I tried the new Goodyear F1 All-Season
08-29-2007, 02:14 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 08-29-2007
Location: CenCoast California
Posts: 256
I tried the new Goodyear F1 All-Season
Forum members-
This is my first post to HHR.net.
I have an 07 and was looking for a better tire than the stock Firestones. Since I have Goodyear on other cars (Vettes and a Camaro) I decided to look for something from Goodyear.
Back in July, Goodyear introduced, a new, ultra-performance tire called the "Eagle F1 All Season". Its debut marks the first time the Akron-based company has had an all-season product in its F1, ultra-performance line. The first 22 sizes were released in July and another 16 sizes are coming in a staggered release, in Q4, 2007. These 38 sizes fit a large number of performance sedans, sports coupes and sports cars including the HHR.
The F1 All Season is the debut of carbon fiber technology in an ultra-performance application. In this new tire, carbon fiber reinforcements in the sidewalls which stiffen the tire to improve steering response and handing. This tire also brings DuPont Kevlar into ultra-performance tires after Goodyear introduced it in the Eagle "ResponsEdge" performance touring tire in 2006. In the F1 AS, a layer of Kevlar just below the tread, makes the tire's structure more rigid.
During a preview event last May at Daytona International Speedway, I spoke to to Bob Toth, Goodyear's Marketing Manager for Auto Tires, “Our Eagle F1 line has always been synonymous with great dry traction," Toth told me. Precise control and crisp steering response," Bob told the CAC. "Our award-winning F1 GS-D3 brought those attributes to wet roads. The Eagle F1 All Season extends that envelope by offering traction on dry, wet and snow-covered roads. These new, Eagle 'Carbonfibers' enable enthusiasts in places which experience occasional subfreezing weather to drive their performance cars all year long, if they choose."
Using the "tread zone" idea Goodyear pioneered in its "Assurance Triple-Tred", an F1 AS has a directional, "dual-zone" tread. For wet traction, there is the "All Season Zone" which combines: 1) famed "Aquachutes", which channel water from under the tread and away, 2) "micro grooves" each of which has a "biting edge" to enhance traction on snow or ice, and 3) a silica tread compound unique to this tire and designed for improved traction in subfreezing conditions. The All Season Zone enhances traction on snow and ice to the point that this tire is what some might call a "soft" all-season tire. It's certainly not for frequent and regular use in deep snow and heavy ice conditions but, if you drive your HHR or other performance car in a place where, in the winter, you might start home from work and get caught in a modest snow fall or find the roads a little icy from a sudden temperature drop; this tire will help you get there...and get there in a more safe manner than will other performance tires.
The Eagle F1 AS's dry traction is comparable to competing products and builds on the F1 brand's reputation for tires that stick. It does this with its "Ultra High-Performance Zone", consisting of aggressive, shoulder blocks and a stiff, continuous, center rib. Additionally, the adjacent, All Season Zone has Goodyear's "TredLock Technology," which is a system of interlocking micro-grooves which lock together when the tire is generating significant lateral acceleration. This locking stiffens the tread and improves traction in turns. All this tread technology, coupled with carbon fiber in the sidewalls and Kevlar under the tread, makes for a noticeable improvement in steering response.
Two of this new Goodyear's competitors are the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S and the Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position. The executive summary of test data Goodyear supplied is that the Eagle F1 All Season is comparable to both in dry traction, has better lateral grip and much better acceleration and braking performance in the wet. At Daytona back in May, I had a chance to test those three tires against each other. While an HHR was not available at Daytona for me to test with, I did get some seat-time in a couple of rear-drive, performance coupes, a Mazda RX-8 and an Infiniti G35, along with a Pontiac Solstice. In an autocross and on a short road race course in the wet—and this was a rainstorm, not on a watered-down course—I found the new Goodyear had better steering response and lateral grip than both the Bridgestone and the Michelin, and the improvement over the Pilot Sport A/S was significant.
Wanting a more lengthy test period in which to try this tire in a street driving environment, I decided to put a set of F1 AS tires on an '07 HHR I had just purchased. It was ordered with most of the performance options one can get without ordering, other than the SS package, which was not available when I bought the truck. My HHR has the handling suspension, 17" tires on aluminum wheels, five-speed manual and the 2.4L 175-hp engine.
