April 21, 2003
While many U.S. consumers only think of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company as an American business, few realize the extent of this corporation’s worldwide resources. Multiple development centers and manufacturing facilities in countries around the world provide Goodyear with the technical expertise and manufacturing capabilities to build a wide variety of products for cars and light trucks. Fortunately for performance luxury sedan, sporty coupe and sports car drivers, Goodyear combined these global assets to develop and produce the Eagle F1 GS-D3 Max Performance summer tires.
The Eagle F1 GS-D3 is a "Grand Sports" (GS) member of Goodyear’s Eagle Ultra Performance tire family that features a third generation directional tread design (D3).
In order to get a better understanding of the performance and comfort provided by the Eagle F1 GS-D3 summer tires, Tire Rack Team conducted a Real World Road Ride and a Performance Test Track Drive comparing them to the Bridgestone Potenza S-03 Pole Position w/UNI-T AQ II and Michelin Pilot Sport tires. We used Y-speed rated, 225/45R17-sized tires mounted on 17"x7.5" wheels. This package was fitted to three 2001 Lexus IS300 sport sedans equipped with Eibach Pro-Kit Sport Springs and KONI Sport shock absorbers adjusted to their softest setting to control suspension movement and body roll.
The Potenza S-03 Pole Position Max Performance summer tire was developed to blend dry and wet traction without abandoning comfort and wear. The Potenza S-03 Pole Position features Bridgestone’s UNI-T AQ II technology that uses advanced compound and construction features to enhance and preserve wet traction through the tire’s life.
On the outside, the Potenza S-03 Pole Position molds a dual layer tread compound into a directional tread design that features notched shoulders, large intermediate tread blocks and a continuous center rib to provide dry road response and handling. Circumferential and lateral grooves help direct and evacuate water through the tire to resist hydroplaning. The continuous center rib also helps reduce noise while providing constant road contact to enhance straight-line stability. Internally, the Potenza S-03 Pole Position features twin steel belts with spiral-wrapped nylon to stabilize the tread area to enhance handling, high-speed capability and ride quality while minimizing weight.
On the road, the Potenza S-03 Pole Position tires were recognized for their ride comfort and noise level while providing real world handling that’s appropriate for the Max Performance category.
The dry track times for all three tires showed how competitive the Max Performance tire category has become, with only a few tenths of a second separating any two tires. In these conditions, the Potenza S-03 Pole Position tires provided predictable handling and appropriate grip. On the track in the wet, the Potenza S-03 Pole Position remained predictable, generating lap times that fell between the other two tires in this test.
NOTE: Since we test new tires, the Potenza S-03 Pole Position’s feature that our testing didn’t evaluate was the tire’s ability to retain a greater percentage of its wet traction as its tread wears down.
The Eagle F1 GS-D3 Max Performance summer tire is for the drivers of sports cars, sporty coupes and performance sedans. The Eagle F1 is intended to complement everyday journeys by efficiently converting the capabilities of man and machine into precise motions on the road.
On the outside, Eagle F1 GS-D3 tires feature Goodyear’s AAtrax tread compound molded into a distinctive wet weather racing-derived directional tread design which combines a solid and continuous center zone that maintains constant road contact to enhance straight-line tracking and initial steering response. Next, sweeping intermediate power transfer bridges use "virtual rib" technology to emulate racing slicks by delivering shoulder-to-shoulder tread contact to further enhance steering response and dry road cornering traction. Then, sweeping aquachannel grooves, which are three times longer than the tire’s contact patch, angle forward and out to the edges of the tread to avoid trapping air and water between the tire and the road to reduce noise while enhancing wet traction and hydroplaning resistance. And finally, the virtual ribs flow into the shoulder area to form long, stable shoulder blocks to grip the road during cornering and help resist the wear associated with aggressive driving. On the inside, twin high-tensile steel belts are reinforced with spirally wound nylon to distribute the vehicle’s load across the tire’s footprint to provide high-speed durability and uniform ride qualities. Slightly angled body ply construction with high ply turn ups enhance steering precision and high-speed stability while exterior sidewall rim flange protectors help guard wheels from curb damage.
On the road, the Eagle F1 GS-D3 tires earned noise, comfort and real world handling ratings that were appropriate for the Max Performance category.
On the track in the dry, the Eagle F1 GS-D3 tires provided predictable handling and sufficient grip to run average lap times that fell between the other two tires. On the track in the wet, the Eagle F1 GS-D3 tires provided predictable handling and enough grip to run the fastest average lap times of the three tires in the test, confirming that the Eagle F1 GS-D3 is the most competitive Goodyear tire we’ve tested to date and that it earned its Max Performance category position.
The Michelin Pilot Sport Max Performance summer tire is designed to extend the capabilities of exotic and ultra high performance cars and their drivers in the wet, while providing progressive handling, exceptional feedback and refined road manners.
One of the most obvious features of the Pilot Sport is its directional tread design that features a continuous circumferential center rib flanked by a "V"-shaped pattern. The continuous center rib sharpens steering response and provides communicative road feel while the swept back lateral grooves efficiently evacuate water from under the contact patch to resist hydroplaning and enhance wet traction while reducing tire noise on dry roads. Internally, the Pilot Sport’s tread is supported by two belts made of high-tensile, lightweight steel cords which are further reinforced by size-optimized, spirally wrapped polyamide cord to improve quick steering response and resist distortion while they enhance ride quality and high speed durability. Ultra-reinforced sidewalls promote cornering, while Michelin’s cable beads help maintain the ideal shape of a running tire for better tire/wheel uniformity.
On the road, the Pilot Sport received good marks for real world ride comfort, noise comfort and handling.
On the track in the dry, the Pilot Sport-equipped car was willing to understeer slightly, yet remained predictable and ran lap times that were competitive with the other two tires. On the track in the wet, the Pilot Sport-equipped car continued to understeer slightly, yet remained predictable and ran lap times that were competitive with the Potenza S-03 Pole Position, but couldn’t match the lap times of the Eagle F1 GS-D3.
Need help choosing the right products for your vehicle? Our US-based team of highly trained experts has the knowledge and passion to help. Just pick up the phone and give us a ring. Or let's chat via email. We love solving problems and lending a hand (or an ear).
Contact Us