Gear

Product Spotlight
Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetrical
Although Goodyear is often perceived as an American company, it's truly a global operation. Case in point: the new Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetrical was developed in Europe for European cars. This tire will be equally at home on high-performance touring sedans and GTs. Working with several European carmakers, Goodyear utilized advanced computer simulations-using models created both in house and by the manufacturers themselves-to facilitate the tire's design. Anyone can create a sticky tire, but making it work in harmony with the rest of the vehicle is another feat entirely. Auto manufacturer participation ensures the new F1 Asymmetrical will work in unison with factory suspensions and complement factory dynamics.

Goodyear invited me to test drive the tire on various cars in varying conditions, everything from Z4s to Caymans, all the way up to an E63 AMG. A typical tire loses a large percentage of its contact patch due to deformation during cornering. This one worked superbly on everything. Goodyear has redesigned the sidewall in a way that does not pull the inner edge of the tread off the road during cornering. Keeping more tire on the road improves performance in both dry and wet conditions. A layer of Aramid fiber is used to create what the company calls Active CornerGrip Technology, maximizing the next-generation polymer compound and asymmetric tread design. On the lightweight cars, there wasn't a single noise from the tire during hard cornering. It was possible to hear low-pitch scrubbing in the E63, but with a car that heavy, the tire is working awfully hard. During normal driving, the tire is very quiet. Concrete freeway joints and broken asphalt showed low noise levels. The ride quality also belies the tire's cornering ability. The rubber feels almost as compliant as a touring tire over expansion joints, yet still remains rigid during turn-in.

On-track performance was just as good as on the road. It quickly became apparent that the tire's grip made the Z4s feel underpowered. Braking performance was impressive-straight and consistent-and cornering forces were noticeably higher than on some other competitors' tires (also made available for comparison). The F1 Asymmetrical breaks away quite aggressively, as one might expect with a high-performance tire. It gives plenty of warning, but once grip is relinquished, it takes a little effort to pull things back into line. But it's better than several other tire brands I've experienced that break away just as hard, but give no prior warning.

The Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetrical had its official launch at last year's SEMA show and should be available by the time you read this. Initially, the tire will be available in 22 sizes ranging in wheel diameters from 17 to 20 inches. Most popular sizes for European automobiles will be included. -Michael Febbo
www.goodyeartires.com