Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport vs Michelin Pilot Sport 4S: We know from our previous dual involving the Sport Contact 7 and the Eagle F1 SuperSport, Sport Contact 7 totally destroyed the Eagle F1 SuperSport in almost every aspect. Giving the tire another chance, let’s see how the Eagle F1 SuperSport fair against one of the most consistent tire in the market “Michelin’s Pilot Sport 4S”. The Eagle F1 SuperSport was release in 2018 and has been around the block for quite some time while the Pilot Sport 4S was launch a year earlier. Let’s see how well both of these tires do in a head to head battle.
Table of Contents
Results
Results below were taken from the 2022 Tyre Reviews UHP summer tire test. A total of 10 tires were tested on the Continental track in Germany. The graph below shows the comparison between Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport vs Michelin Pilot Sport 4S based on the relevant performance category. The Eagle F1 SuperSport 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 a mixed fitment 255/35 R19 and 275/35 R19 rear tires which is a common tire size for high end sporty cars such as Audi A5 Sportback & Mercedes-Benz C 300. You can check out our latest tire size table for more information.
Dry
When it comes down to ultra high performance tires, you immediately connect to picture of a “racing car” driving at the limit on a race track. This has transcended into a strong requirement for dry performances which was the main theme for both tires. Pilot Sport 4S clearly out brake the Eagle F1 SuperSport with a margin of 1.3m.
While in dry handling, the Eagle F1 SuperSport was the quicker just by a fraction of 0.32 seconds. Subjectively speaking the driver noted that the Eagle F1 SuperSport is definitely the best dry handling tire of its class with its “quick steering, high lateral grip, superb controllability at the limit”. The lap times did not subjectively reflect how good a drive was the Eagle F1 SuperSport.
Pilot Sport 4S:
- +3.9% in dry braking
- -0.6% in dry handling
Wet
Apart from having the longest braking distance conditions during wet, the possibility of loosing control due to aquaplaning phenomena is an imminent threat. Hence safety has also been the key theme when it comes to wet performances. Pilot Sport 4S was clearly better in wet braking by stopping earlier by 3.7m compared to Eagle F1 SuperSport. That is almost a car lengths of a B segment car !
The same wet braking superiority was transferred to wet handling, the Eagle F1 SuperSport was outdone the Pilot Sport 4S by 2.9 seconds. It was a quadrable grand slam as the Pilot Sport 4S shows who is the boss when it comes to wet by also dominating in both straight and curved aquaplaning. In summary, Pilot Sport 4S comfortably outperforms Eagle F1 SuperSport in all wet performance criteria.
Pilot Sport 4S:
- +7.1% in wet braking
- +3.2% in wet handling
- +3.4% in straight aquaplaning
- +3.6% in curved aquaplaning
Noise & Comfort
In the noise vibration & hardness criteria, Pilot Sport 4S once again takes the lead. The Pilot Sport 4S was more comfortable with a subjective rating of 9.5/10. while Eagle F1 SuperSport was the 2nd last tire with a score of 8.5/10. The Pilot Sport 4S is also better in exterior noise by being 1.9 dB quieter than Eagle F1 SuperSport.
Pilot Sport 4S:
- +2.6% in exterior noise (-1.9 dB)
- +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. the Pilot Sport 4S once again is better by 5.3% compared to Eagle F1 SuperSport
Pilot Sport 4S:
- +5.3% in rolling resistance
Price
Being the undisputed technology leader, we would expect Michelin to command the highest priced tire in the market. This was reflected somehow as the Eagle F1 SuperSport is 24% cheaper than the Pilot Sport 4S. The performance gap shown in this case truly reflects the pricing 🙂
Tire size: 255/35 R19
Pilot Sport 4S : €182
Eagle F1 SuperSport: €147
Difference: +24% more expensive for Pilot Sport 4S.
Summary
Overall, the Pilot Sport 4S was clearly the best in all performance criteria apart from dry handling where the Eagle F1 SuperSport is strongest. Pilot Sport 4S biggest drawback comes in the form of price which could play a huge factor during your purchasing decision making. Overall from our point of view, the Pilot Sport 4S in this case is worth every penny. The clear winner is the Pilot Sport 4S !