I took the HHR to Goodyear dealer, Tucker Tire Service Company in Covina, California and had them replace its Firestone Firehawk GT03s with Eagle F1 All Seasons. I had just come off a 2700 mile trip from Tom Henry Chevrolet in Pennsylvania, where I bought the truck, to California, so I had a lot of highway driving experience with the HHR. It only took about five miles on nearby Interstate 210 for me to perceive one feature of the Goodyear: a noticeable improvement in on-center steering feel. With the Firestones, the car's tracking felt vague and constant, small steering inputs were required to correct the car's path during highway driving. After changing to the Goodyear, on-center feel improved modestly and the car's straight-line tracking improved greatly. The main reason for the difference in tracking is the F1 All Season tread's stiff, continuous center rib, which the Firestone lacks.
As far as noise and harshness, this new Goodyear is a mixed bag. It makes noticeably less tread noise compared to the Firestone Firehawk GT 03, but there was a slight increase in ride harshness which I'd characterize as noticeable, but not uncomfortable or annoying. The noise decrease comes from the F1 AS's variable-pitch tread elements. The harshness increase is a function of the two tires' different speed ratings. The Goodyear is Y-speed-rated, whereas the Firestone's is T-speed-rated. To earn a higher speed rating requires a stiffer casing, which affects harshness.
Next, I tried pushing the HHR hard on curvy roads. This subjective test was a bit different than the one at Daytona as it was done on dry surfaces. I noticed that, when on Goodyears, lateral grip was greater and the steering response was quite a bit better. The differences are because of the F1 AS's more aggressive tread, more performance-oriented rubber compound, stiffer Kevlar- and carbon fiber-reinforced casing and tread blocks which are larger. On the other hand, these differences were a bit exaggerated because the Goodyear, in-spite of being the same size as the Firestone (215/50ZR17) had a wider tread and the higher speed rating. Had the Firestone had the same tread width and speed rating, the difference would have been noticeable, but not as dramatic.
The last issue which came up in my subjective comparison of the Firestone Firehawk GT03 to the Goodyear Eagle F1 All Season was appearance. The HHR was less than a month old when I noticed the Firestones' sidewalls turning an ugly, reddish-brown. This happens to all tires to varying degree and is caused by atmospheric conditions acting on chemical components which make-up the rubber used in the sidewalls. In extreme cases, the results are unattractive, as shown in the picture of the Firestone taken about a month after the HHR was purchased. Since the Goodyears were acquired—at this writing, three months ago—there has been no color change. The reason the Goodyear Eagle F1 AS does not exhibit color change due to atmospheric effects is a chemical additive used in making it and a few of Goodyear's other, newest tire types. Called "PermaBlack", it's a proprietary material which preserves that “new-tire” appearance. All tire manufacturers use varying amounts of anti-ozonants and anti-oxidants to inhibit weathering and aging, however, those protective measures are focused on preserving the mechanical properties of the tire not its appearance. As the anti-ozonant and anti-oxidants begin to work, or "bloom" as tire engineers say, they cause the surface of the sidewalls to turn reddish-brown. The addition of PermaBlack stops the color change but still allows the anti-ozonants and anti-oxidants to work.
The bottom line on this new tire, so far: In two subjective tests, one in the wet, the other in the dry and one comparing the Michelin Pilot and the Bridgestone Potenza to the Goodyear F1 All Season and the other, on my HHR, comparing the Firestone Firehawk to the new Goodyear, the Eagle F1 AS demonstrated noticeable advantages in dry and wet traction, wet acceleration and braking, dry and wet steering response, on-center steering feel and tread noise. Lastly, the Goodyear's sidewalls do not discolor.
I think, with the new, Eagle F1 All Season, Goodyear has a winner, especially for owners of cars like Cadillac CTSes, Infiniti G35s, Pontiac Solstices and, of course...Chevy HHRs.
This is my first post to HHR.net.
I have an 07 and was looking for a better tire than the stock Firestones. Since I have Goodyear on other cars (Vettes and a Camaro) I decided to look for something from Goodyear.
Back in July, Goodyear introduced, a new, ultra-performance tire called the "Eagle F1 All Season". Its debut marks the first time the Akron-based company has had an all-season product in its F1, ultra-performance line. The first 22 sizes were released in July and another 16 sizes are coming in a staggered release, in Q4, 2007. These 38 sizes fit a large number of performance sedans, sports coupes and sports cars including the HHR.
