Good News - Goodyear FI's on C43

[angus falconer]

Just a quick post to report on the Goodyear F1's I have just fitted to my C43. Last time round (12,000 miles ago) I erred on the side of caution and replaced the OE Continentals with.......Continentals

This time I wanted a change and the recommendation to go Goodyear came from BSG Mercedes of Ladbroke Grove. The tyres are Z-rated Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD 3's. the cost £480 all in - I think £120 a corner is remarkably good value for this sort of tyre. I ordered them from Blackcircles (www.blackcircles.com) and they were fitted at my local tyre shop.

And what a difference; big improvement in turn in and BIG reduction in tyre roar - something that really bugged me about the Contis. Haven't used them all all types of roads yet but they seem to grip much better under braking and cornering. All in all they seem like a much better, much more modern design. Being Goodyear they will no doubt be world class in the wet. As a double plus extra bonus they've got the funkiest tread pattern this side of a Toyo Proxes.

So I can thoroughly recommend Goodyear F1's for C43's or similar.

By the way I can also recommend www.blackcircles.com who previously helped me move from Yokohamas to Toyos on my previous car, a Nissan 200SX, with similar improvements. You don't actually have to order online - you can do a price comparison online then call to make the order. They are knowledgeable and efficient and arrange despatch to a fitting centre of you choice. Great value and great service.

 

[pascal]

Yea Angus....The F1 GS D3..... They score highest for Max performance tyres, in tests in the US http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/bs_RE050A_rd.jsp


NOTE: Not all types of F1s fair as well as the F1 GS D3's

Here is some tech stuff on them: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Goodyear&tireModel=Eagle+F1+GS-D3

Also discussed here (near the end): http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=9983&page=2

 

[angus falconer]

Thanks Pascal.

Reading the review of the Eagles by the Audi driver I noticed that he also found them very quiet. And yes there are many different Eagles - it's a bit confusing (and going by the other thread tyre choice is highly subjective).

I only made one error in my original post - I went to Bridgestone S03's on my Nissan not Toyos. They were a very similar looking tyre to the Eagle and had many of the same characteristics. The only problem I had was finding anyone with a German car who has tried Japanese tyres (I couldn't).

Still, I am happy. I seem to have lucked in here as I wanted an S03-type tyre and found one in the shape of the Eagle F1 GS D3.

 

[angus falconer]

As a W203-owning friend of mine just observed "they're just like a set of F1 wets".

No wonder I liked the look of them......

 

[pascal]

BTW Angus what were the tyre size you fitted

 

[angus falconer]

BTW Angus what were the tyre size you fitted

Standard sizes - 225/45 fronts and 245/40 rears (on the original AMG 17 " monoblocs)

 

[angus falconer]

Hi Pascal

The tiretrack.com tests are great. I missed this when it was originally posted. There are all sorts of people recommending them including lots of 3 series drivers and, oddly enough, lots of folks driving Japanese motors as well as US cars. May of them comment on the quietness, turn in and grip. This that have done back to backs with Bridgestone S03's say that the Brigestone is marginally better on a track but the Goodyear much better all round esp in terms of wet performance.

This was my favourite review, though, for a 1998 CLK 320

Driving Condition: Mostly Highway
Driving Style: Spirited
"I didnt even recognize my own car when these tires were broken in. My CLK320 never handled so well". -- Review Submitted 2005-05-24

If you take tyres seriously (I do because the difference a good tyre can make is vast) it's a very useful resource. Thanks

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...=Eagle+F1+GS-D3

 

[Bolide]

Tirerack tests

Tirerack are testing different tyres to those supplied in the UK so I'd be careful about using them to base a buying decision on


Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[davidsl500]

This time I wanted a change and the recommendation to go Goodyear came from BSG Mercedes of Ladbroke Grove. The tyres are Z-rated Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD 3's. the cost £480 all in - I think £120 a corner is remarkably good value for this sort of tyre. I ordered them from Blackcircles (www.blackcircles.com) and they were fitted at my local tyre shop.

I've always found Blackcircles expensive compared with www.mytyres.co.uk

Eagle F1 GSD3

eg 245/40x17 £102.90 each
225/45x17 £ 85.50 each

price includes delivery and vat. they will ship to your chosen fitter direct if you want as well. average fitting price is about £5-£8 per tyre depending where you go.

