Jan 21 2008
With the best-known high- performance tire brand in the industry, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company also continues to grab top ratings for many of its tires in this segment, which serves sports, exotic and luxury touring automobiles. The latest Goodyear tire to achieve this distinction is the Eagle F1 Asymmetric, which recently was rated best in independent testing by The Tire Rack, one of the biggest sellers of tires and wheels in the U.S.
A comprehensive test of the new Goodyear tire pitted it against three competitors in the "Max Performance" tire category. The respected Tire Rack team tested the four tires in road conditions - allowing subjective feedback on noise, ride quality and everyday handling, then judged the tires in wet and dry conditions on the company's test track.
As described by The Tire Rack, the test course includes 90-degree street corners, lane changes and simulated expressway ramps. Results of the testing are posted on the company's website, http://www.tirerack.com.
In summarizing the overall win for the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric, Tire Rack concluded, "An excellent Max Performance Summer tire that almost does it all." Further statements in the report included these:
- "In dry conditions, the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric proved fastest of the group. Plenty of overall grip and a neutral front/rear balance made this tire easy to drive quickly and at its limit."
- "In the wet, the Goodyear again finished ahead of the other three tires in this test, this time by a wider margin."
Goodyear innovations resulted in an Eagle F1 Asymmetric tire that helps maintain even tread contact pressure on the road to enhance grip while cornering. This is accomplished through the company's exclusive "Active CornerGrip(TM) Technology," with an Aramid reinforcement in the inside sidewall of the tire.
With the Eagle F1 Asymmetric, the tread pattern features an outer tread zone for enhanced grip and a water-channeling inner tread zone to aid wet traction. A continuous center rib helps provide enhanced highway performance. A next-generation polymer tread compound complements the other technical enhancements, and helps provide grip on dry roads and enhanced wet traction.
Already, the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric has been labeled a "winner." In independent comparison tests of the leading ultra-high performance tires conducted by British automotive magazine, EVO, the Eagle F1 Asymmetric was rated number one overall.
"A decisive win for the new Goodyear, with more table-topping performances than any other tire," stated the magazine in its summary of the nine-tire comparison. The wins came in both wet and dry objective tests, and subjectively, it was voted best tire on the dry handling course.
Additionally, another UK magazine, Autocar, presented a high-performance tire test, and again, the Eagle F1 Asymmetric came out on top. The staff conducted tests in braking, dry and wet handling, and used both front- and rear-wheel drive cars.
In November, Popular Mechanics honored the Eagle F1 Asymmetric with its "Editors' Choice Award" for new automotive products. The popular consumer magazine boasts monthly readership of nearly 9 million.
In North America, the Eagle F1 Asymmetric is offered in 22 sizes, in 17, 18, 19 and 20 inch wheel diameters. These tire sizes will fit cars such as the BMW 550i, Porsche 911 Carrera and Mercedes CLK55 AMG.