A warning for anyone with Eagle F1 GSD3s

[Ryan]

Recently a large number of Eagle F1 GSD3s made in Thailand have been bought to the UK. Although they are genuine Goodyear tyres (not copies) they are not the same compound as the German-made GSD3s. As well as having inferior grip, especially sideways grip, they are also not safety approved for use in the UK, and thus illegal to use on the road!

Check the sidewalls for the country of origin.

[Lead_foot]

Cheers for the warning.

I always buy mine from www.mytyres.co.uk, who are based in Germany so its more than likely that they are German made.

[Colwell]

I just ordered some Toyo's from there, great price :nod:

[manic_mechanic]

Thanks for the heads up, Ryan :thumbs:

[Johnny]

Where did you find that out then ????

[Stu]

Are Costco about to start selling Goodyear by chance?

[Ryan]

Where did you find that out then ????
It's already been on a couple of other forums I read.

Apparently slightly different compounds are sold under the same name in different markets, and a few tyre distributors in the UK have been importing cheap GSD3s from the far east expecting them to be identical, but they're not.

[Johnny]

It's already been on a couple of other forums I read.

Apparently slightly different compounds are sold under the same name in different markets, and a few tyre distributors in the UK have been importing cheap GSD3s from the far east expecting them to be identical, but they're not.

Scarey stuff :eek:

[Stu]

The reason I mentioned Costco is they sell US market tyres which are also far harder compounds than EU tyres. They are the same brand and model and tread pattern but because Americans just want 10000000000 miles of straight line driving out of a set of tyres their version has nothing like the grip of the EU version.

[Richy_Boy]

eww, sounds delightful.

Rich

[J..]

Damn, I need some new tyres :annoyed:

Do you know if these tyres are these E-marked? I assume they are otherwise our UK distributors wouldn't touch them :confused:

[Ryan]

The offending tyres have either "E5" or "E13" in a little circle, but no code printed after it, therefore no E-mark.

Advice from Goodyear:

Please find a link on our sister company Dunlops site to a tyre sidewall. http://www.dunloptyres.co.uk/ourTyres/car/sidewallMarkings/

The letter F on the link shows you a box or a circle and inside this is an E with a number eg E13 or E5. Outside that box or circle should be a further number. The number outside the box or circle is the E mark. If your tyre does not have the number after the E13 / E5 then the tyre is not E marked and illegal for fitting in this country for use on UK roads.

If you have a non E marked tyre you will need to advise your dealer who supplied the tyres or trading standards.

[Simon]

Erm..... I have 2 tyres made in China :(

[Ben S14a]

My front's i bought a year or so ago from mytyres are made in Germany. My rear's i bought from mytyre and are made in China. They do have a number after the e mark though???

[Ryan]

Afaik it's specifically non E-marked thai tyres that are the problem.

[MattyGee]

ill check mine tomorrow :eek:

[Jem]

ill check mine tomorrow :eek:

So will I as mine are made in China. That said, they grip like a very sticky thing covered in superglue :D

[Richy_Boy]

..and you think German F1's are any better? Take a look at some of these pics of my front tyres after changing my pads today. Look in the middle of the tyre where it appears two halves are bonded together. To me, it looks like this join is coming apart :eek: and has a small 'slit' in the tyre every 6-10 inches or so - all the way around.

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=45649&d=1179496789

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=45647&d=1179496567

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=45648&d=1179496593

Rich

[Cookie]

the mould of a tyre is in 2 halfs and the rubber injected thats why you get a seam.

C.

[Stu]

the mould of a tyre is in 2 halfs and the rubber injected thats why you get a seam.

C.

Believe it or not, the carcass is built using rubber extruded into a long sheet, cut to length, stuck together with the wires and bead and then pressed into final shape. There should be no join around the circumference of the tyre.

http://www.etyres.co.uk/tyre-construction

[Richy_Boy]

So what's that mark all the way around my tyre then? Looks like a join to me... if not, why is it splitting apart? :eek: :cry:

Rich

[Stu]

The press will be in 2 parts so you will get what looks like a join but is actually more of a pinch mark. The material should be one full width across the tread.

Edit: Just had a look at the pictures, your tyre might just have a blemish from the mould pressed into it. The tread and tyre markings are formed during vulcanisation and curing, it shouldn't be in any danger of opening up. :no:

[GTSX]

Not the first time I have heard this about imported tyres, quite a few imports from South Africa too.