Hi there
Just had new tyres fitted to the Honda S2000 replacing the new rear Toledo TL1000 budget tyres and near 10 year old Bridgestone tyres on the front. So, of course, anything would give an improvement as the car was understeering heavily.
It was a choice between PS4, F1AS5 and the CPC6, PS4 was dismissed due to supply issues and I just preferred F1AS5 plus it seemed to come out on top of equal in all reviews.
Now I'd normally wait longer before posting a review of a tyre because of items like release agents coming out the tyre etc, three tyres are dated 2020 and one is 2019. I had XL versions fitted.
However, upon the first drive the following is immediately obvious with new tyres:
- A slight ride improvement, the jiggles and jolts are still felt but they are more cushioned.
- Car no longer understeers.
- Car is stable at high speed the rear end no longer feels like it is collapsing in long sweeping high-speed bends.
- Braking performance is in another league.
- The tyres do not feel soft or spongy, nor do they feel firm, but steering response is spot on and the car has that cornering on rails feeling.
- Outright grip is in another league in dry. Wet to be tested but the hype about F1AS5 is around its wet performance.
So improved ride quality, but more direct steering response, the car will turn into a corner or roundabout at too high a speed but it just does it and communicates brilliantly what is happening if it does push a little you have the option of applying more lock and the car responds to that. The high-speed sweeping corner issue where the real felt like it was collapsing has now gone, the car is perfectly stable and very confidence inspiring. Braking is in another league, I was thinking about a brake upgrade but now those ideas are squished as it was simply down to rubbish tyres.
The worry over Goodyear was soft sidewalls, well I am getting no feeling of spongy tyres, it is dry and 16c today and on my short drive out the tyres heated up very well and become sticky so absolutely no fears of soft sidewalls it seems Goodyear have maybe mastered that whilst still maintaining ride quality but keeping sporty handling characteristics as well. The grip is simply staggering, an extra 10, maybe 20mph over the rubbish tyres and I even left TC enabled which use to be very intrusive on the front end due to understeer whereas now it is hardly interfering at all, once the release agent has gone I shall turn TC off but they feel incredibly grippy but also progressive, but that can be tested once warn in more.
Overall I have been a die-hard Michelin fan really since the SuperSport and stuck with them since, but I am glad I have tried the F1AS5 now and truly think it may actually be a better sporty tyre than the PS4, but do remember my car is around 1250kg and with myself and the Mrs in the car around 1400kg, but I am very impressed and highly recommend them. When it comes to changing Ferrari tyres I may give the new F1 Supersports a try over PS4S.
