Dunlop SP 5000's vs Eagle GA's.

[Khan Klatt <khan@mediaaccess.com>]

There was a debate earlier about whether the Eagle GA's sucked or 
not. Now, having experience with the GA's and my new Dunlop SP5000's, 
I can say WITHOUT A DOUBT, the Goodyear Eagle GA's suck HARD. REAL 
HARD.

The only bias I am willing to admit is that what's fresh in my mind 
is the Eagle GA after 30,000 miles, to Dunlop SP5000's that are brand 
new. Yet, I recall vividly, brand new, how the Eagle's would spin 
going up a hill, and I thought it was that my car had too much power.

Also, there was another debate earlier on the topic of front wheel 
drive vs. real wheel drive vs. all wheel drive... that debate all 
began because I was griping that my Eagle GA's couldn't pull up a 
particular hill-- that I had to be a really cautious (like a grandma) 
driver at this one intersection because my car couldn't accelerate to 
35mph under throttle up this one hill-- that the wheels will spin. 
Needless to say, what the doctor ordered wasn't an Audi Quattro 
(although I am convinced that AWD is the best-- otherwise, why did 
BMW put their AWD into the X5 if RWD is so superior?). The doctor 
didn't order RWD. The doctor simply ordered new TIRES.

But I'm jumping ahead of myself. Let's do a line by line comparison 
of the GA vs. the SP5000.


Ride Comfort.

I thought I was just imagining it at first, because perhaps I was on 
roads I don't drive all the time. But, as I began to get closer and 
closer to home, hitting familiar bumps (ones that I used to avoid, 
mind you) the ride was much better. How do the folks at Dunlop do it? 
It must be a stiffer/bouncier sidewall? I don't know, but definitely, 
the ride is much better than the GA's. The ride has to be twice as 
good as the GA's.


Cornering.

Wow. I can aggressively accelerate through corners that before the 
GA's would begin to break loose on. The feeling is tight, and you can 
clearly feel the contact patch is intimate with the road. The GA's 
would feel ambiguous, there wasn't as much trust.


Acceleration In A Straight Line.

Straight line acceleration is impressive. I revved to 2500 RPM before 
I popped the clutch (to burn off the stickers) and I was surprised to 
hear a nice screech as I pulled of the line. I don't think I even 
tried that with the GA's, so I can't compare. But on other 
acceleration attempts from 0-60, I'm pretty sure I just dropped my 
0-60 times by at least a tenth of a second. :) Clearly, the car needs 
more power before these tires will spin without any momentum to show 
for it. Makes me want to get a Garrett chip, just so I can challenge 
the tires some more.


Uphill Acceleration.

I had HUGE complaints about the GA in this regard. With the Dunlop's, 
I can make a 90 degree turn up a steep hill, and have NO need of the 
traction control between 0-25 mph with the Dunlops. With the GA's, 
the tires stuttered and skipped up the hill. With the pedal to the 
floor, there was barely noticeable torque steer. The GA's were 
absolutely horrible in that regard. One of the posters said the GA's 
were fine tires-- maybe because he drives a Wolfsburg edition 2.0L... 
with the 2.8L engine, these tires are no match for the power this car 
can make the tire apply to the ground!


Braking.

I never had to brake so hard that the GA's were incapable of braking, 
or that they broke loose, or forced the ABS to come into play... in 
some sub 32 degree weather, the tires broke loose once, with the ABS, 
but I have no evidence that the 5000's would be any different. So 
here I will say that the Dunlop's have no negative qualities, on late 
winter weather we have here in the Northwest.


Wet Performance.

Alas, for once, we don't have any moisture in the greater Seattle 
area. I have not yet tested this. All I can say is that Chip Hanauer 
was eating his heart out was I hydroplaned across Washington in my 
GA's. Considering that the 5000 is an all-season tire, I can only 
IMAGINE how good the tires will be in resisting hydroplaning. There 
is a nice stretch on an onramp that has thick grooves in the pavement 
that create little puddles. On the next rainfall (will be soon-- it's 
getting close to Spring in the NorthWet) I will let you know how it 
does on this stretch. (P.S. For non-boating fans, C.H. was a popular 
hydroplane driver in the NW area-- perhaps elsewhere too-- kinda like 
the Michael Andretti of 80's hydroplane racing).


Snow.

Again, I have had no chances to try it out in the snow. Even so, I 
intend on getting snow tires for the winter time, in about six to 
eight months. Probably go with some Goodyear or Kelly tires as I'm 
practically related to a Kelly-Springfield regional sales manager. 
Probably get them studded too.


Tread Wear.

Again, these are new tires. So no data there either.



The bottom line is this:

If your GA's are worn out: REPLACE THEM. I suggest the SP5000's.

If your GA's are NOT work out: REPLACE THEM. I wish I did 10000 miles 
ago when Discount Tire offered me $20/tire (could have been $20 for 
all four-- I forget-- still) to "trade them in". That would have 
saved me $80 (or $20) on the purchase of my current tires. Maybe some 
of you 98 A3 and 99 A3 GLX drivers out there  with GA's will check 
out that opportunity.

When I initially bought my car, I went out and replaced the shocks 
and springs (Neuspeed SofSport with Bilstein HD's) and thought that 
was an amazing upgrade. Well, I have the same feeling yet it's a 
painless install (they do it for you) and I spent a little over $400 
for the tires, balance, and stems.

My $0.02. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm looking forward to a 
rainy day so I can try out my tires in the wet. ;)

-Khan


Khan Klatt                                         khan@mediaaccess.com

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