Extended Test of New Goodyear Eagle Sport All-Season Tires

First Impressions Report – September 12, 2013

The Eagle Sport All-Season is Goodyear’s new value tire for wet, snowy conditions, and it resides at the entry-level spectrum of the Eagle high-performance range of street rubber. A unique tread compound and asymmetrical rain grooves mark this new tire, with a 50,000-mile treadwear warranty for V- and W-rated tires. “Sipes” refer to the small, angled cuts into the tread, which allows for better wet traction and the use of a harder compound without sacrificing cornering performance. There’s even a lip built into the edge to protect expensive wheels. eBay Motors will be conducting an extended test of the all-season version of the Goodyear Eagle Sport with reports posted at three, six month, and 12 month intervals.

Our test mule for this exercise is our trusty 2002 Acura RSX Type S which was used in our comparison against the Scion FR-S earlier this year.

Out With the Old

The old tires being replaced are a set of Bridgestone RE960AS Pole Position in the same class as the Eagle Sport AS — ultra-high performance all-season tires. Dry performance of the RE960AS tires were close to excellent and the tire’s stiff sidewall held up well after several autocross runs without folding over itself. Our opinion of the Bridgestone’s braking and wet performance was good, but we were looking for better traction when the roads became slippery during California’s short rainy season. After 42,500 miles, lots of aggressive cornering, and a full day on the autocross course, our set of RE960AS tires were tired but still had enough tread for one more winter season.

First Impressions

Goodies Speed Shop in San Jose, California mounted/balanced the Goodyear Eagle Sport All-Season tires onto a new set of black 17-inch Enkei Fujin wheels purchased on eBay. For a gravity-cast wheel, Enkei managed to keep the weight down to 17 pounds which means we lost 4 pounds of rotational weight at each corner compared to the old setup.

Our scientific conclusion after scrubbing in the tires for a couple hundred miles is that these tires RAWK! If you are looking for a budget-friendly tire, do not fear these tires. They are quiet, sticky, and confidence inspiring.

We discovered the Eagle Sport AS tires are less harsh riding than the Bridgestone AS tires and are more compliant over uneven surfaces. Where the RSX used to become unsettled under hard cornering over rough pavement is no longer the case. Compared to the old Bridgestone tires, the Goodyear tires squeal a lot less under aggressive cornering and have higher limits of adhesion. We can attack the corners with more gusto and still feel confident that these all-season tires will hold their grip. Now we’re anxious to test the limits under wet and slippery conditions.

Other notable observations: both the Eagle Sport AS and RE960AS Pole Position tires barely exhibit tramlining on grooved concrete highways. And the Eagle Sport AS tires are a tad bit quieter than the old set according to our sound test measurements.