Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 tyre review
Goodyear’s Eagle F1 Asymmetric is a capable tyre across the board, and a worthy alternative to the likes of Michelin’s Pilot Sport 5
Goodyear’s Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 tyre promises a lot. As a summer tyre to rival Michelin’s Pilot Sport 5 and the Continental PremiumContact 7, it’s optimised for grip and precision in the dry, but has a few tricks up its sleeve to improve wet weather performance, as well as rolling refinement and efficiency with EVs in mind.
That’s an awful lot of bases to cover, and while the Asymmetric 6 doesn’t absolutely nail all of them, it’s a capable all-rounder. If you don't need the peak dry grip of the more aggressive summer tyres, like Goodyear’s own Eagle F1 SuperSport or our 2024 tyre test champion, the Continental SportContact 7, it’s worthy of consideration.
The F1 Asymmetric 6 is designed for everything from small hatches to saloons, large SUVs and EVs, being available in sizes from 17 to 23 inches. We tested it on a Volkswagen Up GTI in the 205/40 R17 size, as well as a BMW M235 xDrive Gran Coupe running on 235/40 R19s. Goodyear has employed numerous technologies to make it suitable for this wide range of applications, with a high load rating and low-noise SoundComfort tread pattern to suit EVs (it’s 21 per cent quieter than the Asymmetric 5), and elements in its construction to improve dry and wet weather grip.
On the subject of grip, the Asymmetric 6 features Dry Contact Plus tech, with a contact patch designed to increase under steering and braking loads to give better road holding. In the wet, meanwhile, a new resin in the compound gives the tread more road contact.
The Up isn’t exactly the most isolated and refined car to begin with, but road noise was reasonable on the Asymmetric 6, and they took the sting out of road imperfections to reduce the crashiness of the ride – a characteristic of most Up GTIs. The steering felt positive too. There isn’t the brightness and clarity you’d get with a more performance oriented tyre, but the Up still steers with a pleasing, light precision. Building up to the limit the Goodyears were progressive too, clearly telegraphing breakaway at the front, which happened gradually.
The BMW gave an opportunity to try the Asymmetric 6 on something heavier and more powerful. Traction was excellent, the M235 putting its 296bhp down through its four-wheel drive system without a chirp from the tyres, but under high speed cornering it was left a little wanting for precision, particularly when grip ebbed away. Still, the limit once again felt elastic with no sudden breakaway, which gave confidence to tweak the car’s balance mid-corner and feel it moving beneath you. Harsh low-speed imperfections pattered through the surface but on the whole, the Goodyears were compliant over bumps. On rougher roads, there was some rumble through the car – the Eagles don’t feel like class-leaders in terms of refinement.
Overall the Asymmetric 6 is an impressive tyre. For a serious hot hatch or sports car we’d go for something with more bite and precision, but as a capable, rounded everyday option for a warm hatch, saloon or SUV it’s a fine choice.
