The Holden Performance Center – our destination for the day – is an $8 million Aussie dollar facility equipped with everything needed to turn a driver into a ‘driver’. The facilities include a full 2km training circuit with hairpins, tight corners and sweeping bends. It also includes the usual skid pad but what really stands out is a huge turntable on the tarmac – the only one in the Southern Hemisphere and it completely blew me away. I’ll tell you why later.
So we got there by about 830am and after a short briefing and the usual photoshoot we got down to business. First up was a display of how the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric excels during braking in the wet. In other words, it was a Goodyear vs competitor battle. Two BMW 5-Series, one fitted with the Eagle F1’s and the other fitted with a competing tyre (I’m not about to mention names but the competition is definitely not your average tyre) get up to speed on a wet surface and at a pre-determined braking point, both drivers jam the brakes. The Eagle F1’s had the competition by a good half a car’s length on both occasions. Impressive stuff but I wasn’t convinced, not till I did it myself.
Here I was, at the wheel of a E90 BMW 3-Series testing one of the more famous road tires our generation has seen so far and not giving it any room for comfort. The weird thing is, even when pushed to the limit, there was just a low hum but no screeching, and the cones were set close to each other to get the driver to shift direction sooner and quicker which naturally evokes loss of grip. Lag in tyre response was non-existent as well, but this could be due to the steering rack of the beemer but not even the greatest steering rack can mask the lag of a poor tyre. This I concluded, was the work of the Active Cornergrip Technology.
I remember the presentation from the night before saying that the even pressure distribution provides more grip and the reinforced tyre wall noticeably reduces drifting forces towards the outside of the tyre. This is why there was no lag in response as both the inside and outside of the tyre generate grip. Goodyear also mentioned that the far less triangular tread footprint (compared to its predecessor) is also one of the reasons why there’s an abundance of grip through the corners. I believe them.
The wet slalom course is one of my favorite courses and the reason why I always find myself battling my arm from reaching over to turn off the traction control, and whatever three letter acronym there is that keeps me caged. I fought that battle again but my arm didn’t win, to the misery of my heart but to Goodyear’s luck.
Again at the wheel of a 3-series, I drove off, pedal to the metal and with no intentions of braking or slowing down. First cone, second cone, sharp turn ins, swift direction changes, and again – zero drama. Literally. Well I did wreck a cone but that’s because I was racing against the clock to lower my overall time (we were being timed for a competition). The cone just caught me trying to take the fastest line a.k.a cheat.
This brilliant wet performer is helped by advanced technologies to keep things under grip. The Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric excels with the innovative combination of the Active CornerGrip Technology, racing compound technology, and an Open Tread Zone.
The massive grip in wet conditions is the result of the properties in the Eagle F1 Asymmetric’s tread compound. It combines silica with a special racing carbon black compound and optimizes a new generation polymer to create astounding grip levels in wet conditions. Other than these chemical properties, a new tread design known as the Open Tread Zone is also relied upon to generate grip.
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 point the tyre meets the road.
It is the advanced combination of all these properties that results in the masses of grip the new Eagle F1 generates in the wet. But it also performs equally as well in the dry. After the wet slalom it was our turn to drive the entire length of the track. All out in two BMW 5-Series and a Holden Commodore SS powered by a massive 6-liter V8 engine with 360hp. That should be enough to break up the grip party the Eagle F1 Asymmetric was having. Or so I thought.
The two beemers were fitted with Eagle F1 Asymmetric. One made in Europe and one made in China. This was to test whether or not there was a difference in the two and so the mission was clear. The test track is fast and evolves from a slow sleepy left hander and a short straight onto a hairpin and another straight that curves into a long fast left hander. At the exit is a tight hairpin again that goes to the start line -shortened for the test.
This combination of curves and tights truly pushes a tyre to the limit, and in the BMW’s – the limit was spookily similar. The tyre made in Europe and the tyre made in China had no difference, they reacted the same, could hardly be heard from inside the cabin, had a vast amount of consistent grip to keep it floored through the long sweeper and provided that extra grip when standing on the brakes for the tight hairpin. The Chinese Eagle F1 Asymmetric has successfully propelled the ‘Made In China’ tag to a new level.
Into the Commodore and out onto the track. The Commodore doesn’t feel as reassuring as the 5 but has got so much grunt that it comes as a surprise after the now boring 525. Out of the first hairpin and summoning all 360horses to pull me through the first long straight, there was not so much as a whimper but the test was really on as I misjudged my entry into the hairpin and carried too much speed into it. Understeer? With just slight corrective steering , not a problem. Fun? Guaranteed.
The Eagle F1 Asymmetric performed brilliantly even when fitted to the mighty Commodore SS – proving it can handle more than just your usual “high performance” cars. Sound intrusion was again minimal when traveling at high speeds and the tyres didn’t let up even when in the fast corners carrying more speed than the BMW’s were comfortable with, grip again was impressive. The next part of the test was actually a short , timed game. The objective was to drive as fast as possible around a small tight track without letting a tennis ball out of the wok which was welded to the hood. Not as easy as it sounds but great fun.
Now onto my favourite part, the turntable. Again in a BMW 3-Series, the mission was to drive onto the turntable at 70km/h. Make a sharp left as soon as you’re on the turntable and wait for it to spit you out sideways and when it does, steer towards a small cone placed at the middle of your path. First you do it with the competitor tyres (black BMW) and again with the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric (blue BMW).
The difference is really apparent and it doesn’t take a professional driver or veteran motoring journalist to feel it. The point is simple, I spun in the competitor fitted BMW but made it to the cone in the Asymmetric’s. Not one to fall for such things so easily, I tried again. This time, I managed to not spin in the black car but had to work the steering to reel in the fishtail.
It wasn’t too difficult in the Goodyear’s, come out sidways, off the throttle, counter steer, and another small adjustment and stop right before the cone. It’s really as simple as how it’s read out to be. Satisfied with the turntable, the next leg was an hour’s drive through the beautiful Queensland country side with the breathtaking views and the perpetually pissy Australian motorists.
Four of us were handed an Audi A6 fitted with Goodyear’s Eagle F1 Asymmetric and a walkie-talkie in case we loose the group. We took turns to drive through towns and country sides stopping at various points to purchase (not drink) wine, have tea and swap drivers. Predictably, the Eagle F1 Asymmetric was gentle on its occupants while feeding the steering wheel with plenty of information on what was going on at ground zero.
The day ended about 6pm. After a closing speech by the Goodyear bosses and a prize presentation to the competition winners it was back onto the bus again and back to the hotel. Comparing notes on the tyre with other journalists, I found myself in a similar position with them and have a new found respect for the tyre. The Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric is a unique tyre for those who do not compromise on safety and performance. It’s rare to find a tyre that finds a successful balance between these two seemingly opposite traits but the Eagle F1 Asymmetric using advanced technology and the years of experience Goodyear has raked up is now the leading tyre for those whose needs surpass the ordinary. I have compiled a video from all the short clips that Goodyear passed on to us. It highlights everything that helps ensure the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric keeps you safe while delivering the best in performance.
