The reason for this test was to see if a lower treadwear value, which is a number the American Uniform Tire Quality Grade (UTQG) standards body assign to a tire based on a basic wear test, really does mean more grip, but it turned out to be a fascinating insight into some of the big hitting tires used on track in North America.

The surprise of the show was the Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar 3. Sadly this tire isn't available in Europe, and sits somewhere between the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S and Cup 2. Dynamically it's outstanding for its sector, with crisp steering and great feedback, and good grip to match, finishing just a little slower than the Cup 2.

The Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, which is a UUHP road tire, almost matched the one lap pace of the Toyo R888R, which is either very good for the Michelin or very bad for the Toyo. The internet seems to love the R888R, so perhaps it works better in smaller sizes on lighter cars, but on this 305/30 R19 it was a difficult tire at the limit. If you drove at 9/10th, it felt great, but when you tried to extract the final pace from the tire is gave very poor feedback and seemingly random grip.

As for the original question, does a lower treadwear rating mean more grip, if we ignore the Toyo yes it does, but thanks to the Toyo, in this test, it does not.

Watch the video below for the full details.

Test Data

Results

1st: Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar 3R
305/30 R19 3PMSF: no	Test # Result Best Difference % Dry Handling 1st 70.44 s 100% Subj. Dry Handling 1st 10 Points 100% The Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar 3 R offers extremely high levels of grip, even compared to the Cup 2. The steering is heavy, offering excellent feedback and a high speed of direction change. When the tires are in their operating temperature window, the grip is unrivaled in this test, and it gives you the ability to adjust your lines at the limit of grip. Extremely fast track tire. Read Reviews
2nd: Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2
305/30 R19 3PMSF: no	Test # Result Best Difference % Dry Handling 2nd 71.14 s 70.44 s +0.7 s 99.02% Subj. Dry Handling 3rd 9 Points 10 Points -1 Points 90% The Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 performs as expected from the Cup 2, it offers high levels of grip and is very easy to drive for a track tire, however it breaks into understeer earlier than the SuperCar 3. Read Reviews    Buy from £445.93
3rd: Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar 3
305/30 R19 3PMSF: no	Test # Result Best Difference % Dry Handling 3rd 71.77 s 70.44 s +1.33 s 98.15% Subj. Dry Handling 2nd 9.5 Points 10 Points -0.5 Points 95% The Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar 3 is a very impressive road / track hybrid tire. The steering is well weighted, quick and direct, offering good feedback and sportier levels of driving than even the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2. The grip levels are very high, with the lap time a second ahead of the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. This is an outstanding road tire on track, and the surprise of the test for me. Read Reviews
4th: Toyo R888 R
305/30 R19 3PMSF: no	Test # Result Best Difference % Dry Handling 4th 72.25 s 70.44 s +1.81 s 97.49% Subj. Dry Handling 5th 8 Points 10 Points -2 Points 80% The Toyo R888R is a difficult tire to drive at the very limit. At 8/10th the tire feels sporty with direct steering and a nice weighting, however when you get to the limit the tires balance moves around without much feedback, and once past the limit of grip is oversteers very quickly. The tire also produces a lot of tread pattern noise at speed. Read Reviews
5th: Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
305/30 R19 3PMSF: no	Test # Result Best Difference % Dry Handling 5th 72.78 s 70.44 s +2.34 s 96.78% Subj. Dry Handling 4th 8.5 Points 10 Points -1.5 Points 85% Considering the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S is the most road focused tire in this track test, it was very impressive. There is the usual 4S delay to the steering, especially compared to the SuperCar 3, and the steering is light and non communicative. However this would be the best tire in the wet, and offers road levels of comfort. Impressive all round ability. Read Reviews    Buy from £295.76