It’s 6am and I just arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The meet-up time is actually at 7 but I had stayed up the whole night working on the site, so I decided not to sleep, go to the airport earlier and get some early breakfast there. The 15-hour journey to Gold Coast Australia for the regional launch of Goodyear’s finest, the Eagle F1 Asymmetric, had now started earlier than expected, for me at least.
It was Monday, and the launch ceremony and test drive was scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday while our flight back was scheduled for Friday. Night. 1030pm. So we basically had 3days and 3nights to get up to no good in Gold Coast.
After what seemed like an eternity of flying and an hour’s transit in Sydney, we finally made it to Brisbane. Add another 45minute bus ride to our hotel in Sanctuary Cove, which is smack in between Brisbane and Gold Coast, and there we were, in the middle of nowhere. But it was all good because by the time we got to our hotel it was already 11pm, exhausted from the entire journey, we retreated to our plush bedrooms. The following four days were going to unfold to be some of the most interesting a tyre manufacturer could offer a journalist.
On the first day, we were scheduled to go to MovieWorld which is really a theme park with a Hollywood theme to it but sadly I missed it as I had to stay back and update ZTH, so as to ensure you got your daily dosage of auto news. But after four hours with the laptop and an hour long public bus ride, I managed to catch the rest in the city for dinner and a spot of night entertainment. Nothing great on a Tuesday night, but it beats sitting around and doing nothing. Wednesday was probably the most relaxing as we cruised along one of the many fresh water rivers in Queensland, terrorising yabbies (tiny prawns), fishing and even trapping crabs. That was really something but the launch was scheduled for that evening itself so we called it quits and made our way back to the hotel.
The Eagle F1 Asymmetric is Goodyear’s top of the range tyre in the ultra-high performance tyre segment, catering to the worlds most sophisticated and luxurious sports vehicles. It’s also considerably the most important tyre to Goodyear as it carries with it an impressive list of accolades and respect from some of the world’s leading technology and automotive publications and authorities. It is no wonder then that Goodyear opted to spend much more than you think to gather journalists that numbered in the hundreds from all over Asia Pacific for the regional launch of the Eagle F1 – in fancy Gold Coast, Australia.
The launch event started at 6pm with an excellent acrobatic display and an introduction to the tyre by Judith Swales – Managing Director and CEO of South Pacific tyres and then onto the press conference. The Goodyear Eagle F1 Assymetric is not just your everyday tyre, it took two years of painstaking research, testing, developing and more research. It involved more than 100 engineers, physicists, chemical experts and tyre evaluation specialists. The objective during development was unambiguous; develop the ultimate tyre for speeds up to 300km/h, and set new standards in cornering capabilities in both dry and wet conditions. To help with this Goodyear developed technologies that are almost alien to other tyres:
Active CornerGrip Technology
This state-of-the-art technology helps the Eagle F1 Asymmetric set new standards in Ultra High Performance Handling. It relies on an aramid layer in the inner sidewall that reinforces the compression during cornering for a more even distribution of pressure across the contact patch, this helps provide more grip, either for fun, or for safety purposes.
The Active CornerGrip Technology reinforces the inside tyre wall and limits the tendency of such extreme drifting forces towards the outside of the tyre. This helps to ensure the centre of gravity is brought back towards the center of the tread, in return providing more grip on the inside of the tyre.
The footprint of the Eagle F1 Asymmetric can be seen to be far less triangular than the predecessors tread footprint, which means the new Eagle F1 has more road contact across the entire width of the tyre tread and consequently produces far more grip through corners.
Racing Compound Technology
Based on Goodyears market research; a vehicle’s ability to handle and brake in wet conditions has been identified among the highest concerns among consumers. This is where the new Eagle F1 excels with the innovative combination of the Active CornerGrip Technology and racing compound technology.
The properties of the tread compound decisively influence the grip of the tyre to the road. Silica is combined with a special racing carbon black for desired performance. The combination of new generation polymer is optimized for maximum grip and safety in wet conditions.