The F1 All Season is the debut of carbon fiber technology in an ultra-performance application. In this new tire, carbon fiber reinforcements in the sidewalls which stiffen the tire to improve steering response and handing. This tire also brings DuPont Kevlar into ultra-performance tires after Goodyear introduced it in the Eagle "ResponsEdge" performance touring tire in 2006. In the F1 AS, a layer of Kevlar just below the tread, makes the tire's structure more rigid.
During a preview event last May at Daytona International Speedway, I spoke to to Bob Toth, Goodyear's Marketing Manager for Auto Tires, “Our Eagle F1 line has always been synonymous with great dry traction," Toth told me. Precise control and crisp steering response," Bob told the CAC. "Our award-winning F1 GS-D3 brought those attributes to wet roads. The Eagle F1 All Season extends that envelope by offering traction on dry, wet and snow-covered roads. These new, Eagle 'Carbonfibers' enable enthusiasts in places which experience occasional subfreezing weather to drive their performance cars all year long, if they choose."
Using the "tread zone" idea Goodyear pioneered in its "Assurance Triple-Tred", an F1 AS has a directional, "dual-zone" tread. For wet traction, there is the "All Season Zone" which combines: 1) famed "Aquachutes", which channel water from under the tread and away, 2) "micro grooves" each of which has a "biting edge" to enhance traction on snow or ice, and 3) a silica tread compound unique to this tire and designed for improved traction in subfreezing conditions. The All Season Zone enhances traction on snow and ice to the point that this tire is what some might call a "soft" all-season tire. It's certainly not for frequent and regular use in deep snow and heavy ice conditions but, if you drive your HHR or other performance car in a place where, in the winter, you might start home from work and get caught in a modest snow fall or find the roads a little icy from a sudden temperature drop; this tire will help you get there...and get there in a more safe manner than will other performance tires.
The Eagle F1 AS's dry traction is comparable to competing products and builds on the F1 brand's reputation for tires that stick. It does this with its "Ultra High-Performance Zone", consisting of aggressive, shoulder blocks and a stiff, continuous, center rib. Additionally, the adjacent, All Season Zone has Goodyear's "TredLock Technology," which is a system of interlocking micro-grooves which lock together when the tire is generating significant lateral acceleration. This locking stiffens the tread and improves traction in turns. All this tread technology, coupled with carbon fiber in the sidewalls and Kevlar under the tread, makes for a noticeable improvement in steering response.
Two of this new Goodyear's competitors are the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S and the Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position. The executive summary of test data Goodyear supplied is that the Eagle F1 All Season is comparable to both in dry traction, has better lateral grip and much better acceleration and braking performance in the wet. At Daytona back in May, I had a chance to test those three tires against each other. While an HHR was not available at Daytona for me to test with, I did get some seat-time in a couple of rear-drive, performance coupes, a Mazda RX-8 and an Infiniti G35, along with a Pontiac Solstice. In an autocross and on a short road race course in the wet—and this was a rainstorm, not on a watered-down course—I found the new Goodyear had better steering response and lateral grip than both the Bridgestone and the Michelin, and the improvement over the Pilot Sport A/S was significant.
Wanting a more lengthy test period in which to try this tire in a street driving environment, I decided to put a set of F1 AS tires on an '07 HHR I had just purchased. It was ordered with most of the performance options one can get without ordering, other than the SS package, which was not available when I bought the truck. My HHR has the handling suspension, 17" tires on aluminum wheels, five-speed manual and the 2.4L 175-hp engine.
I took the HHR to Goodyear dealer, Tucker Tire Service Company in Covina, California and had them replace its Firestone Firehawk GT03s with Eagle F1 All Seasons. I had just come off a 2700 mile trip from Tom Henry Chevrolet in Pennsylvania, where I bought the truck, to California, so I had a lot of highway driving experience with the HHR. It only took about five miles on nearby Interstate 210 for me to perceive one feature of the Goodyear: a noticeable improvement in on-center steering feel. With the Firestones, the car's tracking felt vague and constant, small steering inputs were required to correct the car's path during highway driving. After changing to the Goodyear, on-center feel improved modestly and the car's straight-line tracking improved greatly. The main reason for the difference in tracking is the F1 All Season tread's stiff, continuous center rib, which the Firestone lacks.
