Goodyear Eagle Tires - Good Got Better

The carbon fiber toilet seat we showed you in News recently (et 4/06) proves that the exotic material has infiltrated every aspect of our lives. And it's a good thing too, because there's something very sexy about the material. You should see my carbon-weave thong, it's a beauty!

Anyway, one area carbon fiber had yet to conquer was tires. After all, they're made of rubber and, well, CF isn't. However, Goodyear came up with a process that allows them to incorporate it into their latest Eagle tire range to give it a stiff outer sidewall and a tantalizing selling point. And while they were at it, some Kevlar was tucked into the carcass to absorb noise.

Sadly, the carbon weave isn't visible in the sidewall (we recommended they rethink this!) but there's a big patch telling you it has carbon fiber. They also added it to the name - making this the snappily titled Goodyear Eagle featuring ResponsEdge Technology with Carbon Fiber, or GEFRETWCF, as we liked to call it. And yes, they repeated that tongue twister throughout the technical presentation, lest we forget.

Marketing aside, is the tire any good? Well, we had the chance to compare it directly against its stiffest competitor from Michelin. Neither are ultra high performance tires. In fact, they're aimed squarely at performance touring cars, like the 3-Series, Audi A4, Passat, etc. However, the tread pattern of the Eagle has a high performance outer tread section, featuring one solid rib and another with tightly packed shoulder blocks, while the inner section has all-season capability designed to displace water and provide comfort.

We got to drive a handful of 3-Series equipped with both the Goodyear and Michelin tires under a variety of conditions. The first was a very twisty road section that took us up the side of a mountain. Even on these fast, twisting turns we found the Eagles responded impeccably, turning very quickly with their carbon-reinforced sidewalls. The ResponsEdge was living up to its name. This is not to say that the Michelins were terrible. They seemed to lack the precision of their competitor but had an entertaining predictability that allowed you to join together the turns with real fluidity.

So on the street we found the Goodyear tires to be quiet, well mannered and responsive. What would they make of the courses laid out for us?

There were two exercises. The first involved a rapid bus stop maneuver: turning fast left, straightening, then fast right. You needed confidence in the tires because we were doing this at relatively high speed. Again, the Michelins performed well but felt slightly soggy in comparison to the new Eagles. The precision of the Goodyears gave you far more confidence and ensured you completed the task without incident. Turn the wheel and the nose went in the direction you pointed it.

So what would they make of the autocross? This was made more demanding by a wet section in the middle that would demand good water-shedding ability. And guess what? The Michelins were competent, entertaining and predictable. But the Eagles edged them out again with more accuracy and better grip in the wet.

Why did Goodyear choose to compare its new tire against such stiff opposition (excuse the pun)? It's because Michelin makes great tires and is considered a market leader in this sector. And yet Goodyear has proven it's able to compete with the very best and maybe set a new benchmark. Obviously a test like this can't be considered totally objective, but it does show the new Eagle FRETWCF is comparable to the very best. Of course, this should come as no surprise since the Eagle F1 tire is currently the reigning champion of our annual tire test (et 11/05) after knocking Michelin's Pilot Sport 2 off the top spot.

Additional selling points for the new Eagle include a 30-day no obligation trial, roadside assistance program, warranty service and a website to receive tire rotation reminders, etc.

If you're wondering why there are karting photos here, it's because we got the chance to flex our butt cheeks on the Bondurant SuperKart circuit in Phoenix. Fortunately, we upheld European honor and set the fastest time of the day.

Actually, I was second fastest, behind a guy who was an anorexic professional kart racer or something so we really can't count him. The main thing is we beat Super Street's Carter Jung and Sport Compact's Jay Chen by about 97 minutes. In fact, Carter may still be on his slowing down lap. Apparently the presence of some corners confused them!