My Goodyear Run-Flats have about reached the end of the line are in need of replacement (over 45,000 miles). I am considering switching to a non-run flat because of the steep replacement cost. I see that Goodyear recently released the Eagle F-1 All Season, which (according to Goodyear) appears to rate better in all catagories. They are also about half the price of the run-flats. Has anyone had any actual road time with these? If so, what did you think?

 

I run the F1 GS3D. IT's a great tire if you have to deal with wet, but don't have snow.

Overall, you will find that non run-flats give a better ride, save $ at purchase time, handle better and start safety debates! I'll never go back to run-flats until they're better in the performance catagory, and don't cost an arm and a leg.

Matt

 

One of the best handling AS tires out now. Did great on the track, and reasonable on the street. They won their most recent test here, but its not published yet. Goodyear F1 AS


Alex

 

I just did a ride-and-drive of them vs. the Michlin Pilot Sport A/S in a BMW Z4. The Goodyear was such a better tire than the michlin. Better turn in and much better grip, especially in the wet, and even more so from an initial start. They are a fantastic tire and reasonably priced too.

 

That's great news.

Some MINI friendly sizes too!


205/55-16 $127 each
205/45-17 $126 each
215/45-17 $134 each

 

http://www.tirerack.com/testDisplay-1/84.shtml

 

What would be better exclusively for the street in an Ultra High Performance A/S in MINI friendly sizes?

 

Thanks to all for the quick replies. I think I am going to try a set of these out.

A question to Alex at Tire Rack. I will be motoring from Chicago to Columbus, OH in the next several weeks and could easily pass by the Tire Rack in South Bend. Does this facility do installations?

 

I sure like my Kumho ASX A/S tires.

 

Another choice is the Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Positions. I have these on another car and they have been great so far. I am considering them as my 'winter' tire on the MINI as well, and they come in quite a few 'MINI-friendly sizes'.

 

They do installations (mount, balance, etc) at the South Bend facility. They did a set for me. Make sure you grab your original valve stem covers if you want them beforehand though otherwise they are gone!

 

Using stock 17x7 rims and stock suspension.

For stock 205/45-17 then
Avon Tech M550 A/S $99 each
360 treadwear W speed rated 22 lbs
Test results:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...ech+M550+A%2FS
Good ride comfort, good wet traction.

In 215/45-17 (fits stock 17" wheels)
Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position $143 400 treadwear
Yokohama ADVAN S.4. $169 400 treadwear
Continental ContiExtremeContact $87 400 treadwear
Pirelli PZero Nero M&S $120 400 treadwear
Avon Tech M550 A/S $99 360 treadwear
Kumho Ecsta ASX $87 420 treadwear
Goodyear Eagle F1 All Season $134 420 treadwear (not rated/tested yet)

If cost were not a factor-
Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS and
Yokohama ADVAN S.4. are hard to beat for best balance of performance in all seasons and comfort for daily use.

If value is key then
Continental ContiExtremeContact and
Kumho Ecsta ASX are good for the money.
Avon Tech M550 A/S is close.
Tests of ASX and Continental vs Pirellis
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...ay.jsp?ttid=52
You can see that the PZero Nero M&S costs more but is a better tire.

GY Eagle F1 All Season is likely to be very good once tirerack tests are complete. Eagle F1 tires tend to be very good.

All of the mentioned tires are good for street use only and prices do vary.
The top rated tires cost more but they offer solid handling in wet or dry and even in light snow if needed. The other tires are also good but may be less solid in varrying conditions or not ride quiet as nicely. None of them are bad.

 

Hi folks, I have only driven on stock runflats on the two MCS's I have owned (03 now 05). Finally wore the current set down to the point I'll soon need to replace them...I'm excited about experiencing non-r/f tires on my MINI at last! My wheels are R84.

Alex, the Eagle F1 A/S sounds terrific - when can we expect the test results to be published?

From all the info I've digested, it seems 205/50-16 might be the best match for my needs, but the Eagle F1 A/S is only available in 205/55-16. How much would I trade off between the Eagle F1 DSG3 in 205/50-16 and the Eagle F1 A/S in 205/55-16 in terms of performance? I know the A/S is taller, heavier, and rates better on wear - does this make it less suited for the track than the DSG3?

All guidance appreciated! Thank you.

 

Found the following Motor Trend impression written after the F1 A/S's launch at Daytona (same event mentioned in Tire Rack's preview) - any comments?

"A dry spell in the morning afforded a chance to try the new tires on a portion of the infield handling circuit mounted on such target vehicles as an Audi TT 3.2 Quattro, a Lexus IS350, a Mazda RX8, and a Nissan 350Z. Switch any of these cars from an all-out summer tire to the F1 All Season, and you'll notice a bit more tire squeal, and small but noticeable step down in the cars' limit handling. But upgrade from a typical touring tire (like Goodyear's Eagle ResponsEdge, which was provided for comparison), and the car turns in more crisply and corners with noticeably higher grip."

 

Of course the GSD3 is going to be better on the track vs the F1AS, you are comparing a summer tire to an all season tire, to which there really is no comparison.

What you pick is really down to what you want to do with the tire/car. If you are looking for max dry (and good wet) performance, then the GSD3 is a great choice. If you do more wet and cold weather driving, then you will want the F1AS.

 

Thanks minihune

 

September

I would not track the AS unless its just for fun.
They held up decently in our testing.

Alex

 

Thanks Alex, I thought the AS might be biased toward track performance from your earlier comment:
I've just started doing a program geared towards driving at 7/10ths, i.e., focused on line and technique, not lap times, so I guess that's more in the "fun" department...

e30r56, that's a good point about no comparison between a summer tire and an AS tire...silly of me to ask if the AS is less suited for the track than the summer tire, since I already noted the AS is taller, heavier, etc. What I really meant to ask was whether the AS has good enough performance on the track to justify choosing it over the DSG3 if I also value the other non-track oriented benefits of choosing an AS tire. I understand the point at which the scale tips one way or the other is different for different drivers...I'm squarely on the fence at this time. Thanks for your input!

 

Road manners are verry similar. I'd run D3's on trcl they are better for DE - as the break away isn't as quick -

Alex

 

What happened to the 205/45-17 Goodyear F1 All Seasons on the Tire Rack web site? I went looking for them yesterday and they no longer show up. The size is still posted on the Goodyear web site, however, so it appears to still be available.

 

If you do, run away from the DSG3, it just doesn't bite. If you don't, then I'd get the DSG3, as it's wet performance limit is truly amazing, and the dry is pretty good too!

Matt

 

Still gone

 

Gone from my TireRack Wish List as well.

What gives Alex?

 

I wish I knew,

Search no further ~> out of the archives.

alex

 

Well, the folks at Tire Rack only took about an hour to install four 205/45-17 Eagle F1-AS's on my MCS. Thanks to SumWon for the tip regarding removing the valve stem caps beforehand.

I have driven about 400 miles in the 24 hrs since the installation and am amazed to discover how much the ride has improved. Handling sems as crisp as ever. I haven't been through any wet weather yet to see how these handle in the rain, but the tread pattern looks like it should quickly pump standing water out of the way.

Any recommendations on what to carry in case of a puncture (in addition to a 12V compressor)?

Thanks again to the folks at Tire Rack for their quick service.