| Dunlop & Falken Tire Test - Tuner Tech
Driver's Comments
Dry
Don: The third tire tested in the dry, these were better than Continental but had less grip than Goodyear. They were predictable and good under braking and turning-in.Will: These tires got worse with every lap. Braking was better than Continental but would push more in the transition.
Wet
Don: As the eighth tire tested in the wet, these were one of the best - still not as good as Goodyear but very predictable, and I kept finding more speed on the skidpan with them. They were very controllable, and it was easy to find the limit and then balance them. There was good turn-in, which inspired confidence even if they got loose. I predict they are slightly faster than the Falken and Dunlop but not as good as Goodyear.Will: These are pretty good. They were the best for getting on the power early and had really good grip. They must be in the top three so far.
Driver's Comments
Dry
Don: The 10th tire driven in the dry, these were one of the best so far and in the top three. You could be very precise turning-in and around the skidpan. The level of grip wasn't quite on par with the Michelins, but they were very good.Will: These had awesome grip. They stuck the whole time and had the best high-speed transition of any tire so far. They inspired confidence because you could place the car very precisely.
Wet
Don: As the seventh tire tested in the wet, this wasn't the best or worst. They were probably just slower than the Falken and Dunlop. They weren't as good on the skidpan and needed a gentle throttle because they would break away quite suddenly compared to those tires and the Goodyear, but they were better than the Toyo.Will: These were consistent through the skidpan but the front would let go in the last third, which the good tires didn't do. These were just average tires - not the best nor the worst.
Driver's Comments
Dry
Don: As the second tire tested in the dry, these had less overall grip than the Goodyear but were more predictable. They didn't brake as well and were worse for lateral grip. I could feel lots of tread block movement.Will: These went away on the skidpan where I lost the front end easily and had less overall grip than the Goodyear. They weren't as good under braking either, and I could feel the tires squirming underneath me.
Wet
Don: As the twelfth tire tested in the wet, these were above average with impres-sive braking and grip. They were controllable despite not having huge levels of grip, although there was good traction. They're definitely in the top five, but it's getting harder to differentiate between the tires that went before.
Will: They were confidence inspiring and controllable. There was good grip for acceleration and braking. They were very consistent and in the top group.
Driver's Comments
Dry
Don: The ninth tire tested in the dry, these didn't have the greatest grip but were predictable. You can drive fast but they slide more than I'd like. They feel like they should be right in the middle of the pack, but you have to work hard to get a fast time.
Will: These were fun. They weren't the best tires but performed consistently and were well balanced.
Wet
Don: The fifth tires driven in the wet, these were not as good as the Goodyear, but better than anything else so far. The braking is OK, but they are very good at everything else. They seem like good compromise tires with predictable behavior and plenty of grip.
Will: These were the most stable. There were few surprises to be found, but they had lots of grip and you knew what they would do. They stayed on line in the skidpan and were better at high speed than most, although they weren't as good as the Goodyear.
Driver's Comments
Dry
Don: As the first tire run in the dry, these were a baseline tire that offered more grip than the control but pushed more than I expected. In the rain they felt like an R-compound but not in the dry, although we have nothing to compare them with yet.Will: As the benchmark, there's lots of grip in the slalom, but they weren't as impressive as they had been in the wet. They are obviously better than the OE, but the turn-in wasn't as sharp as I'd hoped.
Wet
Don: As the second tire driven in the wet, lateral grip was amazing compared to the Toyo. I discovered more grip on each lap and could keep pushing harder. Braking is about the same as the Toyo but they are much better on acceleration.Will: Wow, these are so impressive. There's so much more grip everywhere - braking, the skidpan, and under power. I liked these a lot (Will then walked around the car staring dumfound-ed at the tires).
Driver's Comments
Dry
Don: The eleventh tire driven in the dry, these were the closest to an R-compound that we've driven on. There was very little squeal from them, and they probably had the highest lateral grip of any so far, although they weren't as precise as the BFGoodrich.Will: These were up at the top for ultimate grip - not as precise as the BFGoodrich, although there was a similar level of grip. They were predict-able, well balanced, and excellent all round the skidpan where many tires push but these didn't.
Wet
Don: As the sixth tire tested in the wet, the Falken were the second best so far. The time is probably closest to the Dunlop, but they felt more consistent for throttle response and had great braking and good grip on the limit - higher than anything except maybe the Goodyear.Will: After looking at the tread pattern, I am amazed by the grip they had. They probably offered the highest speed through the skidpan - you can keep control of the front end and get on the power sooner than anything. They were excellent in the high speed sections and felt almost as good as the Goodyear, while being more consistent in the corners than the Dunlop. These gripped all the way through while the Dunlop didn't hold on so well.
