The F1 Asymmetric is the replacement for the long-in-the-tooth F1 GS-D3. The tread design looks far less extreme and is actually rather pedestrian, but that's relatively unimportant in my mind. After reading the test results and browsing some other car boards for info, I decided these would fit my needs well.
Tire Rack info
Dry traction: 8
I can't give this a 9 because it simply does not grip at the same level as a Star Spec or Ecsta XS, but I feel it's at least on-par with the OEM Contis or better. There's always a compromise between sticky and treadlife and I don't need tires that burn up in a few months.
Cornering stability: 9
The tire feels very predictable at its limits. It's very easy to modulate the throttle to keep the car pointed where you want it. Much more secure than the Contis were. I could very easily increase speed down some on-ramps without worrying about some unknown limit of traction.
Steering response: 7.5
Not sure if it's the slightly bigger sidewalls I have now, but quick back-and-forth movements are not quite as sharp as they used to be. I'd still say that the tire responds accurately and much like the cornering stability, there's no uneasy feelings.
Wet traction: 9
Tire Rack raved about the wet traction and they were not kidding. These feel rock-solid in heavy rain and this is one of the things that's important to me.
Hydroplaning resistance: 9
On the drive home from installation there was a nasty downpour and I was doing 75 without feeling the least bit nervous. I had a similar experience this past weekend and again felt just fine.
Ride comfort: 9
Much like wet traction, Tire Rack was very impressed with ride quality ** so am I. These absorb the nasty potholes and expansion seams a hell of a lot better than the OEM Contis. Very impressive for a summer tire.
Noise comfort: 7.5
Wasn't expecting a lot since most summer tires are noisy. These are about the same as the OEM Contis, perhaps a tad quieter. The S4 is very quiet already so this sort of thing isn't too important to me.
Treadwear:
Can't comment on this yet, but tread depth is a beefy 11/32"...far better than the silly 8/32" on Azenis and other performance tires. If I can squeeze 15,000 out of them I'll be happy.
Would I buy these again? It remains to be seen. I'm anxious to autocross or track them and see what's-what, but I think for a DD these offer 99% of the summer tire benefits with very impressive ride quality and wet traction. That's real-world stuff that I put a lot of weight on.
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