Quality
tyres are a must in any performance car build up. There’s
no point having a big power if you have bad tyres as it’s
downright dangerous. After having to deal with bald, middle
aged, grumpy liquorice strips for longer than I deserved,
it was time to upgrade. I figured that while I’m
at it I may as well get a nice new set of tyres also. After
some discussions with people in the know, Goodyear was
contacted and a set of Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3s were on
its way.
Initially, there was some issue as to what size would
fit on the front, with the 225s not clearing the struts
fully. Eventually 215/45/17s were settled on and there’s
a bee’s dick of space between the outside of the
springs and the edge of the tyre, but no rubbing occurs
at any point on the turning circle. The shock is also free
to move to its full travel points. As far as the rear end
of the 180 was concerned I was always planning on sticking
something a little fatter in. With this in mind the rear
wheels copped a big dosage of rubber. The 235/45/17 tyres
fatten up the look of the rear end nicely, filling out
the guards well.
Now the car was looking fat, sitting on its wide tyres,
with quite possibly the sexiest tread pattern available.
But looks are a long way down the conversation line when
discussing tyre attributes. Things such as traction in
the dry and wet, quality of ride and handling and road
noise are much more important, and the Goodyear Eagle F1’s
come through with amazing results.
Not long after the F1s were fitted, one of my mates jumped
into the car for a ride to the nearest café for
breakfast. After a few minutes of driving he burst out
with a “Dude, the ride of this car is fucking amazing
compared to what it was before.” I must confess that
prior to the Eagles, I was under the impression that a
combination of low profile tyres and coil overs direct
from Japan meant that any semblance of comfortable ride
wasn’t possible. Yet I have been proven wrong by
Goodyear.
Certainly the ride is still firm, but now when I hit a
bump at speed, I describe it as a pock mark rather than
a manhole. The ride is also much quieter than before, even
with the window down. According to Goodyear the noise is
down because of the unique design of the tread. Being optimized
for unusually low noise levels, the Eagle F1s deliver muted
sound in spades. This is one area which Goodyear has been
working on improving throughout its tyre range, and judging
by the Eagle F1s they are certainly on the right track.
Traction with these babies is truly awesome. Sure the
180 isn’t a low down torque monster and is still
relatively stock, but the 235s on the rear have allowed
me to put a helluva lot of that power directly down to
the ground in one big hit. Dialling up about 4-4.5k on
the tacho and then slipping the clutch out results in minimal
wheel spin but launches me out of the gates hard, giving
the 180 the jump on many an unsuspecting vehicle.
Under steer is non existent in street applications and
the brakes really need to be planted hard in an attempt
to lock them up. Suffice to say, unless you are really
trying hard to catch the tyres off guard, you won’t
be locking them up any time soon in the relatively light
180SX. The tyres are made of a silica tread compound which
includes high tech resins and polymers, endowing the tyres
with great wet traction also. Stability in the wet is unbelievable,
and the feel to the steering wheel is almost enhanced,
allowing for sublime control in all situations. You are
always aware of the relationship between the bitumen and
the tyre.
You can really feel the difference between quality tyres
and cheaper products, and this is the reason that when
one is shopping for tyres, there’s no point skimping
or being cheap, as it can be a life and death situation.
To browse Goodyear’s range, go to www.goodyear.com.au for
sizes or prices. A big thanks goes out to Michael from
Goodyear for sorting out the tyres, and all the boys at
Beaurepairs in Silverwater for fitting and wheel alignment.
Goodyear Tyres
www.goodyear.com.au
Building 1, Level 1, 658 Church Street, Richmond, Victoria,
Australia 3121
Telephone (61 3) 8416 7444 Facsimile: (61 3) 8416 7400.
Beaurepairs Lidcombe
www.beaurepairs.com.au
Corner
of Silverwater Road & Giffard Street
Lidcombe NSW, 2141
Phone: 96483311
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