Tests – · none yet Owners 75 · 9 reviews
Avon 3D Ultra Sport vs Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 — Compared
Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.
3D Ultra Sport leads, 73–69 Narrow edge
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Tests – · 1 test Owners 63 · 1,457 reviews
“Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 reviews Hi all! First post here on Reddit for S2K. I have a 2002 with 80k (130 km's) that is 100% stock. I recently purchased some new tires moving from a Potenza RE-71 (rear) Potenza RE760 (front) I bought the Indy 500 Firehawk since a lot of S2K owners say they are an excellent tire, perfect for the S2K with a ton of great qualities. So far I am thinking a little bit of a mixxed bag. The tires are not as responsive as I thought and don't inspire the same level of cornering confidence. The seem a little mushy/soft and my rear end thus far doesn't seem as firmly planted as I would like. Almost kind of wobbly? Alignment is fine, tires are brand new with less than 100 miles on them and tire pressure is factory spec within 1 psi. The DOT code for the tires is late 2024 so brand new. I don't track the car and these days just baby it around town mostly so the tires use should fine for my use. Thanks! Leer más”
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
77
Dry
3D Ultra Sport +473Why this score
Source 3D Ultra Sport Firehawk Indy 500 Reviews found online 83 77 -
73
Wet
3D Ultra Sport +667Why this score
Source 3D Ultra Sport Firehawk Indy 500 Reviews found online 74 66 -
–
Snow
No comparison45Why this score
Source 3D Ultra Sport Firehawk Indy 500 Reviews found online – 28 -
73
Comfort
3D Ultra Sport +667Why this score
Source 3D Ultra Sport Firehawk Indy 500 Reviews found online 77 65 -
–
Noise
No comparison67Why this score
Source 3D Ultra Sport Firehawk Indy 500 Reviews found online – 66 -
64
Treadwear
Firehawk Indy 500 +367Why this score
Source 3D Ultra Sport Firehawk Indy 500 Professional tests (TWG score) – 70 Reviews found online 63 62 -
80
Handling
3D Ultra Sport +971Why this score
Source 3D Ultra Sport Firehawk Indy 500 Reviews found online 80 71
Scores at a glance
| Category | Avon 3D Ultra Sport | Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 73 | 69 |
| Dry | 77 | 73 |
| Wet | 73 | 67 |
| Snow | – | 45 |
| Comfort | 73 | 67 |
| Noise | – | 67 |
| Treadwear | 64 | 67 |
| Handling | 80 | 71 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
Weight the categories that matter to you
Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.
Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.
Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.
3D Ultra Sport
Firehawk Indy 500
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A 3D Ultra Sport
Pros
- Excellent rider feedback and communication
- Predictable and linear handling in corners
- Fast warm-up times
Cons
- Rapid rear tire wear, particularly under spirited riding
- Mixed performance on damp or wet surfaces
- Shorter overall service life compared to premium touring-oriented tires
Tire B Firehawk Indy 500
Pros
- Exceptional value and affordability compared to premium tier brands like Michelin
- Outstanding dry grip and confident, responsive cornering capabilities
- Surprisingly quiet and comfortable ride quality on the highway
Cons
- Accelerated tread wear and shorter overall lifespan
- Poor performance and loss of traction in cold temperatures (below 40°F)
- Vulnerability to hydroplaning or reduced traction in heavy standing water
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Avon 3D Ultra Sport
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500
Community sentiment toward the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 is overwhelmingly positive, with drivers frequently praising it as an exceptional value and budget-friendly alternative to premium summer tires. Owners report strong dry grip, solid wet-weather traction, good comfort, and predictable handling, though some note reduced performance in cold temperatures, softer sidewalls, and a tendency to get greasy during aggressive track sessions. Interest is also growing around the newer V2 version and its updated compound and tread design.
“Quote: Originally Posted by JLT Bridgestone Potenza, Dunlop SP Sport Maxx and the Pirellis and Michelins. My DD isnt an F-Type (I need back seats and an XF/XE are too slow 😜 )but I do have some tire input. Im a huge fan of Michelin PSS and PS4S, but recently switched to experiment with Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 (also known as Bridgestone Potenza RE003 outside North America). In all honesty, Ive only had them on for 2 weeks, done some 1/4 mile passes but no circuit track yet(due this summer). They replaced my PSS that still were at 4/32. So far Im loving them and at half the cost.. Im sure theres a traction difference on a circuit track(maybe becomes greasy faster?) but for aggressive street use, Ive yet to see/feel any differences. Fyi, Im not too worried about thread life, most of my tires expire before they near 2/32.”
“Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 Tire Review After my stock rubber wore down I decided to look into other (cheaper) options for this summer. I landed on getting a set of Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 205/40/17 tires and have been on them for about a week now in both rain and dry. The TLDR of this would be buy these tires! The longer version of it is that these tires to me at least feel much more comfortable than the stock tires both in terms of ride comfort and road noise. On top of that the grip in the wet is impressive to say the least! I got a lot of rain here in Oregon so wet performance was really important to me. On the stock tires I always left my TC on and was careful going around turns especially as the tires wore down further and further. These Indy 500 just keep on gripping in the wet and I haven't had any problems at all. The first day I had them out in the dry I would have sworn my car was actually faster accelerating! Probably because there was less wheel hopping or it simply just grabbed the road better. I haven't tried a launch on them yet but hope to do some auto-crossing and such in the Spring. If you have any questions about these things fire away. Read more”
“I used to run MPSS tires on my style 162's and I could do about 30k miles max on my 2008 e90 335xi FBO. Once I switched to Summer performance firehawk indy 500's... I am about 50% thru the tread and I have put on about 40k miles so far. They are not as good as MPSS, but at 1/2 the price of a set of MPSS i'm perfectly fine with the minor compromise in performance. The only issue I noticed was, if the firehawks sit over night, they generally get a flat spot which will be noticeable for a few miles. By the time you reach your freeway the flat spot will be back to normal again. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND the Firehawks for a daily driver!!!! Best quality and performance at this price point!!!”
Based on 146 community posts
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Avon 3D Ultra Sport | B · Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Motorcycle | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | — | 47 |
| Rim diameters | — | 16″ – 20″ |
| Tread depth | — | 9 - 10/32″ |
| UTQG | — | 340 A A |
| Sidewall | — | Black Side Wall |
| Max pressure | — | 50 - 51 psi |
Which one should you actually buy?
Avon 3D Ultra Sport
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500
Winner: Avon 3D Ultra Sport — better handling, wet and comfort. Pick the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 if treadwear matters most to you.
Avon 3D Ultra Sport scores 80 vs 71 on handling.
Avon 3D Ultra Sport scores 73 vs 67 on wet.
Avon 3D Ultra Sport scores 73 vs 67 on comfort.
Avon 3D Ultra Sport scores 77 vs 73 on dry.
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How do we compare tires?
Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.
Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.