Sam's Club: Eagle Response vs F1

I'm getting my tires via Sam's Club and I'm trying to get the best all-season tire with the best winter/wet traction possible without breaking the bank. I pretty much narrowed it down but can't decide with which to go, I am still reading reviews.

GoodYear EagleResponse: $145 per tire

GoodYear F1 All-Season: $143 per tire

Then of course there's stuff like Michelin Pilot Primacy but for $225 a tire

Input please, I'd like to order them today.

Later edit: well, looking at Tirerack reviews for Subie drivers, the F1 has lower ratings than ResponsEdge?

The F1s carry a higher speed rating, don't they? This means, generally, better handling characteristics. They have a more aggressive tread, so there may be more noise with them, though.

I have F1 A/S sets on both our Subarus, and they're outstanding -- not as grippy in either wet conditions or on dry pavement than the F1 GS-D3s I was used to before, but still very responsive and solid. HPH

I have the F1 A/S and love them.

If you're going to drive it hard then get the F1, otherwise get the others.

So Ultra High Performance is gonna be above Grand Touring and a better option. I guess I want performance tires and am not overly concerned about road noise and softness, as long as the F1s don't sound like a freight train and feel like I'm getting punched in the kidneys with every road bump

The price difference is small, like 5 bucks more for the F1s.

Should I go for it?

Aye, they're close but the F1 is a better performer at the sacrifice of ride comfort.

It's cheaper on Sam's site too, $142 per tire vs $145 ResponsEdge.

Alas, they are supposebly not available. I sent them an e-mail.

Interesting. Most of the ResponsEdge sizes are HR & VR, but a few (including some likely-sized 17s) are ZR. That must be a low profile ratung for the 45s and 40s.

Note, though, that the F1s are all ZR -- meaning that's their design. And, of course, they're all-seasons.

I still say F1s. HPH

Thanks, I ended up ordering the F1s, they were even cheaper than the ResponsEdge like I said and I got a $50 mail-in rebate. All said and done, $600 installed with free lifetime balance, rotation and flat tire repair. Firestone quoted me at $900 I was going to ask him if they were throwing in a set of rims too but I didn't have the balls.

The dillema is: are they or are they not backordered.

When I tried to order them via Samsclub.com, I wasn't able to so I contacted customer service. The chick told me there is a national backorder and won't be available for another 4 weeks, yet I went to Sam's Club as well and was able to have the guy order them and they showed being in stock. Told me they'd be in 5 to 7 days. We'll see.

I just had the right front crappy Bridgestone RE patched for the 3rd time in a row now. They are so worn so they are picking up crap that normal tires wouldn't.

Once I get them I'll come back with impressions and I promise that I will review them in both rain and snow conditions since they are new tires on the market and haven't seen that many detailed reviews around here. Both the F1s and ResponsEdge have the same ratings on Tirerack it seems.

F1 A/S finally came in to Sam's yesterday and had them put on so as promised, back with some impressions. Not much to offer since I only drove them around for a few hours but I can tell that they provide better feedback than the stock tires without being harsher. They definitely tell me what is on the road, bumps, cracks, etc. Ride quality has improved, the car is not as noisy. They seem stiffer and handle better in turns, although they squealed more than the stockers in a 90-degree turn that I sometimes come out of at 36+mph. I guess they need time to "settle", being brand new and all.

I'll come back with impressions once I get to drive them more, especially in rain. But so far, I am liking them.

F1 A/S finally came in to Sam's yesterday and had them put on so as promised, back with some impressions. Not much to offer since I only drove them around for a few hours but I can tell that they provide better feedback than the stock tires without being harsher. They definitely tell me what is on the road, bumps, cracks, etc. Ride quality has improved, the car is not as noisy. They seem stiffer and handle better in turns, although they squealed more than the stockers in a 90-degree turn that I sometimes come out of at 36+mph. I guess they need time to "settle", being brand new and all.

I'll come back with impressions once I get to drive them more, especially in rain. But so far, I am liking them.

New tires have some oils and things on the outside surface to aid in releasing them from the molds as they are being manufactured. You should take it easy on them for the first few hundred miles so that all that stuff can be worn off. Otherwise they may get you in trouble (especially in the rain) if you try and drive them hard right away. I'm sure you'll see some better performance once you get them worn in a little.

