Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 vs Michelin Pilot Sport 4s: Both tires coming from a well-reputed company, are the ones that leaves an impact. Not only do they come with a variety of impressive features, but also offer a supreme road grip and maneuverability that deserves an applause.
It is difficult to find any real weaknesses in them and only in-depth comparisons of each tire yields small and negligible differences.
Examine the treads on these tires closely. They hold the key to knowing which to choose. In fact if you visit my "tread design" page, picking the right tire would never bother you.
So let’s check em out.
FYI: Michelin Pilot Sport 5 is better than 4S.
Table of Contents
Comparing Goodyear Asymmetric 5 and Michelin Pilot Sport 4s
Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5
Michelin Pilot Sport 4s
Data was derived using both tires to see, how each reacts when put under different tests.
The tires (under same sizes) were tested to evaluate their wet and dry traction, rolling resistance, noise levels, aquaplaning resistance, and other critical parameters using a same reliable car.
Dry Traction Comparison
Goodyear has designed the Asymmetric 5 (replaced by Asymmetric 6) with the help of highly refined silica compounds that help to boost the tire’s grip on the road and ultimately help to reduce the car’s braking distance.
The tire has an asymmetric tread pattern as the name suggests and this, along with a stiff and rigid framework results in a very responsive tire.
We talked about it’s design in more detail in our comparison with Goodyear Eagle SuperSport.
This is how the tire turned out on dry asphalt in comparison to Pilot Sport 4s:
| Pilot Sport 4S | Asymmetric 5 | |
| Dry Braking Distance | 108.8 feet | 112.4 feet |
| Dry Handling (Avg lap time) | 94.4 seconds | 96 seconds |
As you can see, Pilot Sport 4s shows better dry grip. This is because of the tire’s design.
The tire simply offer more contact patch than the other. See how the tire ribs run continually (in the middle) over the circumference. There are no blocks there.
And the sipes on the other two blocks are also very minimalist. That’s why the tire has such a great grip on dry.
But the lack of sipes also made this tire struggle when it came to wet laps. The wet handling time was however almost the same for both tires.
| Pilot Sport 4S | Asymmetric 5 | |
| Wet Braking Distance | 116.5 feet | 110.6 feet |
| Wet Handling (Avg lap time) | 65.25 seconds | 65.2 seconds |
But the overall grip of the tire on wet asphalts is low compared to Asymmetric 5.
FYI: Michelin Pilot Sport 4 was better in wet handling than Pilot Sport 4s.
Rolling Resistance
Since the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 has been composed of natural and synthetic rubber (refined silica), it offers quite a reduced rolling resistance as compared to the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S.
The tire’s rolling resistance was recorded to be lower owing to its rigid carcass.
This is possible because the environmentally friendly choices of using refined silica in the manufacturing helps to reduce tire deformation, and hence leading to fuel savings all around the clock.
The Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S, on the flip side, has a higher rolling resistance. But that’s understandable given that its a UUHP tire.
UUHP tires focus mainly on ensuring excellent dry and wet traction. No UUHP tire can match the low rolling resistance figures of a UHP tire, in this case the Asymmetric 5.
This high rolling resistance comes with a cost in the form of fuel expenses. However, these tires are usually common in high-maintenance vehicles as these tires are accredited by such car manufacturers. Cost friendly production is not something that is kept in mind in the design and manufacture of these tires. Users are assumed to manage investment in fuel for these tires.
Aquaplaning/Hydroplaning
When it is about aquaplaning, the GoodYear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 offers a very good resistance due to its standout asymmetrical tread design, as well as its contact patch extension feature.
The tire, thus, grips strongly onto the road even in wet conditions at high speeds.
This excellent grip makes it an ideal choice for consumers who live in wet areas.
The tread depth and design of Eagle F1 make it easier to channel the water while maintaining the speed without the risk of any slippage.
The inboard All-Season Zone in Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 helps push water away from the tread for enhanced all-season traction in rain and light snow while allowing additional biting edges to generate more traction in rain and snow.
The Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 has a float speed of 48 mph compared to Michelin Pilot 4S’s 47.6 mph.
The difference is however, very low.
Both of these tires are almost equally as good as each other when it comes to hydroplaning resistance.
Noise and comfort
The Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 offers a very good noise reduction performance with an external noise of just 71.1 dB.
This is possible because of Goodyear’s SoundComfort Technology, which involves the manufacturer adhering a layer of sound-absorbing foam to the inner liner of the tire to reduce cabin noise in the vehicle.
The dampening of the sound results in a quiet and pleasant journey for the driver. So not only does the tire offer a stunning performance in handling, but it also adds that extra oomph by its reduced noise levels.
For the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, the external noise was recorded to be 72.7 dB, which while is a good value on its own, is greater than the noise produced by the Asymmetric 5.
This can be a lot especially for people who are accustomed to quiet, peaceful drives. It is generally a passable level of noise but is nonetheless a factor that must be taken into account when making a purchase.
Tread wear
The Asymmetric 5 comes equipped with a warranty of a whopping 45000 miles, which if we keep the average commuting distance in mind, is a lot. This means that the tire stands up to its reputation and resists treadwear quite well.
This high-performance is made possible because of the tire’s rigid frame, as well as the internal structure that features twin steel belts reinforced by spirally wrapped polyamide cord cap plies.
The tires tread wear rating of around 300 is a result of the tire’s rubber composition as well as its advanced engineering design.
The Michelin Pilot Sport 4S compared to the Asymmetric 5, has a limited mileage warranty of 30,000 miles only. Apart from that, however, the tire also carries standard materials and workmanship warranty for the life of the original tread. This is a remarkably good tread life, especially for a UUHP.
Quick Summary:
Goodyear Asymmetric 5:
- has better wet braking and handling.
- is better at Aquaplaning.
- Has lower noise levels.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4s:
- Has better dry braking and handling.
- Is less fuel efficient.
