| Tire type | Max Performance Summer Tire |
| Price range | $143-$383 |
| Tread Warranty | None |
| Run-flat | No |
| Vehicles type | Sporty Sedans and Coupes |
| Driving conditions | Dry and Wet |
The underdog tire in the Ultra high-performance summer tire category: the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500. It is a summer tire made for Sporty Coupes and Sedans, and it delivers a top-performing drive with these vehicles.
The tire is a competitive tire of premium tire like the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S and Continental ExtremeContact Sport 02. And the reason for this tire’s success even being launched by a small brand compared to these two is its pricing and performance compared to rates.
The set of Firehawk Indy 500 tires can save more than $200 compared to these premium brand tires, however, the performance may differ. This is what we will talk about in this review.
We will find out how this tire is built, and its performance on different metrics and find out how this tire is competitive with the premium brand tires, and whether you should buy this tire, even if there are top tires available in the market.
So without further ado, let’s get into it.
Table of Contents
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 features
The best thing about this Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 tire is its performance and comfortability in dry and wet conditions. Unlike low-quality UHP tires, this tire even at a faster pace delivers a high-quality drive.
With that, this tire is durable to drive and compared to this price range, the tire treadwear performance is far more appreciating than compared to its counterpart’s premium brand tires. With that, a responsive drive and low rolling resistance make it overall a perfect tire for sports cars.
Basic features of Firestone Firehawk Indy 500
The tire features Silica Enhanced compound, which optimizes the tire performance in wet conditions. The silica keeps the tire cool and achieves maximum traction and grip in deep-standing waters.
This high-performance rubber compound also features carbon, enhancing tire performance in wet and dry conditions. Due to the optimized tread rubber, the tire is optimal for driving on summer tracks and wet conditions. With the help of Pulse Groove Technology, the tire is also perfect to drive in rainy seasons, this technology helps the water to pass through the tire while resisting hydroplaning.
Tread pattern and design
The Firehawk Indy 500 features an asymmetrical tread pattern which is optimized for maximum performance and a comfortable drive in wet and dry conditions. The tread features a unique tread design and center ribs, and external ribs feature tread notches, improving tire traction and grip in wet and dry conditions.
The outer shoulder includes curvy notches or edges that enhance tire traction or corners, making it a responsive tire to drive on faster tracks. The internal shoulder features an all-season design, making it a comfortable and stable tire to drive on straight roads.
Assurance and warranty
This tire has no treadwear warranty, which is a bad point compared to its competitive tires that come with a 30K miles treadwear warranty. Although usually summer tires are bought for the purpose of performance, still a treadwear warranty is a good thing to have in tires.
Although this tire might not have a treadwear warranty, still it sometimes drives for more than the tire with a warranty. With proper care and less aggressive driving, this tire can make up to 40K miles, which is great for any high-performance driver. However, if you drive usually on aggressive tracks and racing, then this tire might not even be enough to achieve the 20K miles. So tread performance of this tire is totally based on driving conditions and style.
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 specification
This tire is manufactured in different parts of Asia, including Indonesia, Japan, and Thailand. Though these are cheap countries for manufacturing, the standard of quality in these countries is unmatched. The treadwear rating of this tire is 340, which is the same as the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, however, the traction rating is A, compared to AA of the Pilot Sport 4S.
This tire is not a fan of heavy load drive, the max it can carry is 1102-2094 lbs based on your tire size, truly no sports car drives would want to carry weights anyway. With 168mph W speed rating tires, it is quick to accelerate tire to enjoy fast-tracked drive with proper control.
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 performance
This tire’s performance compared to its price is unthinkable. The tire performs brilliantly in dry road conditions. It grips properly, traction on corners is present even at a fast pace, and the response and control of this tire are also very good. With 20% shorter brakes than its predecessor, this tire is safe to drive while enjoying fast driving on summer highways, tracks, and dry road conditions.
Similarly, when it comes to wet conditions, it provides excellent grip. Just like every other max performance tire, if you drive above 70mph on water, then they will slip, and so will this tire. Otherwise below this speed, the tire is perfect and very reliable for achieving proper traction and grip in wet conditions. The chances of hydroplaning are minimal in wet conditions, due to optimized grooves channels. Similar to dry conditions, the brakes are short, making it a safe and smooth tire to drive in wet and rainy conditions.
With high-performance drive, the quality of this tire is also great, the tire delivers comfortable and quiet rides on highways and summer tracks. You can enjoy the noise of your exhaust while enjoying comfortable and smoother rides on tracks.
Some alternative Options
Michelin Pilot Sport 4S
The Michelin Pilot Sprot 4S does not require any introduction, hardly anyone with the sports car not heard about this tire. No doubt this tire is great, it provides better response, more comfortable drive, and better traction and control in wet and dry conditions. However the performance compared to the price is not justifiable, especially when you compare the performance and price ranges of this Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 tire.
The performance difference is not huge, still, if you want a max performance the Pilot Sport 4S will do better things. However, if you want an economically better tire and more for spending less, then This Firestone FireHawk Indy 500 will be a better choice than the Pilot Sport 4S.
Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus
This is a little different tire than the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500. The Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus is an all-season ultra high performance tire. So you may get better treadwear results, it comes with a 50K miles treadwear warranty. You will also get better snow performance, better comfort, and durability.
However, the main point of the max performance tire will be missing with this tire, which is summer responsive and steering control drive. The joy of summer tires will not be available in this tire which you may find in the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500. So if you are not a big fan of joyous driving on summer fast tracks, this Continental tire will do great things for you, otherwise, Firestone tires will be a far more enjoyable tire to drive in the summer seasons.
Bridgestone Potenza Sport
The Bridgestone Potenza Sport is a max performance summer tire, and it is also a great tire for responsive summer drives. As of now, it is also a cheaper option than the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, however, the performance difference is huge, and the price difference is not very big. You may save $50 on a set of Potenza Sport compared to the Firehawk Indy 500, however, you may have to give up on wet and dry traction, durability, comfort, and responsive drive. So if you want better results per your dollar spent, then this Firestone tire will be a better option.
Final words
As you can see, the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 is a perfect tire to drive in 2024 with sporty cars on summer tracks. It has everything a fast car driver desires, good speed, very responsive steering, reliable and safe rides in wet and dry conditions, comfortable drive, and very justifying prices. There is nothing else that enthusiast drivers would demand from this tire.