I reckon the tread pattern is one of the best I have seen and it will be Eagles for me as well later this year - or the Pilot 2's if they have come down in price - tough choice!

 

[angus falconer]

WOW - even cheaper - that works out at about just over £400 a set.

Performance tyres have never been cheaper.

 

[angus falconer]

Tirerack are testing different tyres to those supplied in the UK so I'd be careful about using them to base a buying decision on


Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

Thanks Bolide for that note of caution. I have seen some very very hard compound tyres on US cars in my time. The general concensous over there seems to be that a tyre must do 10's and 10's of thousands of miles. Whereas we Europeans are more into cornering. And speed. So I wouldn't be suprised if the manufacturers supplied different compounds. Another great reason to live in Europe

 

[angus falconer]

Had a blast to North Norfolk and back (to London) on the weekend. I was delighted to experience heavy rain on the way back. These tyres are awesome when blatting through standing water at....err....70mph.

Also massively quieter than Contis on the concrete sections of the M11 and M25.

Result

 

[davidsl500]

Had a blast to North Norfolk and back (to London) on the weekend. I was delighted to experience heavy rain on the way back. These tyres are awesome when blatting through standing water at....err....70mph.

Also massively quieter than Contis on the concrete sections of the M11 and M25.

Result

great news, any chance of posting a piccy? I'd like to see them on the vehicle..

 

[GrahamC230K]

I have had Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD-3's for about the last 4 sets.

Amazing tyre and many many people I know that "drive" their cars won't have anything else.

I have the same 245 Rear, 225 front staggered set up as your C43 and I cant make my rears last any longer than 10-11K in my C230K, so best of luck with your 4.3 montser!

I get about 15-18K out of the fronts.

A few laps of Bruntingthorpe to really push them to their limits and I will never except anything else all the while enjoying my car is one of my priorites.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I bought my last set of GSD3 from these guys. They were cheapest for the particular fitment at that time. Exactly half the cost of getting the same tyres from Kwik Fit!!

http://www.johnsonstyres.com/

 

[angus falconer]

great news, any chance of posting a piccy? I'd like to see them on the vehicle..

Hi David,

Yes - if I ever figure out how to post a picture here - I read the threads on how to do this every now and then and glaze over on the fourth paragraph. It seems to be incredibly complicated and even if I figure out how to do it it looks like the pics my camer takes are too hi res to fit.

They look great though!

And Graham C230k swears by them too

 

[angus falconer]

I have had Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD-3's for about the last 4 sets.

Amazing tyre and many many people I know that "drive" their cars won't have anything else.

I have the same 245 Rear, 225 front staggered set up as your C43 and I cant make my rears last any longer than 10-11K in my C230K, so best of luck with your 4.3 montser!

I get about 15-18K out of the fronts.

A few laps of Bruntingthorpe to really push them to their limits and I will never except anything else all the while enjoying my car is one of my priorites.

Yes I suspect the rears won't last too long. But then I'd rather spend money on rubber than on a rapidly depreciating new car (see my comments about a £25k A Class the other day....).

And for the first time in 2 years of ownership I can see the C43 as a track car. I would NEVER in a 1000 years have taken it to a track on the Conti's. It would have just have understeered off at the first corner. I genuinely though that C43's were meant to handle like that. You know BMW's have steering and go round corners, Mercs sort of waft along. What a wast of money those Contis were. NEVER AGAIN!!

 

[angus falconer]

It's gets better - rain sodden trip to work today. As no wife and baby in car was able to give it full beans. Almost impossible to get traction light to flash. On the Conti's it was like a bad 70's disco console every time I set off from the lights.

These tyres are quite amazing.

 

[GrahamC230K]

They are good in the dry, but comparativly, they excel in the wet according to the tyre tests I have read and I can't say I disagree.

 

[angus falconer]

I'm beginning to sound like a Goodyear ad here.....but I've just blasted ito down some narrow, twisty, badly surfaced, off-camber Warwickshire b-roads....and the handling is amazing. On Conti's I'd be going 20-30% slower. Or more likely just going slow as they tramlined all over the place (from new).

I feel like I've got a brand new car.

Still trying to post pics (exisiting ones too big)