A grand debut ! Michelin Pilot Sport 5 vs Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6

Michelin Pilot Sport 5 vs Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6: What happens when you have 2 premium manufacturer launching 2 new products at the same time? We have tons of anticipation and excitement when they meet the first time! Thanks to tyrereviews.com we have a fantastic head to head dual of Michelin Pilot Sport 5 vs Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6. Both tires were launch in early 2022 and are packed with the latest technology the tire industry can offer. As this would be the first press test appearance for both these tires, let’s find out where they really stand.

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 Michelin Pilot Sport 5 vs Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 based on the relevant performance category. The Pilot Sport 5 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 was dominating at all fronts in dry conditions compared to Pilot Sport 5. In dry braking, it managed to out brake the Pilot Sport 5 by 0.6m, a close margin but still significant enough to make a difference.

While in dry handling, the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 was ahead by 1.13 seconds and managed a +0.7 points more in subjective rating. According to the test driver, the Pilot Sport 5 was “easy to drive, safe understeer balance, GREAT levels of grip… but just not that sporty” while the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 has a “nice sporty feeling steering response and felt like a weapon on the brakes”. Overall the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 outperformed the Pilot Sport 5 in dry criteria’s.

Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6:

• +1.8% in dry braking
• +1.2% in dry handling (lap time)
• +3.5% 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, Pilot Sport 5 managed to claw back in contention by being better in wet conditions. It managed to out brake the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 by 0.2m while having a +1 point advantage in subjective wet handling. Pilot Sport 5 was ranked 1st overall in the test at subjective wet handling.

The lap times were extremely close as they are only 0.06 seconds apart. However as seen from its predecessor, Pilot Sport 5’s aquaplaning was again best in class claiming the top spot with a slip speed of 87.7 km/h compared to 84.1 km/h from Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6. Overall, the Pilot Sport 5 definitely has the edge in wet performances.

Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6:

• -0.6% in wet braking
• +0.1% in wet handling (lap time)
• -5% in subj wet handling
• -3.8% in straight aquaplaning

Noise & Comfort

In the noise vibration & hardness criteria, Pilot Sport 5 was more comfortable with a subjective rating of 9.8/10 while the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 only managed a 9/10 score. However the table was turn in the exterior noise category whereby the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 was 2.9 dB quieter than the Pilot Sport 5.

Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6:

• +4.3% in exterior noise (-2.9 dB)
• -4% 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 4.2% better than the Pilot Sport 5 which makes it a much more fuel saving tire.

Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6:

• +4.2% in rolling resistance

Price

Michelin being Michelin with no surprises as it commands one of the highest priced tire in the market as Pilot Sport 5 Is €11 more compared to the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6.

Tire size: 225/45 R17

Pilot Sport 5 : €107

Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6:  €96

Difference: -10% more cheaper for Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6.

Summary

With its newest updated package, both tires showed great strengths against the rest of the competitors. Pilot Sport 5 was stronger in wet & comfort while the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 was good in dry, noise & rolling resistance. Overall from our point of view, Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 is the winner with the only major disadvantage comes in the form of wet handling. It also comes around with a 10% cheaper price tag than the Pilot Sport 5 🙂