F1 A/S finally came in to Sam's yesterday and had them put on so as promised, back with some impressions. Not much to offer since I only drove them around for a few hours but I can tell that they provide better feedback than the stock tires without being harsher. They definitely tell me what is on the road, bumps, cracks, etc. Ride quality has improved, the car is not as noisy. They seem stiffer and handle better in turns, although they squealed more than the stockers in a 90-degree turn that I sometimes come out of at 36+mph. I guess they need time to "settle", being brand new and all.

I'll come back with impressions once I get to drive them more, especially in rain. But so far, I am liking them.

Any updates?

Am considering the Eagle F1 A/S or the Yoko S.Drives for my '05 OBXT, but am concerned that the Eagles might have too flimsy of a sidewall for my taste. My OB's crappy stock suspension makes the car float all over the road as it is....I don't need my tires "helping" any

TIA,

Tim

I love them. They are ultra-high performance rated and do just that. They will put you in contact with the road and you will get more feedback. You feel what the car is doing and what it's going over. If you want smooth sailing you may want to go with non-ultra high performance tires, but otherwise I'm loving these so far. I will go so far to say that I personally think it gives BMW-like feedback for the most part. You are just so much more in contact with the road.

They grip nicely in corners too, there have been situations where I pushed them and under the very same conditions the stockers squealed and protested. These didn't even flinch. Drove through standing water and aside from the car slowing down, it cut through it with no issues. I can't wait to see how they'll perform in snow.

If you want to know more specific information, let me know.

Given the tread pattern, I expect that F1s will be fine in just about anything other than very cold (say, 10°F and below) hard-packed snow and ice.

Years ago, I ran a set of Pilot Sport A/S tires (in 245 width, no less) on my allroad through several autumn snowstorms when I lived in the New Mexico mountains, and they did quite well. But when I switched to M2s for "real" winter, the limitations of the Pilots were apparent.

And you're right: getting away from the OEM tires will make the biggest difference. HPH

Later edit: well, looking at Tirerack reviews for Subie drivers, the F1 has lower ratings than ResponsEdge?

Tirerack user reviews are absolutely useless. The bulk of the "info" has users who have no idea on when to rate a tire, how to rate a tire, or even the proper application.

You see brilliant comments like those summer high performance tires are awful on snow/ice and noisy

Given the tread pattern, I expect that F1s will be fine in just about anything other than very cold (say, 10°F and below) hard-packed snow and ice.

 

Years ago, I ran a set of Pilot Sport A/S tires (in 245 width, no less) on my allroad through several autumn snowstorms when I lived in the New Mexico mountains, and they did quite well. But when I switched to M2s for "real" winter, the limitations of the Pilots were apparent.

 

And you're right: getting away from the OEM tires will make the biggest difference. HPH

Great information....really glad you posted this......

The dilemma I'm faced with is wanting to make the leap from 3-season tires + winter tires to a performance-oriented 4-season tire...especially since I'm in need of replacing both sets. We just don't get enough snow in NJ nowadays to warrant snow tires anymore IMO, and the feedback I've gotten re: the Nokian WR-G2's as a possible 4-season tire hasn't been positive. Plus the damn things run around $225/each in this area!

I'm very familiar with the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S' from my '01 7-Series and absolutely love them--except for the well-known issue of premature wearing of the center strip on the rears with BMWs (which probably wouldn't happy on an OB). I was wondering how the Pilot Sport A/S would be on an OBXT overall--not to mention how they'd do in the white stuff. I know 'FastSly' from this board had run them on his OBXT and felt they were "too much tire" for the OB's suspension, and he also never ran them in the snow. I believe they lasted him about 20k miles, but as some comparison, at 21k miles, my Falken 512's are worn out at the outer edges. So, if 20k miles is about all one can expect a tire to last on these cars, personally I'd rather enjoy those 20k miles. As much as this board seems to love the Falken 512's, I feel they have a flimsy sidewall and actually provide less high-speed stability and control than the stock RE-92's, so I can't wait to get off of them!!

So....right now I'm torn between the Eagle F1 A/S (am wondering how controlled they are at highway speeds), Yoko S.Drive (which is actually rated better in the snow than the F1 A/S & Pilot Sport A/S on tirerack), or maybe ponying-up for the Pilot A/S...know you....in the event I don't want my daughter to go to college

Any thoughts?

TIA,

Tim