Firestone Firehawk Indy 500

[Zak757]

Does anyone have experience with these tires? New for 2016, though I think they're just rebranded Potenza RE003 for the North American market, and they seem to have some very impressive grip for a UHP tire. They come in 205/45/16 which is precisely the size I wanted, and the 340TW make them look like a pretty great option for a daily driver you'd take to the odd trackday or autocross.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=217

 

[M-Sport fan]

Yes, I kind of wish that those were made in MANY more sizes we could use (and closer to our factory overall diameter height).

The tread pattern at least, seems to be more conducive to track day/autocross use than the highly touted, same tread wear rated, BFG Comp 2s do, with their highly 'siped' and 'tready' tread pattern.

 

[SpooledUpST]

I work for Bridgestone. Yes they are the tits according to a few of the guys up higher than me who have tested them. And yes, they are a 003. At the price point they're at, it an incredibly good deal but they may not make a 40 aspect ratio for a while until they get established sizes out and in proper circulation. Not sure how Bridgestone is gonna play it but I look forward to the potential of running these on the FiST. One of the main Firestone training guys came by my area recently fresh off a test drive event using Hellcats and agreed this tire is impressive given what they put the tires thru.

 

[M-Sport fan]

IF they (Bridgestone) continue on as Ford's OEM supplier for this car, the Indy 500s would probably be a better choice than the 050As, at least in THIS country/North America.

Granted Firestone does not have the name recognition in the rest of the world that B-stone does, so if it does have to be ONE tire worldwide, this would not be the case.

 

[Joker328]

I've been quietly keeping any eye on this tire since it came out, and I'm pretty convinced it's the best value in summer performance tires at the moment. Tire rack likes them too and they outperform the SC2's in a number of ways. The fact that Bridgestone stuck the Firestone name on it and is selling it at the price point they are is pretty amazing, especially considering it seems to be multiple generations newer than some of Bridgestone's older and more expensive tires that are still on the market, as well as the SC2's. It makes me wonder if Bridgestone is going to be coming out with something newer and better under the flagship branding at a higher price point. Either way, if I could find a 16 inch wheel I liked I would slap these on them in a heartbeat and get rid of the stockers.

 

[M-Sport fan]

IF they made them in a 215/45-16, I would put them on some 16x7, Pro Race 1.2s, and be happy for street use!

 

[WeTheNorth]

Just ordered These in 205-50-16 , wasn't a big fan of my sc2..

 

[caliboy15]

Im going to try these on my December track session.

 

[WeTheNorth]

Im going to try these on my December track session.

Nice! Yeah my 6pt brace hangs way too low for street driving. Was a good chance to get some taller tires and these looked like they can't be beat.

 

[92FOX]

Interested to see how you like the 205/50 size. I really want to bump down to 16's, and love the look of this tire. Don't want to go to a smaller tire like I would with 205/45, and 205/50 seems like it may be a bit bigger than I want ideally at over .5" larger overall. If only they made a 215/45...

 

[Beans]

Just ordered These in 205-50-16 , wasn't a big fan of my sc2..

Subscribing for comparison. I love the $/value of these things. Dry grip wise, they're stickier than the S04's, but apparently can't match it in the wet. If Firestone has another rebate on them in spring 2017 like they did in 2016, I may go with the same size you did in them rather than getting the RE71R.

 

[Siestarider]

Just read all the tire rack info, that 205/45/17 looks like a nice match for OEM wheels. Having run the Rival S this year on track on 16" wheels, I am thinking the little bit of lap time I gain using them is not really worth the trouble and expense. Yes, stickier tires are more responsive and faster. I am not sure they are any better at supporting driver improvement, except for knowing what they are like vs UHP summer tires.

I am thinking of going to the firestone for both road and track, on both 16 and 17 inch rims.

 

[nickstewartroc]

Soon I will be putting a set of Indy 500's in 205/45/17 on my stockers. Total out the door is like 607

 

[92FOX]

Soon I will be putting a set of Indy 500's in 205/45/17 on my stockers. Total out the door is like 607

Am interested to see how those fit. Stock suspension I assume?

 

[nickstewartroc]

Yeah, need to see if I can get my tuner to adjust the speedo if possible

 

[WeTheNorth]

The Firestone Firehawk I500 is Firestone's newest and best performance summer tire. It is marketed more to the entry level, but was very impressive in testing. The FFI500 is a re-branded RE003 from overseas. This is arguably the best performance tire Firestone has produced to date. Based on our initial testing, I expect this tire to become a class Leader.

That's from a Tire rack Rep.

Super stoked to try these out, might buy a second pair if they come up on sale. I'm paying a premium for buying any tire in Canada but would love a stickier tire than what I've got now. Just can't put the power down!

 

[M-Sport fan]

They REALLY need to release these in more sizes if they want to sell a bunch of them!

 

[nickstewartroc]

My tuner says the 205/45/17 should be within useable range to not have to tune, going to try to run by FireStone to get the Indy's orderer tonight

 

[CanadianGuy]

My tuner says the 205/45/17 should be within useable range to not have to tune, going to try to run by FireStone to get the Indy's orderer tonight

Should be as the wall height is only increasing be 3/8" or 10mm.

 

[WeTheNorth]

Boy does that ever make me happy


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