Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 vs Continental Premium Contact 6: We saw previously how well the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 performed against the latest Michelin Pilot Sport 5 in our previous head to head coverage. This time around we would like to pair the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 with another premium competitor Continental’s Premium Contact 6 to see whether Goodyear’s latest donut can withstand the competition. Premium Contact 6 is a fairly old tire as it was launch in 2016 and has participated in a huge number of press test over the years while the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 was just launch recently in 2022.
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Results
Results below were taken from the 2022 Tyre Reviews 17 Inch Summer Tyre Test. A total of 9 tires were tested on the Goodyear’s track in France. The graph below shows the comparison between Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 vs Continental Premium Contact 6 based on the relevant performance category. The Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 was set as a reference hence at the 100% mark.
Note that for subjective comfort evaluation, we equate 1 point as 5%. Hence for example if the tire A is graded 7 while tire B is graded 6, A is better than B by 5%. The natural scaling does not really make sense in evaluation whereby the max number is 5. The tire size of interest is 225/45 R17 which is a common tire size for Audi A3 and Hyundai Elantra. You can check out our latest tire size table for more information.
Dry
One of the most important performance when it comes to the ultra ultra high performance segment is to have a very strong dry showing. Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 showed who is the boss by displaying a dominance performance in the dry conditions. In dry braking, it managed to out brake the Premium Contact 6 by 0.9m, a margin which can not be ignored.
While in dry handling lap times, the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 was behind by 0.15 seconds slower compared to the Premium Contact 6. From the total lap times, the Premium Contact 6 ranked 1st among the rest of the field. However from subjective point of view, the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 was rated +0.5 points better than Premium Contact 6. According to the test driver, the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 has a “nice sporty feeling steering response and felt like a weapon on the brakes” while for the Premium Contact 6 it has an “excellent dynamic steering with a nice weight, really quick sharp reactions, and great levels of grip across the three laps”. Overall the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 has the edge in dry.
Premium Contact 6:
- -2.7% in dry braking
- +0.2% in dry handling (lap time)
- -2.5% in subj dry handling
Wet
Safety has always been the main theme when it comes to the need for wet performances. With Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 superior in dry performances, can it hold its ground on wet conditions? In objective wet braking, the Premium Contact 6 managed to out brake the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 by 1.4m. It also had an edge on straight aquaplaning with a slipping speed of 85.7 km/h compared to the 84.1 km/h of Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6.
The tables were flipped when it comes to wet handling. The Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 was 1.3 seconds faster while having a +0.5 point advantage in subjective wet handling. It is astonishing to see how by having the better wet braking tire does not necessary attribute to a good wet handling tire. There are other key contributing factor other then the rubber compound which makes wet handling performance a very tricky one to master.
Premium Contact 6:
- +4.6% in wet braking
- -2% in wet handling (lap time)
- -2.5% in subj wet handling
- +1.9% in straight aquaplaning
Noise & Comfort
In the noise vibration & hardness criteria, Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 was more comfortable with a subjective rating of 9/10 while the Premium Contact 6 only managed a 8.5/10 score. In exterior noise, the advantage could not be clearer by having the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 3.7dB less quieter than Premium Contact 6. This is by far the largest deficit we have seen among the premium competitors.
Premium Contact 6:
- -5.2% in exterior noise (-3.7 dB)
- -2.5% in comfort
Rolling Resistance
When it comes to extreme sporty tires, rolling resistance is definitely not something the user has in mind when purchasing the tire. However with the sustainability topic being more prevalent, it is good to know where they stand. Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 was 6.4% better than the Premium Contact 6 which makes it a much more fuel saving tire.
Premium Contact 6:
- -6.4% in rolling resistance
Price
As both brands play second fiddle to Michelin in the pricing category, we expect the pricing of both tires to be fairly similar. The Premium Contact 6 end up being 6.7% cheaper compared to Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6.
Tire size: 225/45 R17
Premium Contact 6: : €90
Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6: €96
Difference: -6.7% more cheaper for Premium Contact 6.
Summary
With its newest updated package, Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 was able to show a great dominance in dry, wet handling, noise/comfort & rolling resistance. The only strong point for Premium Contact 6 came in the form of wet braking & aquaplaning. Overall from our point of view, Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 is the clear winner !