Given
83%
while driving a
BMW Z4M Coupe
(255/40 R18) on
a combination of roads
for 25,000
spirited miles
225/45/18 and 255/40/18
As a road orientated tyre for use in a variety of conditions and situations, you really won't go far wrong with these. They offer very balanced performance and frankly astounding longevity, especially considering they have seen use on everything from city streets to technical tracks and alpine passes.
In the dry.
When new, I was impressed by the grip and traction these tyres offered. Hard launches resulted in minimal slip and corners could be attacked with absolute confidence. Their on-track performance was admirable for a road tyre and although they went off after several hard laps, they remained communicative and progressive despite being overheated.
In the wet.
I tend to avoid driving in the wet too much however I found these tyres to be great when new-good feedback and progression but perhaps lacking slightly in outright grip. These qualities remained throughout their life with only their aquaplaning resistance diminishing once past 50% wear, a trait which I imagine most tyres will suffer from to some degree.
Noise, comfort, mpg, longevity.
Although these are the attributes I value the least on this car, the F1 A2 performed faultlessly in all such areas. I have never noticed excessive noise, mpg has always been surprisingly good and I found them more comfortable than the continental M3's they replaced without any obvious trade off in steering precision. Their longevity remains a constant surprise, they just don't wear out anything like as quickly as I would have thought. In fact, I wish they had worn out faster so I'd have had an excuse to try something else!
Summary.
As a do it all tyre I would really recommend the F1 A2, with one caveat. I do a fairly low annual mileage, using my car mainly for fun and found that their performance dropped noticeably after several years. Tread depth was still high when I first experienced this and at that point they hadn't been overheated on track. Cold temperatures also seemed to affect the tyres far more significantly in the last couple of years which wasn't the case when new, so I can only assume that they have perhaps hardened over time despite being stored in ideal conditions when not in use.
For that reason alone I couldn't completely recommend them as a tyre that might see 5+ years of service on a sparsely used performance car, but would suggest that anyone using their car in a more regular, daily driving scenario would be very happy with them.
As for whether I'd (theoretically) buy them again, yes and no. I wouldn't on my car given the age related performance degradation but would, and have done so, on my girlfriends Z3 (F1 A3) as I feel they are a great tyre for the money and suit her usage pattern perfectly.