Michelin Pilot Sport 4S vs Cup 2 vs Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar 3 vs 3R vs Toyo R888R

Overall test winnerGoodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar 3R

It doesn't take much to make me happy, but a Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE at Nelson Ledges with five sets of tires ranging from treadwear 300 to treadwear 100...

Tested and written byJonathan Benson

May 20, 2022 4 min read Updated January 8, 2025

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305/30 R19 / 2021 View full image

Tires tested: 5
Tested size: 305/30 R19
Disciplines: 2

At a glance

Tire shortlist

5 Tires tested

Published finishing positions, with the strengths and considerations from this test. Owner reviews cover other sizes and driving conditions.

How the results are weighted

Dry 100%
Full weighting

1^st

Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar 3R

+Fastest lap and the best subjective rating, with heavy, communicative steering and huge grip once up to temperature.

−Needs to be in its temperature window to give its best.

5 owner reviews Test Results

2^nd

Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2

+Second fastest lap, with high grip and easy to drive for a track tire.

−Understeers earlier than the SuperCar 3 and is only third subjectively.

24 owner reviews Test Results

3^rd

Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar 3

+Second-best subjective rating, with quick, direct, well-weighted steering, and third fastest despite being a road and track tire.

−Slower than the Cup 2 over a lap.

4 owner reviews Test Results

4^th

Toyo R888 R

+Direct, well-weighted steering below the limit.

−Lowest subjective rating: the balance moves around at the limit with little feedback and it oversteers quickly. Only fourth over a lap and noisy at speed.

31 owner reviews Test Results

5^th

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S

+Close to the R888R over a lap despite being the most road-focused tire, with road-level comfort.

−Slowest lap, with the usual delay in steering response and light, uncommunicative steering.

179 owner reviews Test Results

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Compare selected tires

Michelin Pilot Sport 4S vs Cup 2 vs Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar 3 vs 3R vs Toyo R888R · 305/30 R19

Tire	Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar 3R	Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2	Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar 3	Toyo R888 R	Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
Position	1^st	2^nd	3^rd	4^th	5^th
Keep researching	Read owner reviews Test Results	Read owner reviews Test Results	Read owner reviews Test Results	Read owner reviews Test Results	Read owner reviews Test Results

Explore the complete results →

The full test

The evidence behind the verdict

Test setup & methodology

The test setting, the conditions recorded and how the results contribute to the score.

Show full testing methodology

Score Weighting

Weights express the scoring priorities, not how much each discipline actually changed the finishing order. The size of the performance gaps matters too. Category weights contribute to the overall score. Within each category, discipline weights divide that category’s share. Published finishing positions also need to be read alongside the editorial verdict.

Test	Within category	Share of overall score
Dry · 100%
Dry Handling	83%	83%
Subj. Dry Handling	17%	17%

Our standard methods

The conditions above are recorded for this test. The descriptions below explain our standard procedures; measurement windows and run counts can vary by test.

Dry Handling

For dry handling, I drive at the limit of adhesion around a dedicated handling circuit with ESC disabled where possible so I can assess the tire's natural balance, transient response, and limit behavior without electronic intervention masking the result. I usually complete between two and five timed laps per tire set, depending on the circuit, tire type, and consistency of conditions. I exclude laps affected by clear driver error or obvious environmental inconsistency. Control runs are carried out frequently throughout the session, and I often use multiple sets of control tires so that wear on the references does not become a meaningful variable. For more track-focused products, I also do endurance testing, which is a set number of laps at race pace to determine tire wear patterns and heat resistance over longer driving.

Subj. Dry Handling

I also carry out a structured subjective handling assessment at the limit of adhesion on a dedicated dry handling circuit. I score steering precision, steering response, turn-in behavior, mid-corner balance, corner-exit traction, breakaway characteristics, and overall confidence using a standardised 1–10 scale used consistently across my testing. The final assessment combines numeric scoring with written technical commentary. I complete familiarisation laps on the control tire before evaluating each candidate.

Read our complete testing methodology →

It doesn't take much to make me happy, but a Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE at Nelson Ledges with five sets of tires ranging from treadwear 300 to treadwear 100... well that's a very easy place to be happy.

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.

Michelin Pilot Sport 4S vs Cup 2 vs Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar 3 vs 3R vs Toyo R888R

Test Data

Dry Handling
Position / Tire	Result	Gap to best
1Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar 3R	70.44 s	Best
2Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2	71.14 s	+0.70 s
3Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar 3	71.77 s	+1.33 s
4Toyo R888 R	72.25 s	+1.81 s
5Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S	72.78 s	+2.34 s

The difference between best and worst was 3.3% (2.34 s).

Subj. Dry Handling
Position / Tire	Result	Gap to best
1Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar 3R	10 Points	Best
2Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar 3	9.5 Points	-0.50 Points
3Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2	9 Points	-1.00 Points
4Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S	8.5 Points	-1.50 Points
5Toyo R888 R	8 Points	-2.00 Points

The difference between best and worst was 20% (2 Points).

Results

Michelin Pilot Sport 4S vs Cup 2 vs Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar 3 vs 3R vs Toyo R888RWatch the full video of this test on YouTube Watch on YouTube

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.

All discipline results (2)