As far as noise and harshness, this new Goodyear is a mixed bag. It makes noticeably less tread noise compared to the Firestone Firehawk GT 03, but there was a slight increase in ride harshness which I'd characterize as noticeable, but not uncomfortable or annoying. The noise decrease comes from the F1 AS's variable-pitch tread elements. The harshness increase is a function of the two tires' different speed ratings. The Goodyear is Y-speed-rated, whereas the Firestone's is T-speed-rated. To earn a higher speed rating requires a stiffer casing, which affects harshness.
Next, I tried pushing the HHR hard on curvy roads. This subjective test was a bit different than the one at Daytona as it was done on dry surfaces. I noticed that, when on Goodyears, lateral grip was greater and the steering response was quite a bit better. The differences are because of the F1 AS's more aggressive tread, more performance-oriented rubber compound, stiffer Kevlar- and carbon fiber-reinforced casing and tread blocks which are larger. On the other hand, these differences were a bit exaggerated because the Goodyear, in-spite of being the same size as the Firestone (215/50ZR17) had a wider tread and the higher speed rating. Had the Firestone had the same tread width and speed rating, the difference would have been noticeable, but not as dramatic.
The last issue which came up in my subjective comparison of the Firestone Firehawk GT03 to the Goodyear Eagle F1 All Season was appearance. The HHR was less than a month old when I noticed the Firestones' sidewalls turning an ugly, reddish-brown. This happens to all tires to varying degree and is caused by atmospheric conditions acting on chemical components which make-up the rubber used in the sidewalls. In extreme cases, the results are unattractive, as shown in the picture of the Firestone taken about a month after the HHR was purchased. Since the Goodyears were acquired—at this writing, three months ago—there has been no color change. The reason the Goodyear Eagle F1 AS does not exhibit color change due to atmospheric effects is a chemical additive used in making it and a few of Goodyear's other, newest tire types. Called "PermaBlack", it's a proprietary material which preserves that “new-tire” appearance. All tire manufacturers use varying amounts of anti-ozonants and anti-oxidants to inhibit weathering and aging, however, those protective measures are focused on preserving the mechanical properties of the tire not its appearance. As the anti-ozonant and anti-oxidants begin to work, or "bloom" as tire engineers say, they cause the surface of the sidewalls to turn reddish-brown. The addition of PermaBlack stops the color change but still allows the anti-ozonants and anti-oxidants to work.
The bottom line on this new tire, so far: In two subjective tests, one in the wet, the other in the dry and one comparing the Michelin Pilot and the Bridgestone Potenza to the Goodyear F1 All Season and the other, on my HHR, comparing the Firestone Firehawk to the new Goodyear, the Eagle F1 AS demonstrated noticeable advantages in dry and wet traction, wet acceleration and braking, dry and wet steering response, on-center steering feel and tread noise. Lastly, the Goodyear's sidewalls do not discolor.
I think, with the new, Eagle F1 All Season, Goodyear has a winner, especially for owners of cars like Cadillac CTSes, Infiniti G35s, Pontiac Solstices and, of course...Chevy HHRs.
btw welcome
08-29-2007, 05:28 PM
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: 10-02-2005
Location: VA
Posts: 1,245
JMHO...
This post "stinks" of either a Goodyear employee pimping their stuff or an employee of a Goodyear contracted marketing firm doing the same.
My $0.02.... There are much better options for tires today than some of the traditional brands. To me, Goodyear and Michelin are much touted and over priced for their value.
Bottom line.... Looks like SPAM to me!!
This post "stinks" of either a Goodyear employee pimping their stuff or an employee of a Goodyear contracted marketing firm doing the same.
My $0.02.... There are much better options for tires today than some of the traditional brands. To me, Goodyear and Michelin are much touted and over priced for their value.
Bottom line.... Looks like SPAM to me!!
08-29-2007, 07:06 PM
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: 12-21-2005
Location: Launch Coast Calif.
Posts: 1,010
The firestone's were tracking those darn rain cruves on the 210....
The thread pattern has way too many grooves in them..
the wider the footprint, less cruves in the tires, the better it tracks..
The thread pattern has way too many grooves in them..
the wider the footprint, less cruves in the tires, the better it tracks..
