i know the eagle f1s are high performance tires...

but are they softer ride than the standard run-flats we have on our minis??? i don't want to get goodyear and get disappointed at simliar ride quality with the runflats... if any of you guys might know..please help me. thanx.

 

I took off the 18's with runflats and added 17's with Goodyear F1 215/45/17 and love the ride. Smoother and quieter than the run flats. I carry a Slime kit that has a pump, cost 19.95. Also I carry dynaplugs.

 

i went from 195/55R16 runflats to 205/45R16 goodyears and the ride was still better. the f1 have significantly softer sidewalls, they aren't designed to carry the car incase of a puncture

 

Which f1's? There are about 5 diff types.

 

thanx man...did u get the all season??? im plannin onto get the same thing 215/45/17.... did u notice significant different in noise and comfort???

 

i was talking about the gs-d3
dunno what he was asking about though, good catch

 

Yea sorry Mine are the F1 GS-D3, and a big difference in ride comfort and road noise. Also a little less chance of Strut Tower mushrooming, although I have installed a M7 STB as well. They are a "Summer" tire but have fantastic grip in the wet as well. Hope this helps.

 

Just a bit feedback on the F1 GSD3, I don't think they are such a great tyre. The sidewalls are too soft compared to other tyres that I've had, ie Falken, Yoko AVS, Brdigestone so3, Pilot Sport

The F1 are a comfortable tyre due to the softer ride from the soft sidewalls. However, on aggressive changes in direction there is excessive tire flexing resulting in a delay between steering input and the car actually changing direction. On hard corner ie quick left rights I feel the tire flex, then grip before the car changes direction. Consequently in summer I run the tires at a slightly higher pressure to reduce sidewall flex.

In the wet they are a great tire, offering slightly more grip that the others that I have tried ie they don't break away as quickly and break away is more progressive. This could be because the softer sidewall are more forgiving and allow the tire to grip better in slippery conditions. Also prob the compound.

Personally I wouldn't be buying another set anytime soon though. Rain is a scarcity in Australia at the moment.

That being said I have the tires on a rear wheel drive Nissan 200sx, the equivalent of the S14 240sx in the USA, except with a turbo. Much longer wheelbase, a bit wider and weighing in at just under 1300kg. Tire size being 234/45 17.

They could perform differently on a mini.

Good Luck Cheers Alex

 

i would agree that the turn in feel isn't quite as good as the runflats (super stiff sidewalls) which makes me want to try a different tire next time, but the wet performance is quite exceptional. which makes me think the are an excellent street tire and wet autoX and track. but if you are looking for a strickly high performance tire, something like the falken rt-615 or hankook ventus Rs2 Z212 could serve you better

but from you post it seems like ride quality is a big concern, which means you will most likely be happy with the goodyears

 

I'll pretty much echo what's been said - I dumped the 16" Dunlop runflats and went with the F1 GS-D3. There's no down side. The F1's last longer, ride smoother, grip better (wet or dry). They even look nicer! I run a snow tire for the winter, so that's not a concern for me.

 

Are you running the German F1's?

 

do the eagle f1s all season have soft sidewall as well? are the all season good comfortable ride too? thanx

 

Nope, Just had a look, they're made in Australia.... whether there is a difference between the tyre construction is anyones guess.

As mentioned, they're not on a mini, so they could perform differently. I think tyre selection is a bit of hit and miss. Whats good on one car is not necessarily good on another.

They might perform better on a mini, due to lighter weight, shorter wheelbase etc. But as mentioned personally I wouldn't be buying them again based on my preference for tyre characteristics.

Run flats are stiff by their very nature, F1 are too soft..... theres always a middle ground.

Never driven on run flats..... hopefully I'll find out what they feel like this week. Just drove past the Mini dealer and my car is sitting on the show room floor. By all accounts I'll see how quickly I can destroy a set of run flats.....

 

i have the all seasons 215 45 17 and find they are more responsive but a lot rougher than the oem dunlop runflats

 

Yes first gen runflats are VERY stiff........the second and third are respectively softer yet.

I have the German F1's and I would not describe them as soft at all. I run a 40 series at 37psi front pressure and I get no rollover at all. I even ran them at a track day and they performed very very well.

 

yes i wouldn't say they were soft enough to roll at my standard mini pressure 36psi but i did notice the turn in feel was nicer with the runflats

 

The actual turn in will be better with any of the runflats......but ultimate performance will be worse.

 

yup that is exactly what i was trying to say

 

I agree that the F1s (215/45-17) are softer than the run-flats and are also not as crisp. However, If you run the pressure at 36-38 they perform quite well and are still smoother riding. I also find they perform pretty well at the track and held up nicely.