Goodyear Eagle Asymmetric. They're the best all rounders.
Can't agree with that! Especially with their well-proven nasty trait of taking forever to scrub in, along with causing 'twitchy' handling - as has been reported in many mags, including Evo.
Yeah... Evo thought they were so crap, they rated them first in their tyre test....
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2007-evo-tyre-test.htm
And as I've repeatedly stated, that Evo tyre test had a serious bias.
Furthermore, perhaps you'd like to dig up some links on Evos R32 long term test car (I think it was an R32 ) - whereby they repeatedly complained about how the tyres were verging on the dangerous when new, that they took forever to scrub in, and even when they were scrubbed in, they produced some undesireable 'twitching' handling traits.
And as I have further repeatedly stated, if they were actually as good as peeps claim, why arn't they offered by Porsche, or quattro GmbH, or BMW M-Sport, or Renault Sport??????
You may well be right, but as far as I see it so far, you said Evo said they were sh*t,
Hang on a mo . . . I don't think I ever said "Evo said they were shyte". However, referring to comments on their longterm R32 test, they repeatedly made 'complaints' about the Eagle F1 Assymmetrics - they didn't actually have the balls to admit they were crap - but reading exactly what they reported - the tyres were CLEARLY causing problems - and their own reports on the R32 did not match their earlier group tyre test. It was simply my opinion, on reading plain english, that these F1 Asyms are NOT what they are claimed.
I showed you Evo's test results to the contrary... I'm confused.
The Evo test used extra load Goodyear tyres, but did NOT use extra load PS2s - that is a serious and fundamental bias. That is like running a tyre 10psi lower than it should be - and most peeps would hopefully suss that one out as being grossly unfair.
Help these people out here and show them what you're talking about, how about you do as I did and link to that R32(?) test.
The test on the R32 was a long time ago . . . published across many articles. I don't have any links to it (probably on my old toasted PC hard drive) - maybe the R32OC will still have the links somewhere.
Furthermore, what's to say if they could be flawed in the tyre test, they couldn't be equally flawed in the R32 one??
Forgive me, but you are trying to mix apples with oranges. In their tyre test, they should be comparing identical specification tyres from a number of different manufacturers - and they failed on that fundamental point. But the R32 test wasn't a 'comparison' test - it was simply a long term test on what its like to live with on a daily basis - are the cup holders OK, what is the 0-60, how many slabs of beer can you get in the boot, how does it handle, etc.
Car makers stick on whatever manufacturer's tyres have offered them the best deal, if the likes of Michelin and Continental have a big slush bucket for bending that decision, then all's fair in business. It's advertising, it pays to be seen on the 'right' cars.
You are spot on - to a certain extent. Most generic, mainstream 'shopping' cars (say Golf 1.6 FSI, Astra 1.6 CDTI, Moandeo 2.0 DTI) will just have any old tyres. But certain specific 'performance' models (Audi RS, Renault Sport Megane Club Sport, Focus RS) will generally have tyres handpicked to suit their desired handling characteristics.
Michelin and Continental both make ranges of tyres to suit shopping and performance cars. And they both have OEM factory contracts. Goodyear claim to make the same range of tyres, yet only their lesser performance tyres have any factory OEM fitments - if their performance tyres were any good - why no factory approvals?
Point in case here, if those Vredesteins are so good, and I have no reason to doubt they aren't, why aren't they fitted as standard on any high performance car??? Because they can't afford the corporate bribing, that's why....
You hit the nail on the head - Vredestein, just like Nokian winter tyres - have never to my knowledge, sought factory OEM approvals. But this is where Vredestein and Goodyear differ - Vredestein have no intention on seeking factory fitment - yet Goodyear are already 'in the factory door' - Goodyear NCTs are perfectly OK at being factory fitted - so why not Eagle F1s??? Maybe Fritz the test driver from quattro GmbH thrashed an RS4/RS6/R8 round the Nurburgring with some Eagle F1, and reported back that they were shyte? We don't actually know - but we have to make our best guess judgements as to why F1s are not fitted on Audi RS, VW GTI/R, Mercedes AMG, BMW M-sport, Porsche . . . . those top line car manufactuers cant all be wrong, surely?
I'll buy PS2s all day long, I prefer them - so I'm no Goodyear fanboy. But, I got stuck in Germany with a multiple tyre failure and the F1 assyms were all I could get.
They've done 12,000 miles, 2 'Ring trips, 4 track days and got me to work and back for the last 12 months - I CANNOT fault them compared to the PS2s I had before. The only thing they have done wrong is wobble the blocks on the track when hot, but then any road tyre does that, including the PS2.
They sidewall is good and stiff, they grip like hell/progressively let go (ask TC, he did a stint in my car at Oulton) and they wear evenly. What's not to like about them?
Different people have different preferences - and I'm glad you like them.