Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport R vs Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect: When you think of a top max performance tire you might recall the Michelin’s Pilot Sport 4S and also Continental’s newly launched ExtremeContact Sport. These are indeed household names which have been dominating the max performance summer segments. What if you would like something more? A tire which is legally allowed on the road but still able to have the characteristic of a track tire.
Goodyear’s answer to this is the Eagle F1 SuperSport R with only one goal in mind which is to deliver the best dry performance tire on track & road. As done previously with our Michelin semi slick showdown, we will pit this semi track day tire against Michelin’s own semi slick track day tire Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect which was launched in 2020. Both tires are extremely popular in the track day circuit and let’s put them head to head to find out who comes out on top !
Table of Contents
Results
Results below were taken from Auto Bild’s Track Day 2022 Test with a total of 6 tires tested, The graph below shows the comparison between Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport R vs Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect based on the relevant performance category. Eagle F1 SuperSport R was set as a reference hence at the 100% mark.
Note that for both wet & dry handling evaluation, the average lap speed was used instead of the standard lap time & subjective rating. The tire size of interest is 235/35 R19 which is a common tire size for Audi R8 & Volkswagen Golf R. You can check out our latest tire size table for more information. The testing vehicle is a Volkswagen Golf GTI CS which is a very fast car relative to its size.
Dry
When it comes to dry performances, it is essentially everything this segment was built for. On the track, Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect was shown to be better in dry braking by having a 2.4m braking distance advantage over Eagle F1 SuperSport R. This is a huge advantage but it was not carried into dry handling. As we do not have the lap times, both tires are dead even when it comes to average lap time speed. This goes to show that even though one tire leads another in absolute dry braking, handling is a totally different world.
Below are some of the feedback from the test drivers in relation to the tires:
Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect:
Convincingly sporty handling qualities with good feedback. Doesn’t steer as precisely and doesn’t have the lap time level of its opponents
Test driver feedback on Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect
Eagle F1 SuperSport R:
Meets sport demands.
Test driver feedback on Eagle F1 SuperSport R
Overall Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect had a braking advantage but the tires were fairly similar in dry handling.
Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect:
- +7.3% in dry braking
- +0.1 in dry handling (average speed)
Wet
The friction of coefficient of the tire/road dramatically decreases in wet roads compared to dry roads. Hence it is more likely to get into a road accident during wet conditions rather than on a sunny day. It was so important that the EU label has wet braking as one of its three criteria. With regards to our comparison, Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect was totally blazing when it came to wet braking as it managed to out-brake Eagle F1 SuperSport R by 12.5m
In the wet handling category, the differences were clear as Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect was the better tire with an average lap speed of 84.7 km/h compared to 80 km/h of Eagle F1 SuperSport R. Even though this segment is all about track day performances which is usually on dry conditions, these tires still need to be road complaint. It came to us a huge surprise the differences were so big that Auto Bild had to comment “Dangerously low braking distance on wet”
Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect:
- +25.4% in wet braking
- +5.9% in wet handling (average speed)
Wear
Even though there was no official test, the guys from Auto Bild actually took note on how much more the tires could last if they would have continued. After 10 laps, they realized Bridgestone Potenza Race & Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R were done while both tires that we featured in this test, Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport R & Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect still had about 10 laps more. This could be interesting if you are looking for more value for your track day tires.
Price
Being the undisputed technology leader, we would expect Michelin to command the highest priced tire in the market. This was in alignment as Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect was found to be more expensive than Eagle F1 SuperSport R in most markets.
Tire size: 235/35 R19
Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect: €303.69
Eagle F1 SuperSport R: €255.59
Difference: +16% more expensive for Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect.
Summary
Overall, Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect showed clear domination in both dry & wet categories. Both tires come with the same expected wear with Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect having a higher price point. From our point of view, Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect is clearly the winner in this duel especially with its amazing dry & wet braking performances.