Goodyear Eagle GT's - first impressions:

[Daemione]

2 of my stock tires were down to 4/32nds tread depth, and the 2 "good" ones only had 7/32nds, so I got rid of them a few days ago and swapped on some new rubber.

I kept with the stock 195/55-15 size, although these tires have a tread width significantly wider than the Dunlop SP31's they're replacing - almost an inch more rubber on the ground. So as a result of the wider tread & the rim protector, they look pretty beefy on the rims. Makes me want to get some 7" wide rims for them.

Around town they're definitely quieter than the OEM rubber, which is nice. I expect they'll be a lot quieter on the highway as well, although I haven't had it up over 45mph since I got them on.

They track just as straight & easy as the Dunlop SP31's, no annoying tendency to follow grooves in the road. And turn-in is comparable to the old tires as well, which is good for this car. Sidewalls feel like they're only a little stiffer - but right now they're @ 32psi, I'll see what happens when I bump the pressure up to 40 like I had the old ones at.

Performance wise, I haven't pushed them yet at all. I'm waiting to get 100 miles or so on them before I take 'em out to a nice lonely parking lot to see what they can do. But they're listed as ultra-high performance all-seasons, so I suspect they'll have a good bit more grip than the Dunlops, and hopefully less rollover & feel more comfortable when they do start to slide.

Despite the all-season label, I don't expect much in the way of snow capability . . . but that's what my 2nd set of rims with dedicated snow tires are for. I went with all-season rubber to try and give the car a little more confidence on dirt roads.

Goodyear Eagle GT

[suketoborudo00]

Thanks for the quick opinion on these tires. I've been waiting for someone to give some firsthand feedback on it :-)

[SanDan]

So you have a base 09 fit?

Any particular reasons why you went with 55 instead of 60? The 60's seem to be a $10 cheaper a piece.

[Daemione]

I've got an '07 Sport, so stock size is 195/55-15 for me.

[kenchan]

good to hear your tires are quiet. some tires are pretty noisy from the get go and just gets worse as they wear.

[Daemione]

Originally Posted by kenchan

some tires are pretty noisy from the get go and just gets worse as they wear.

Yeah, I've been on the short end of the stick for tires that get crazy noisy when they wear down (Yokohama A520's, anyone?) . . . I picked these tires in part because of their positive reviews noise-wise. They're initially as comfortable as any tires I've driven in recent memory, I hope they stay that way through their life cycle.

[eldaino]

thanks for the review man. i had been reading up on them and have been looking for a new tire to consider once my 912's run out.

(though the price of the 912's in a 205/50 r15 size is VERY tempting.)

[Type 100]

Performance wise, I haven't pushed them yet at all. I'm waiting to get 100 miles or so on them before I take 'em out to a nice lonely parking lot to see what they can do. But they're listed as ultra-high performance all-seasons, so I suspect they'll have a good bit more grip than the Dunlops, and hopefully less rollover & feel more comfortable when they do start to slide.

Good call. Scrub them in a bit before you push 'em to their limits.

It's good that they're quiet, but tire noise can change with the air pressures inside them. Try inflating them to different pressures and judge how noisy they are at each.

Do update us with your opinions once they've been scrubbed in and driven more enthusiastically!

[Daemione]

I had a chance to push them a little bit last night. Although they've got about 100 miles on them, they still feel a little squirmy & green - my commute is so short, I doubt they have a chance to get up to a good temp to heat cycle the rubber at all. I'll have to find an excuse to take it on the highway for a few trips.

But even as is, they're an excellent upgrade that I'm very happy with. There's a lot more grip available, and are more confident feeling when they start to let go. It's not the feeling of god-like grip I used to get on my Prelude w/ Max Performance summer tires, but it's a very different car, and a very different tire. These tires are far more comfortable to drive on, both in daily driving mannerisms and noise. And they will, of course, last quite a bit longer.

Now, while the tires are definitely stickier than the stock ones, I suspect ultimate grip hasn't improved by a lot (in the corners). The extra traction right now is only serving to exacerbate the less desirable handling traits of the car . . . i.e. understeer, lots of body roll, a very soft rear end, and more undesteer. But I've got a progress rear sway bar on the way, and that'll hopefully satisfy me temporarily while I shop around for the best coilovers to suit my purposes.

For straight line grip, there's a very noticeable increase in traction. Pulling out of driveways & parking lots, spinning the inside tire used to be extremely easy on the stock tires. Not so with the new ones, it just grabs. It's nice to be able to goose it pulling out onto a main road, and not cause other drivers to hit their brakes as they come up behind you.

Oh yeah - I've also got them up to 40 psi. So far with no negatives in the comfort department, so I'll probably try a little more. Maybe as much as 45psi, but don't want to encourage any negative tire wear. I want these tires to last as long as possible.

[kenchan]

your tires might perform better at lower psi. typically i only use 34-38psi max cold.
some tires work better at higher psi, some lower, so try a good range before you
make up your mind.

[mike2100]

Thanks for the review. These are exactly what I was planning on buying as replacements for my wife's 08 sport. I actually didn't think the OE SP31s were that bad. They kept us safe driving on I-40 through snow in Arizona and ice in Arkansas. Of course the car was weighed down quite a bit and I dropped the pressures to about 29-30 psi.
Looking at reviews on tire rack though it seems the Eagle GT is a win-win replacement.