Long drives: Yay or nay?

‘How do you feel about long drives?’ We asked, you answered — but is there a way to enhance the experience this summer?

Long drives: we’ve all been there. Whether you’re behind the wheel or sat in the passenger seat, hopping into a car for the long haul is simply a part of life. 

But what’s your take? Are long drives a chance to enjoy your car? An opportunity to embrace and explore the open road? A time to decompress? Or simply a necessary evil to get from A to B? We asked our online audience and partnered up with Goodyear to help enhance the experience — no matter which side of the yay-nay fence you sit on.

Enhancing summer road trips

Spring is well underway, and that only means one thing: summer is coming. With over two-thirds of Brits happy to take staycation holidays in the UK over destinations abroad, long drives could be replacing airport security and crowded flights.

But don’t just take our word for it, many of you agreed that long drives provide an opportunity to relax and soak up some holiday vibes with automotive enjoyment acting as the cherry on top. You saw long drives as:

“A time to decompress and enjoy Britain.” 

“I love a long drive - especially if we are going on our holibobs.”

We’ll consider those some ‘yays’, and Goodyear’s first opportunity to kick things up a notch through its aim to ‘enhance every journey this summer’. And what makes more sense to do this than the brand’s ultra-high-performance summer tyre? The Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 can help you to enjoy the journey even more, and really ‘feel the drive’ as the miles fly by en-route to your vacation destination. 

Enjoying the drive

While some of you might enjoy the drive for the scenery, others see a chance to test out their vehicles on the open road....

“A chance to enjoy your car.”

“Always take to smaller roads on road trips, get to see so much more, quieter and it does recharge you better.” 

And whatever you drive, with the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 a suitable fitment for a range of models — all the way from Audi’s A5, to the S5, to the high-end Avant for example — the experience of traversing winding small roads can be taken to new heights too.

Boasting strong grip, a silky-smooth ride, and ‘total control’, the contact patch adapts to both your driving style and road surface — ensuring you enjoy every turn, with the safety to help you mentally recharge all the while. Fun, but relaxing. That sounds like a holiday to us.

Oh, and if the weather doesn’t catch on that it’s summer, don’t worry: with ‘Wet Breaking Pro’ tech, you can enjoy your drive on damp and wet roads too, keeping your staycation on track.

Perfecting the playlist

However, perhaps the road alone isn’t always enough to keep us going, and it seems that sometimes a little extra entertainment is needed. Whether you’re a passenger or driver, a long drive can be a:

“Chance to enjoy the car on some challenging roads listening to podcast or tunes … perfect! Need the right tyres though.”

“My husband says 4-hour car journey…… I say a 4-hour live concert featuring me.”

Goodyear can lend a hand here too. As part of its smooth driving experience, the Asymmetric 6 dampens road noise through ‘Sound Comfort’ technology, creating the perfect soundstage to enjoy your tunes, or a little bit of karaoke. And if that pesky engine noise is breaking your immersive experience, as an EV ready tyre, that can be taken out of the equation too — truly letting you embrace Goodyear’s ‘immersed in the moment’ mantra.

Supporting the slog

But for some of you, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows when racking up the miles — even with your favourite playlist on. Whether it’s getting bored: 

“I hate long drives and dread getting to and from our holiday in Cornwall. Two hours driving is my limit - after that my brain switches off.”

“I'm used to driving up to 200 miles a day at work. A bit boring, but other than that no problemo.”

Or enduring traffic:

“Long drives used to be an awesome chillout time...now they are traffic jam hell.”

“Too much traffic on the roads nowadays so it’s become a necessary evil for me.”

So, there are definitely some long-driving ‘nays’ among us as well. It seems long drives can be a little dull, and a little stressful, right? Well, you guessed it, Goodyear has this one covered too.

Combine that superior grip and control to help reduce the stress of stop-start traffic, with the immersive road feel to engage and sharpen the senses, and some amplified driving pleasure begins to slide into view. A long drive may still be a necessary evil to some, but why not make the most of it with the right tyres?

So, whether your vote sways to ‘yay’ or ‘nay’ in the ballot when it comes to long drives, it seems there are always options to enhance the experience. Which leaves us with a final question: ‘will you choose to feel the drive this summer?’