Firestone  Firehawk Indy 500

This review is for the Firestone FireHawk Indy 500 tire. These tires are perfect for a summer high performance driver. Great general handling, excellent rain handling - no hydroplane, and performance in corners as well as quiet. The tire is soft but wears well. Exactly what I wanted out of a high performance tire, quiet, excellent dry and wet handling tire. Definitely will purchase again and recommend these tires.

My first impression is that it was surprisingly comfortable! My Hankook winters are 225/45/17 and these Firestones are 245/35/19 (basically a 16mm/0.6 inch decrease on the sidewall) and the ride comfort is barely noticeable. The steering is light and very little feedback but I heard I just have to break them in and the response is very responsive! Handles greatly on the wet too! I feel confident going fast on a circular onramp even on a hard, rainy day.

I've had a couple sets of these now, on my Bug Turbo and S3. Great all-arounder. Not a standout in anything, but pretty good at everything. It takes a while for the tread to break in, and squeals a bit until they do. Predictable, decent grip, good in the rain and balance well, wears evenly but tread life is pretty average. Been the best bang for the buck for a while now, though there are others with better ultimate performance with the trade off of much higher cost.

I bought these tires about 1 month ago and I could not be happier. They ride very smooth and quiet. The dry traction is phenomenal and wet traction is very good. The best thing is that compared to the stock Goodyear RS-A2s they are night and day better. I still feel like I'm driving a sports car, but not one on skateboard wheels. As far as cornering goes, they stick like glue. I would definitely buy these again.

Let's get the good out of the way first: these tires grip to the road like a cat clinging to someone's leg. They're ridiculously sticky, much more than the previous Michelin Pilot Sports I had on previously. No matter how hard I push the Miata in the canyons they hang on and beg for more. Also, they're a stupid good value for an ultra high performance tire.

The bad: They're pretty ---- loud, and with a soft top that already has poor noise reduction that's a problem. They're also a bit squirrelly in highway driving, they track relatively well but they just get a little jumpy. Finally, and the worst part - they have caused this annoying repetitive vibration at speeds over 20/30mph. I had an independent mechanic check out the installation job and he said the installation was fine, it's the tires causing the vibration. It's so bad you can see the mirrors vibrate every time the tire rotates. It's frustrating because in most senses these tires knock it out of the water - performance, grip, and certainly value. But the vibration is almost a dealbreaker, and I would probably avoid ordering them again in favor of some Michelin Super Sports. Still a fun tire and good for anyone on a budget who can stomach some other elements that are rough around the edges.

I've owned nearly every brand of summer performance tire. All the trendy "must own" models (Yokohama ADVAN and Dunlop Direzza Star Spec). I've bought the cheapest (Sumitomo HTR ZIII) and the most expensive (Michelin Pilots). I've heard so much about the Firehawks lately I decided to give them a day in court.

INITIAL IMPRESSION.....on looks alone Firestone should sell a ton of these. They look great. The racy unconventional tread pattern is based on a Bridgestone model (Potenza RE003). They are reminiscent of certain other tires in the class such as the Falken Azenis, Dunlop Direzza and older Hankook Ventus RS2. These tires put a lot of rubber on the ground and with it add some additional noise. My initial impression is that the Firehawk is a tick noisy. Nowhere as obnoxious as the Dunlop Star Spec but it's still there. They are not dead quiet like a more conventional Potenza RE050 or Michelin Pilot. Overall, the noise is minimal and should satisfy all but the most picayune drivers.

The first big surprise was comfort. I never expected that. The tires do a great job of muting out the sharp bumps on city streets. As good or better than any performance summer tire I have run. The next big surprise was GRIP. There's loads of it. Keep in mind we are on the low end of the tire continuum at $125 per tire. They SLAY similarly priced tires like the Sumitomo HTR ZIII and will challenge MANY upscale tires. Tons of usable grip PLUS composure. I've pushed them hard and they don't do anything bad or surprising at their limits.

The tires feel quick and lively. High speed lane changes are almost telepathic. They feel similar to a Bridgestone Potenza and opposite to a Dunlop Star Spec (Lazy and numb).

Last notes, they balanced perfectly. They needed very little weight.

So any negatives? YES. One big one. NO RIM PROTECTORS. What a shame. If Firestone decides to add rim protection than everybody will be running these. I mean EVERYBODY.

First off i have to say I love these tries. I got them not long after they came out a few years back. They are comfortable absorbing bumps well and are very smooth. They have excellent rain traction as well as high grip dry traction in warm weather. Anything below 45 degrees and traction diminishes a lot which is to be expected from a dedicated summer tire.

The one real issue I have with the Firehawk 500s is there tread life. I do drive a bit spirited most of the time and have a rwd car with almost 500hp which does tend to chow tires so there's that. However, after only 10k on these firehawks I'm down to 5/32. I may get another 5k out of them before they will need replacing. Again, I love these tries but at $230 a pop in my size Ill be looking at something else. Maybe back to an all season Ultra high performance tire with better tread life for my style of driving.

I had these on a modified 2016 Ford Fusion. I am definitely a spirited driver. These tires were very satisfying to own. They are very quite at all speeds. The ride comfort was fine - I think my ride quality issues came from running a larger tread width then factory spec. I had zero complaints about this tire. I would absolutely try it again, especially for the price.

One of the best tires I’ve bought from Tirerack over the past 35+ years. Great handling, good in the rain, quiet and after 8000 plus miles hardly any wear. On top of that a great value. Very pleased.

I took the reviews on these tires and kept them in mind and everything from traction wet/dry and tire wear was true. I've had zero issues with the tires . I mostly 75% highway driving commuting about 90 miles a day work and home. Tires held up well. Wear was good even with my -2.3 front and-2.5 camber rear . I will hit 25000 mark before I replace them with another set indy 500 fire hawks. Best performances and price in its category of tires.

Excellent value, stands up to ANY tire, with the possible exception of the Pilot. I admittedly pushed the total mileage too far, and hydroplaned today, 4 complete spins of the roadster from 70 mph, across the median of the 4 lane, into the oncoming lanes before I got her stopped. New Firehawks in the morning! An impressive 20,000 miles on this set should have been replaced at no more than 18. I credit the tires, the car, and more than my fair share of good fortune to be here to buy another set in the morning! Absolutely Firestone's best tire.