickly at elevated temperatures. Now while I can accept this is likely on a hot summers day on track, but does anyone know how they will cope on a Decemeber trackday? I am not sure how much tyre temps vary between seasons or indeed what the F1s maximum operating temp is?

I am tempted to buy some R888s but if the F1s will cope fine then I'll save the money for other goodies.

Car in question is not that powerful, a Honda Civic VTI, but friends have reported the temp issues in similar cars.

[shorts!]

Save your money, I reckon. I've found F1s fine unless they get really hot, either by doing (over)long sessions or on hot days, the latter unlikely on a December day.

[SI-PEN]

Have F1's on my Cerbera, not had a problem but not got them really hot on track either. I've not heard any bad reports on GY-F1's that would make me change.

[drakart]

I bought a set of F1's for my stripped out 205 gti thinking that the lack of weight and power would mean that they would last. Incorrect!!! They last two trackdays at cadwell and were in a real mess. the sidewalls had been rounded off and they had burst around the outside. Each of the arrowed grooves had melted into a peak. The best thing to do is to try them once and see what you think.

i was pushing very hard for up to half an hour at a time so it all depends on how much grief you give them! You will probably find that the fluid handling of the civic will change once you put sticky tyres on.

[weed]

A little more camber neg would help keep the wear a little more even.
m

[FlatPack]

I killed a set in an afternoon at Anglesey in January, that was on a Supra twin turbo and they weren't exactly brand spanking when I started though.

Grip goes off really badly when they overheat, started getting comedy oversteer everywhere even on a cool down lap...

[DiscoColin]

Hmm - nobody seems to have mentioned pressures here. When on track, your pressures will rocket which may be the real issue with the stories that you have heard. The first time I tracked my car (on Michelins) I assumed that I wouldn't really go fast enough for it to be much of an issue in a sessioned event (so just under half of each hour on track). I discovered that I was wrong when I started to melt them as my pace picked up late in the day.

I now always carry a motorsport pressure gauge with a bleed valve and bleed the tyres down as required to keep them in spec (I have had to take up to 12psi in total out of the rears before). Result - no issues with overheating. Just remember to pump them back up over pressure before you set off for home as the pressures will drop significantly, and running under pressure is unsafe and bad for the tyre.

[Big 968 Dave]

If the day is a wet or damp one then the F1,s will be fine. If its dry, they youl wear them out fast....
Just get a set of each, F1,s for road / wet Tdays + a set of slicks for dry days....Theres usually somebody selling part worn slicks on flea bay....But youl then need another spare set of wheels...

[LuckyNumber72]

Have had the same experiences as Flatpack and drakart when i took the F1's on track.
They became hot, started to grain, ridges formed on the grooves and finally no grip with lots of oversteer. And i was only in a FIAT Panda 100HP!

[SI-PEN]

SI-PEN said:

Have F1's on my Cerbera, not had a problem but not got them really hot on track either. I've not heard any bad reports on GY-F1's that would make me change.

OH Great! Looks like I'll be needing new tyres then next week - I'm tracking at Silverstone this weekend!

[Batfink]

get the tyre pressures right and make sure your corner entry speed is not too fast and you dont over steer using the steering wheel. Be smooth and you will still be fast but without shagging your car.

[iguana]

I've done a few days on F1s in M3, not a patch on sticky rubber but fine hot- Monza summer 30+ deg & cold- track UK 5 deg & wet UK 20 deg.

Noticably understeery when fronts hotter, but I think its a car, (heavy & stock geo & suspension) rather than tyre issue. No worse at going off than 888s- which don't in my findings like getting really hot, & are sliptastic when they are, but obviously F1s less grip to start with.

888s fine cold & ok in wet, don't like standing water too much but when new are still pretty impressive in it for track rubber.

[PhillipM]

I murdered mine at Curborough, and that was in December with ice on the track, and a measly 1.4 under the bonnet!

[LuckyP]

I finished mine off at Brands in 2007. Haven't used F1s again on track since. Found that anything over 15min session and the car was squirming about like the tires were mage of jelly!!

Kumhos now. Not going back.

Here are the F1s:



note the over inflation (now cooled) wearing the centre



Fronts were fine:

[shorts!]

Those don't look like the same Goodyear Eagle F1s that I've had previously or the newer assymetrics. And I mean the tread pattern not the wear. Are we all talking about the same tyres?

[LuckyP]

Hmmm... possibly not. They are Goodyear F1 GS Fioranos. From 2006. Perhaps a similar compound though?

[WeirdNeville]

Everybody I know who has run Eagle F1's (GSD3's - the V shaped tread ones) has regretted it. From MX-5 to Focus, they are saw-toothed in 10 laps and dead in half a day. I put noticable wear on mine in 5 laps on a 200SX, before changing to a spare set of wheels and running all day on crappy hard continentals.
They are just too soft, and the ribs roll over and shred themselves as you corner.

The only way I could see them working is on a very wide profile tyre where the ribs are wider and less prone to saw-tooth, but I still wouldn't use them. They're a great road tyre, but not suitable for track use unless you like them so much you want to buy a new set the day after. IMO.

[screwloose]

I and many other 205 drivers have recently been discussing similar issues with F1's. They have little heat tolerance and 'go off' very quickly.
Not recommended

[irf]

killed my eagle F1s on track. was as if one side had melted and been pushed in towards the centre.

brilliant tyre for the road though.





to be fair, being a front wheel drive car with an open diff there was plenty of wheelspin which probably killed them.

[LaurenceFrost]

I would question anyone who thought they might need R888's on their first trackday.

The problem is, R888's have become a bit of a buzz-word in the car community in the lasy year or so, and some would have you believe you dare not go NEAR a circuit without a semi slick tyre.

I have never used a semi slick on any road car for my track days and I've done loads. Eagle F1's will be absolutely fine, as are Toyo T1-R, T1-S, etc etc.

Any good brand of tyre will be find on a circuit. It will be a few sessions before you really benefit from a semi slick anyway. Go out, have fun, check the wear (both on the inside and outside edges), and then go and do it all again.

Brakes are always a far bigger issue to a first time tracker. Make sure you have a good set of pads and decent fluid, otherwise be prepared for brake fade.