Is BFGoodrich G Force 2 directional?

One of my first automotive journalism assignments was assembling a tire buyer's guide. Although writing it was monotonous, the knowledge I gained gave me a newfound enthusiasm for those black, donut-shaped objects that roll on the pavement. Since then, I've found myself constantly shopping around for my next tire purchase, comparing specs, looks, and prices at the major online tire outlets. So when the invite for a BFGoodrich tire launch event came across my desk, I didn't have to think twice.

BFGoodrich picked California's Auto Club Speedway as the test site for the launch of its g-Force Sport Comp-2, the successor to the current g-Force Sport. The Comp-2 moniker stands for compound two, a next-gen silica-infused tread compound that BFG says helps the new tire achieve 30 percent better wet grip and 8 percent better dry grip than the outgoing g-Force Sport. In addition, the Comp-2's structure is reportedly 40 percent more rigid, with the addition of g-Control wedge inserts in the sidewall, and BFG's Equal Tension Containment (ETEC) system surrounding the tire's internals. The Comp-2's directional tread pattern is similar to the g-Force Sport it replaces, with BFG's signature "g-Hooks" and shallow shoulder blocks. The Comp-2 carries a UTQG (Uniform Tire Quality Grading) tread wear rating of 340/AA/A, identical to the current g-Force Sport's rating. The Comp-2 will take the g-Force Sport's place in the lineup as the brand's Ultra High-Performance (UHP) offering, slotting beneath the top dog g-Force T/A KDW summer tire in price.

The Comp-2 will be offered in more sizes than the g-Force Sport, and BFG says the tire will have 82 percent market coverage when it launches this April. By midsummer, BFG says the Comp-2 will cover 90 percent of the market, with a total of 25 more sizes than the g-Force Sport. The Comp-2 will also have more sizes available than the KDW. According to BFG, the KDW covered some 70 percent of the market in 2011, and was popular both for its looks and performance. But the radically tread-patterned performance tire will be scaled back in 2012, covering fewer sizes. The KDW is also outperformed by the Comp-2 in BFG's testing, with the new tire displaying better grip and ride characteristics. While this may sound like the KDW is making way for the Comp-2, BFG says it doesn't plan to replace its flagship performance street tire anytime soon.

To demonstrate the Comp-2's performance, BFG lined up an entire day of head-to-head driving comparisons with its competitors -- the Yokohama S-Drive, Hankook Ventus V12 Evo, Kumho Ecsta SPT. The only tire not present was the Dunlop Direzza DZ101. But the tires weren't quite as exciting as the cars they were mounted on. BFG really came through in the test car department, providing pairs of the Dodge Challenger SRT8, Chevy Camaro SS, Subaru Impreza WRX STI, and Volkswagen GTI models for us to drive. A Mustang Boss 302 was also in attendance, though it was only available for ridealongs with the pros.

Our first test took us to the parking lot of the Auto Club Speedway, where BFG set up a wet autocross course. The GTI was the weapon of choice for this demonstration, and the tires compared against the Comp-2 were the Kumho Ecsta SPT and Hankook Ventus V12 Evo. We first drove the course on the BFGs, which held up reasonably well against the slippery asphalt surface. Launching the DSG-equipped GTI (kept in sport mode for the duration of the test), I experienced a bit of wheelspin on takeoff, but was able to gain traction not long after. Going into the slalom, you could tell the ground was plenty wet, but the car's steering remained responsive, allowing me to finish the course without plowing through too many cones. Next was a sweeping left-hander, which narrowed toward the end for a slightly decreasing radius corner. This turn caught me by surprise, but luckily, I was able to correct my line and make it through without incident. On my second run, I felt confident enough to give it a little more gas through the turn. The final portion of the wet autocross called for a full ABS stop. The BFGs didn't complain when I hit the brakes with everything I had, and I came to a quick, uneventful stop.

I switched to the Kumho-equipped car, and right away I noticed a difference. There was quite a bit more tire spin on takeoff, and through the slalom, turn-in felt less crisp compared to the BFGs. The 180-degree sweeper made the differences even more apparent. Taking the corner at the same speed I last did on the BFGs, the car ran wide at the end of the turn. I attempted to correct my line, only to find I was all out of steering angle. Now out of options, I applied the brakes and was able to negotiate the corner, though not before taking out a few cones. Despite the Kumho's other perceptible shortcomings in the wet, hard braking felt about the same as the BFGs. The Hankook-equipped car felt even less confident through the course than the Kumhos, exhibiting a more noticeable lag in steering response.

The wet autocross was a good demonstration of BFG's compound, as it showed how dramatic the difference in grip can be between similar tires. According to BFGoodrich product development engineer Miles Henslee, you rely the most on the tread compound in wet conditions, as you really don't have enough grip for the tire's internal structure to come into play. Knowing this, it would've been nice to have included the Yokohama S-Drive in the wet comparison, since it also uses a silica-based compound. Throughout the day, the competitor tires used for comparison would differ from test to test, though BFG says size availability was the primary explanation for this. In most cases, though, there were always two different tires you could drive back-to-back against the BFGs, and in most cases, the BFGs shined.

The acceleration and braking demo was one such test where the BFGs stood out. For this demo, two identical Challenger SRT8s were used, one shod in the BFGs, and the other in Yokohama S-Drives. Yokohama apparently doesn't offer the OEM-specified tire size (245/45R20) for the Challenger, so a lower-profile 245/40R20 was used instead. BFG says this difference in size should, in theory, work to the Yokohama's advantage. Despite that slight edge, the Comp-2 came out ahead in every run.

For this comparison, we drove with an instructor riding shotgun, and took off with a rolling second-gear start. Once we hit 60 mph, the instructor would give the signal to brake, and journalists were expected to slam on the middle pedal as hard as they could. My personal results were 112.5 feet on the Yokohamas and 109 feet on the BFGs -- a 3.5-foot difference. Other journalists at the event recorded similar results, while some saw even larger gaps between their stopping distances. BFG says the Comp-2 stops up to 9 feet shorter that the competition in the dry, and up to 16 feet shorter in the wet. While my numbers for the day didn't show quite as dramatic a difference as BFG's claims, the overall feedback on the tire's performance was positive among journalists in attendance.

The dry autocross and road course demos were incredibly fun, but the differences between the tires became harder to discern for me. Driving a Comp-2-shod STI in the dry autocross, turn-in going into the slalom was sharp and responsive. Switching to the same car equipped with Hankooks, the difference in initial bite was noticeable in the slalom, but every other portion of the course felt about the same to me. It was a similar story on the road course, where grip and steering response felt pretty close between each of the tires. Still, BFG claims that the Comp-2 has the best dry traction of its competition, based on subjective dry autocross testing.

A BFGoodrich spokesperson told us pricing is set individually by dealers, but will be in line with the competition when the Comp-2 finally arrives. Looking at prices online, comparing the above-mentioned tires as well as the outgoing g-Force Sport, reveals a per-tire cost in the range of $117-129 for a 225/45R17-size tire, not including shipping.

By the end of the day, it was hard to find any faults with the tire. For the most part, the Comp-2 lives up to the manufacturer's claims, and provides a best-of-both-worlds solution for drivers who encounter a fair bit of rain, but also enjoy spirited driving when the roads dry up. I'm planning on buying a new car soon, which means I get to shop around for new tires. You can bet the Comp-2 will be included in my usual online cross-shopping ritual.