Goodyear Malaysia, premiered its two new Ultra High Performance (UHP) products – the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 and the Eagle F1 Directional 5. Both UHP tires were officially launched in Hua Hin, Thailand at the Kaeng Krachan Circuit to media from around the region who were given a preview of their performance and precision handling. Following the event’s positive response, Goodyear Malaysia rolled out the new Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 and the Eagle F1 Directional 5 to Goodyear dealers and car enthusiasts at the Proton Test Track in Shah Alam. There attendees were introduced to the features of both tires through a full product training that was complemented with a track test using high performance cars.
Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 with ActiveBraking Technology, is the ultimate performance tire for luxury sports performance vehicles and the successor to the award-winning Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric. Taking on a best-in-class performance tire to the next level, the new Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 enhances the braking performance on wet and dry roads, helping drivers’ sense of confidence and control. It is the first Goodyear tire to use ActiveBraking Technology which helps deliver up to 3 meters shorter stopping distance on wet roads and up to 2 meters on dry roads when tested against three leading competitors.
Born out of racing heritage, the Goodyear Eagle F1 Directional 5 incorporates SportGrip Technology to offer precise and responsive handling, style and performance on the street. Built for driving enthusiasts who want stylish performance for their aftermarket-tuned sports cars, sporty coupes and performance cars, this tire brings fun and adventure with a touch of glamour to the mid UHP segment. Goodyear Eagle F1 Directional 5 excels in steering response and cornering power providing precise handling behavior and outstanding grip performance on various types of surfaces and conditions. The directional design provides a very dynamic look to the tire allowing superb styling for kit-ups and matching alloy rims. Directional tread design also helps provide maximized water dispersion for optimum performance on wet roads.
“At the core, innovation is at the heart of everything that we do. Both tires are testament of the vigorous and continuous R&D that is the lifeblood of Goodyear. This ensures that we produce quality performance tires that meet a wide range of needs, be it ultra performance, everyday motoring or for commercial applications,” said Richard Fleming, Managing Director, Goodyear ASEAN.
“We are a strong believer that it is the people who make the Goodyear brand a force to be reckoned with. The local launch involved 11 car clubs whose members put the tires through the most stringent of tests with the aim of demonstrating why these tires are the top in class. Goodyear’s dealers also have continued to play a vital role in assuring drivers the confidence and comfort of our continuous commitment in providing quality and service,” added Fleming.
Taking both these best-in-class performance tires to the track, Goodyear dealers and car enthusiasts experienced both tires on a dry and wet slalom as well as through a high speed course using performance cars such as the BMW 3 Series, BMW 5 Series and Porsche Cayman. The dry slalom track was set up with 15 meter gates with the aim to assess steering response, effort build-up around zero degrees steering angle and to test overall reaction of the car balance during quick maneuvers. The wet slalom track, on the other hand, was defined with 13 meter gates on a wet surface to assess the lateral grip of the tires in wet conditions and overall reaction of the car balance on low grip surfaces. Both the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 and Directional 5 demonstrated high steering precision characteristics and high level of grip for both dry and wet slalom, respectively. Participants were also taken on a high speed track using the Test Track Hi-Speed oval – a high speed large amplitude slalom and a lane change section course. The high-speed slalom was aimed at assessing the stability and the precision of the car trajectory. Both the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 and Directional 5 demonstrated its handling ability at high speeds well above 130km/h in total control.
Following these performance tests, a drift demo was conducted by the full Team Goodyear, including its newest member, Tan Tat Wei who also facilitated the Time Attack Challenge – a skill challenge for the participants to test the performance of the new tires. Enthusiasts attending the event were from selected Car Clubs such as VW & Audi Club Malaysia, VW Sirocco Owners Club Malaysia, VAGMY – Volkswagen & Audi Group Malaysia & SEA, BWM Club Malaysia, My Latio Club, Lancer GT Club, Caldina Club Malaysia, Italia Auto Club, 8 Gen Civic Club and the Proton Inspira Owners Club Malaysia.
“The Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 is smooth, silent and has excellent grip especially on those corners. Though testing the tires in such a short time, I was able to feel the grip and there was not much difference in both wet and dry conditions, which is something very rare and definitely a plus point,” said Elias Ismail, member of the Civic 8 Gen car club.
Member of the Ferrari Car Club Malaysia said, “The Goodyear Eagle F1 Directional 5 has great grip and it performed better than I had expected in both wet and dry conditions. It is good that Goodyear had invited us to this event to test the tire because as a consumer, the real life experience makes a difference as I choose my tires based on performance and overall durability.”
The Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 is available in 17” – 20” and ranges from RM535 to RM1710 while the Eagle Directional 5 is available in 15” – 20” and ranges from RM290 to RM705.