Driver's Comments
Dry
Don: As the seventh tire tested in the dry they were good but not great. You could drive hard on them, but they didn't grip like the best. You could slide them nicely through the slalom, but there was less lateral grip.Will: These were only average for grip and felt poor under braking, triggering the ABS easily.
Wet
Don: As the eleventh tire tested in the wet, this is in the top five. It doesn't have spectacular grip but gives plenty of control. There's also good braking and they don't feel much different from the Pirelli.Will: When did the track freeze? These were the hardest to drive on and I wouldn't feel confident in the rain. There's a lack of grip and they break away immediately, without any progression.(This was only the second time our drivers disagreed about a tire in the wet.)
Driver's Comments
Dry
Don: As the fourth tire tested in the dry, I didn't like these. I had less confidence in them because they had poor lateral grip and were not great under braking. These were the easiest to get loose and I was hitting a lot of cones with them. The car felt sloppy on them but gave a good time. I expected them to be the slowest so far, but they weren't. It's possible I was compensating for the lack of grip by pushing harder, and it seemed to work.Will: This is the hardest tire to comment on. They seemed to have grip on the initial turn-in, so you could get into a corner fast and they didn't give up on the skidpan. They were good in transition and under braking as well. I felt this was probably the fastest tire so far and close to the Goodyear.
Wet
Don: As the ninth tire tested in the wet these were average tires, better than Toyo but little else. They had poor lateral grip and were probably the worst so far on the skidpan for grip. Braking and acceleration were decent but average.
Will: There was no grip for braking, and they were a little better than the Yokohama. I'd put them down at the bottom of the ranking because they lost grip on the skidpan like the Toyo and Yokohama, while the ABS would trigger as soon as you hit the brakes.
Driver's Comments
Dry
Don: As the twelfth tire tested in the dry, these were controllable and above average in overall handling but not as precise as the BFGoodrich. You could feel the tread blocks moving under you, but they were decent tires.
Will: They had a high level of grip but were wiggly and squirmy. They weren't as predictable or precise as the BFGoodrich or Falken.
Wet
Don: As the tenth tire tested in the wet, these were below the top five. They didn't have much lateral grip but were nicely predictable. You could steer them with the throttle and balance the transition, but they didn't have high grip. Braking was better than average, but everything else was ordinary.
Will: I liked these and would put them in the top three. I felt they were control-lable, had good grip, and worked in the transition section. They are definitely one of the best.(This was the first time the drivers didn't totally agree on their summary.)
Driver's Comments
Dry
Don: As the fifth tire driven in the dry, these were the best so far. They have really good grip and are great for braking. You could be really smooth with them because of this grip, and they felt similar to the Kumho.
Will: I had a hard time going fast on these. They had possibly the best grip, but I'm not sure if they were the fastest. They were stable, consistent and had no vices.
Wet
Don: As the last tire tested in the wet, these were in the top three - not quite as strong as Goodyear, although I can't really remember now. I'd guess they gave the second best time thanks to very high grip, although I think I pushed too hard. There was excellent lateral grip and braking. It's a very good tire.
Will: These were very similar to the Continental in every respect. They were stable and predictable and even after three laps in the wet the tread was sticky.
Driver's Comments
Dry
Don: As the sixth tire driven in the dry, I liked these. There was a surprising amount of grip, and they were close to the Michelin. They turned-in well and felt the fastest around the skidpan. I could get them to the edge of grip easily and balance them there. Only the Michelin felt better braking, but it was still close.
Will: These had less overall grip than the top tires but were predictable. I lost grip on the front quicker than I expected because they gave up early on the skidpan.
Wet
Don: This was the first tire driven in the wet after the 205/50 control tire, and there was a really big difference. Lateral g was awesome and braking was outstanding. I found I could turn in to corners so much faster.
Will: There was a lot more grip on the front end in the skidpan, and the grip didn't go away as easily. These were much better under acceleration than the control tires and didn't let go as suddenly on the limit.
Driver's Comments
Dry
Don: As the eighth tire driven in the dry, these didn't have much lateral grip but were controllable, fast through the slalom, and decent on the brakes.
Will: These felt above average. They were predictable, controlled, and con-sistent. There was nothing remarkable nor terrible about them.
WetDon: These were the fourth tires driven in the wet, but they were the worst we'd tested - even worse than the OE tires. You could brake deep, but they spun easily on the throttle and were mediocre on the skidpan. I would expect the lap time to be slower than OE because these tires would go beyond the limit and had very little feel.Will: These were a very low-grip rain tire. They lost grip in every situation and felt close to the OE. On the skidpan, even at constant speed, they just got worse. I had no confidence in the corners with these and hit a lot of cones.