Hi, all.

Brian (maxnix) asked me how I liked the German Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 tires that I now have on my M45 and to compare them to my reference tire standard ... the discontinued (argh!) Firestone Firehawk SZ50-EP.

I responded to his e-mail and then realized that others might be near that point of changing tires on their 2003 or 2004 M45's too, so am posting my response here as well ... (edited with some minor additional clarifications):

I bought 245/45-18 100W Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 (made in Germany) for my M45 and have been using them for a few months now. On my wife's Acura, I have them in a 205/55-16 size (as I recall.)

This 245/45-18 size used to be in a 96Y load index, and recently became available in a 100W load index, so I figured I would try it for my M45. It should also do well for other heavy cars (like the Q45) too.

PROS:

1. Wet handling (curves and straights) is excellent, almost as good as the SZ50EP. In general, with similar wet conditions (I have not seen heavier rain in the Goodyear yet, though), these tires behave very similarly. Good, controlled tracking, with no feeling of floating or hydroplaning.

2. Wet braking is excellent, as good as the SZ50EP. No comparison to driving in heavy rain yet, though.

3. Dry handling is very good, but not as good as the SZ50EP (but not that far behind, really.) I just don't feel as comfortable on curves at high speeds as I used to on the SZ50EP, but I am talking about some serious speeds and curves. For most conditions, the tires are comparable!

4. Dry braking is very good, as good as the SZ50EP - but neither was as outstanding as some Pirelli's that I have used in the past (it was the P7 that I had one time.)

CONS:

1. Road noise is higher than the SZ50EP. Much more like typical other tires that I have used - the SZ50EP set a new standard for low noise in this regard! The SZ50EP won hands down over many other tires!

2. I feel the California lane bumps (bots?) more. This may also be due to the stiffer sidewall, but I also feel the same bumps in the Acura (that has a 89 or 91 load index, I forget which), so I am not sure of why this is the case.

3. Needs balancing more often. I am doing it every 3000 miles or so, on both cars. Dennis (Q45tech) has always said that this is indicative of internal construction changes with use, and this seems to be more often than I would like. A bit bothersome, but it has not kept me awake at night!

4. Surprisingly, the M45 suspension is not as "comfortable" with dry handling (curves at high-speeds) as the Bridgestone Turanza ER33 "High Performance" touring tires that it came with. The Goodyears are certainly sticky enough, but I almost felt more at ease with the Turanza's than the Goodyears on high-speed bumpy curves, even though the actual performance is better (got higher speeds in the Goodyears).

I am not sure why - it is possible that the 100 load index and stiffer sidewall (compared to the softer 94 index Turanza's) is not quite as properly "in tune" with the suspension. Another reason why I am actually thinking of going back to a 96 load index tire the next time.

SUMMARY:

In general, I'd say that the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 is indeed an excellent tire. Not as good as the SZ50-EP, although quite close!

This comparison is not strictly fair, since the sizes and load indexes I am comparing are a bit different! Regardless, the Goodyear meets my wet weather expectations - which is my personal criterion for judging tires, since I do not like driving in wet weather.

Overall, my feeling is that with the SZ50EP, I would never have considered getting anything else! Whereas with the Goodyears, I am thinking (albeit not very hard) of trying some other tires (like the Michelin Pilot Sport and the Avon M550) the next time, to see if they are better (Michelin), or close enough for the low-cost to be the decider (Avon.)

BTW, the Avon M500 is not made in a 18" size that I can use, so if I do try Avon, it will be the Avon M550 that gets the nod.

Z

BUMP ... to remind people about my past experiences with this tire.

Yesterday, I replaced the front two tires on my wife's Acura (down to 2/32 , which is below my norm change limit of 3/32 to 4/32), and after only a tiny bit of thinking of alternatives, I decided to stick with the Goodyear.

With the current rain we are having around here, I want her and my son to be in the best possible wet handling and braking tire I can get!

Z

Z you shoudl try the Bridgestone RE050A sometime.