Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 really soft/thin sidewalls?

[TurboHatchback]

I ordered a set of the above and they just arrived. I can't help noticing that the sidewalls feel really soft and practically floppy as well as only being a couple of mm thick. My Michelin PS3s felt so chunky and solid by comparison. The F1s are 225/45R17 94Y XL, with the 94 + extra load rating I was expecting them to be really solid feeling. Is this normal and how does it translate to driving on the road? It worries me about punctures too, they really don't feel very tough at all compared to the Michelins I've used for many years.

They will be fitted this afternoon so I will report back how they feel.

[Jurgen]

I have them on my S2000 (215/45/17 and 245/40/17), also with the extra load rating. To me the soft sidewalls are very noticable, feels slightly vague around the center position and on initial turn-in and can feel a little bouncy on rough roads. But grip/traction is very impressive and they seem to be quite hard wearing (did several trackdays). I won't order them again next time though, don't think they're suited to the S2000 (needs tyres with very stiff sidewalls imho).

[ManOpener]

I have 91Ys in the same size on my Leon. They're a little vaguer on turn-in when pressing on than the Pilot Sport 3s they replaced but the difference is pretty marginal, especially given the car is hardly pin-sharp anyway. They're equal in terms of grip in the dry, much better in the wet, seem to wear better, ride better and cost two thirds as much. They do have a softer sidewall than some of the competitors but all round I've been very impressed with them. IME you have to be driving pretty damn hard to notice the difference. I only really picked up on it when on a driving trip in North Wales, I don't notice it in the daily grind or on my fast-road weekend drives.

I've found they're quite sensitive to pressure. Mine seem to fair better at 1 or 2 PSI above the recommended standard pressure (but still well below the "high load" pressures). The vagueness is amplified if they're below recommended pressures by quite a substantial degree.

I'd fit them again all things considered, but I might try the XL fitting next time given the minimal price difference. I probably wouldn't fit them to an out-and-out sports car but they're basically perfect for daily driver hot-hatches. Apparently very good even with high-performance AWD stuff.

Edited by ManOpener on Thursday 10th July 13:11

[kambites]

Yes, they have quite soft sidewalls.

A positive for ride quality; a negative for handling sharpness; I don't think puncture resistance is an issue unless you regularly crash into things. They're great on the wife's Octavia because it has stupidly OTT 18 inch wheels. I might have chosen something else if it had 16s or if the 18s didn't seem to be made of lead.

Edited by kambites on Thursday 10th July 13:52

[TurboHatchback]

Well I've now done a couple of hundred miles on these and can report that the ride comfort and road noise is very good. Dry grip seems very good so far though I've not had a chance to really push them yet to see what happens nor try them in the wet. On the down side there is increased body roll, less steering feedback and precision to initial turn in compared to the 18 inch Michelin PS3s that were in there before.

They seem to be more of a touring tyre than a full on performance tyre which is probably better for me really as I do most of my miles on the motorway.

[Qubit]

Got those exact tyres. Sidewall does seem a bit softer than usual, and the turn in is perhaps a little blunted, but Ive covered just over 12k miles now and theyve never missed a beat, even in very bad weather.

For absolute performance there are better tyres, but it is a very good all rounder. I would echo previous comment about upping the tyre pressure by perhaps 1-2 psi. They also appear to be wearing reasonably well, should easily see 20k+

[jon-]

Sadly sidewalls are getting softer and softer for better RR and noise label data.

[anonymous-user]

Soft sidewalls seems to have been a feature of the Eagle F1 range of tyres for years and years, the old GSD3 were well known for it. I find them to be unusually progressive and friendly when you loose grip, it's possible the soft sidewall contributes to this?

[E65Ross]

I have these on my E65 in 275/40R19 and they're bloody brilliant tyres. Good grip, good ride quality and good noise levels. I don't think they're designed as a full on sports tyre but one which offers very good performance with a lean towards ride quality etc. I'd probably opt for Michelin Pilot supersports for a more sporty drove but for what these are for I really like them Nd will replace them when they need replacing.

[mrmr96]

TurboHatchback said:

Well I've now done a couple of hundred miles on these and can report that the ride comfort and road noise is very good. Dry grip seems very good so far though I've not had a chance to really push them yet to see what happens nor try them in the wet.

I expect you'll find they're amazing in the Wet. This is their "party piece" IMO.

[Heaveho]

I find them good enough on a 400 brake Evo, and I drive it like I stole it when circumstances allow. It handles very well on them, and many others who drive Evos will vouch for them over on the MLR. As said, superb in the wet. They cured all sorts of weird tyre wear and handling issues on our other car.

[TurboHatchback]

They should be ideal for my usage, much as I would like to drive everywhere like my trousers are on fire usually I am stuck behind a coffin dodger doing 35mph on big A roads or cruising down the motorway so the low noise & rolling resistance and comfort are more important than absolute feel most of the time.

I was just expecting them to be a proper sports tyre to compare to things like Michelin Pilot Sports but it seems to have a completely different focus and is more comparable with tyres like the Michelin primacy. Here's hoping they wear like Michelins too, hopefully they'll last at least 20k and ideally more.

[kambites]

jon- said:

Sadly sidewalls are getting softer and softer for better RR and noise label data.

I'm not sure I agree with the "sadly" bit. With wheels getting ever heavier and sidewalls ever lower, I think they need to be getting softer for mainstream cars.

[rodgling]

Have done a couple of wet trackdays in a boxster on these, was very impressed at how good they were. When they did lose grip it didn't result in any huge moments, so reasonably forgiving as well.

[darreni]

I run them all round on my CSL, superb tyre IMHO.

[WolfyJones]

Run them on a Sagaris, great tyre.

[xRIEx]

jon- said:

Sadly sidewalls are getting softer and softer for better RR and noise label data.

Is softer better for reducing rolling resistance? I would have thought stiffer sidewalls would be.

[iloveboost]

I don't understand how one set of tyres can have soft sidewalls and one can have stiff sidewalls. All tyres have to be load and speed tested/rated which must mean the sidewall has to be stiff enough to pass those tests right? Also isn't raising/lowering tyre pressure really the same thing?
I mean the tyre pressure supports the sidewall right? I think too much air pressure and you raise the centre of the tread as the tyre starts to 'balloon' and the tyre may 'cold tear' when the rubber isn't pliant enough?

I don't get the soft/stiff sidewall thing. I think it's a myth based on new tyres having tall treadblocks and old tyres having short treadblocks. It's the treadblocks people feel I'm sure of it but it could also be the design of the tyre as softer treadblocks=less noise/more squirm and stiffer treadblocks=more noise/less squirm. I'm sure taller and/or softer treadblocks make tyres squirm that's why some tyre manufacturers talk about 'stiff' treadblocks on sporty tyres.

That's my theory it could be BS but there it is. I'm also not a 'driving god' so that could also be the problem!

[kambites]

Tire sidewall stiffness varies enormously, just take a few different tyres and try to flex the sidewalls with your hands.

Higher load ratings need stronger sidewalls, but not necessarily stiffer ones (although for a given model of tyre, they will tend to be stiffer). The vehicle is held up by the air pressure not by the sidewall.

It's certainly not the only aspect of a tyre which affects the ride quality and turn-in sharpness, though.

Edited by kambites on Monday 14th July 17:06

[AlexHat]

Softer sidewalls are the reason I chose the Goodyear's over, say Bridgestone's or Pirelli's. I could tell the ride had gotten better on the drive home.