Open Tread Zone
The asymmetric tread design ensures that each part of the tread works together to achieve maximum efficiency. The Active CornerGrip Technology is a key contributor to safety in the wet, forcing local pressure on the open tread water dispersal zone, which is a crucial area for maneuvering on wet surfaces.
The deep center grooves channel the surface water to achieve highly responsive steering. Evacuation channels on the inside of the tyre are aided by the additional downward pressure. This pressure disperses the water out from under the tyre and away from the contact surface.
Advanced Pitching Sequence
In addition to a high level of safety and outstanding handling, customers also demand a tyre that offers a quiet ride. The new Eagle F1 Asymmetric is a silent tyre that gives exceptional driving comfort.
Tread design is the secret to ensuring a quiet ride. The different treat block sizes and the staggered tread block arrangement, result in an audible reduction of the noise frequency peaks when the treat blocks meet the road. This reduces the overall noise emission and allows quiet driving comfort.
So with these technologies developed into the tyre, the Eagle F1 Asymmetric had to prove itself over innumerable kilometers on public roads and test tracks. The tyre was fitted with a computer tomograph that made it possible to view the interior life of the tyre during rigorous testing on Goodyear tracks in Mireval France, Colmar-Berg in Luxembourg and Wittlich Germany as well as on various independent European tracks namely the legendary Nurburgring and the IDIADA track in Spain. Tests on public roads were conducted in Thailand as weather and road conditions there were suitable to the testing needs of the engineers.
Referring to a highly acclaimed Wheels Tyre Test (conducted in June 2008) when the Eagle F1 was pitted against 6 other ultra high performance tyre brands in size 235/45 R17 – DP Singh, Asia Pacific marketing director for Consumer Tires mentioned in his speech, “The results of the Wheels test, along with other reviews and independent tests that were conducted in Europe and North America since the initial launch in Germany back in 2007, show that the Eagle F1 Asymmetric tyre’s performance is simply extraordinary. “Eagle F1 Asymmetric boasts of unmatched performance and street credibility that no other tyre in this category can claim,” added DP.
If you’re thinking about how this highly acclaimed tyre would fare in other sizes, it has already been ascertained by Wheels magazine Australia. John Cadogan of Wheels explains: “What if your car isn’t running on 235/45 R17? Tyre industry experts say a particular tyre – say the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric that aced this year’s test, is designed to deliver a particular performance across the range. In other words, our winner is also an odds-on favourite in 18 and 19-inch sizes as well as the 17s we tested”. So its comforting to know that the performance and highly advanced features of the Eagle F1 Asymmetric stretches across the entire size range whether for a German ‘Bahn stormer or a Japanese stunner.
Manufactured both in Germany and at a Goodyear plant in Dalian, China, Goodyear assures that there is no difference between the tyres manufactured in either location. We did get a chance to test out that claim and a lot others the next day when Goodyear took us to the Holden Performance Center in Norwell, about 25minutes drive from the hotel. Goodyear fitted a BMW 3-Series, 5-Series, a V8 powered Holden SS Commodore as well as a Audi A6 and let us loose on a 2km training circuit, complete with a turn table, slalom course, and the Eagle F1 Asymmetric’s forte, a wet slalom course. But you’re going to have to wait till tomorrow as that deserves its own feature.
There is an Eagle F1 Asymmetric tyre for every every kind enthusiast as it is offered in 32 different sizes, ranging from 17 inches right up to 19-inches (20-inches yet to be offered in Malaysia) and from 50 series down to a very sporty 25 series. Prices range from RM706 per piece for 17-inch tyres to RM 1,622 per piece for the 19-inch.
Find out what we put these cars through and why the Eagle F1 Asymmetrical is the only tyre your luxo cruiser should be riding on. Meanwhile you can click here to read why some international media say the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric has “more table-topping performance than any other tyre”.
