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Head-to-head Updated

BFGoodrich G Force Rival S 1.5 vs Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 1 + 1 road tests and 80 + 1,457 owner reviews. How we score

Firehawk Indy 500 is ahead, 69–64

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BFGoodrich G Force Rival S 1.5
Tire ABFGoodrich

G Force Rival S 1.5

Summer

± 9

Tests 65 · 1 test Owners 61 · 80 reviews

Best test result: #3 of 7 in 2025 Tire Rack Extreme Performance Track Tyre Test (dry handling long run)

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500
Tire BFirestone

Firehawk Indy 500

Summer

± 7

Tests – · 1 test Owners 62 · 1,457 reviews

Best test result: #6 of 22 in 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires (tested tread life (miles))

“I just put Firestone Firehawk Indy 500's on my NC2 and I like them and would recommend them. I paid about $635 with installation at Costco but you might even be able to find them for less elsewhere.”

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 68

    Dry

    Firehawk Indy 500 +6
    74
    Why this score
    SourceG Force Rival S 1.5Firehawk Indy 500
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests61≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online7877

    G Force Rival S 1.5: 60% × 61.1 + 40% × 77.8 = 68

    Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 71.8 (est.) + 40% × 77.2 = 74

    No road tests of dry for Firehawk Indy 500. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 61

    Wet

    Firehawk Indy 500 +5
    66
    Why this score
    SourceG Force Rival S 1.5Firehawk Indy 500
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests69≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online4865

    G Force Rival S 1.5: 60% × 69.4 + 40% × 48 = 61

    Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 67.4 (est.) + 40% × 64.7 = 66

    No road tests of wet for Firehawk Indy 500. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    45
    Why this score
    SourceG Force Rival S 1.5Firehawk Indy 500
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 57 (est.)
    Reviews found online–27

    Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 56.8 (est.) + 40% × 27.4 = 45

    No road tests of snow for Firehawk Indy 500. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 58

    Comfort

    Firehawk Indy 500 +7
    65
    Why this score
    SourceG Force Rival S 1.5Firehawk Indy 500
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests66≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online5464

    G Force Rival S 1.5: 40% × 65.7 + 60% × 53.6 = 58

    Firehawk Indy 500: 40% × 67.6 (est.) + 60% × 63.6 = 65

    No road tests of comfort for Firehawk Indy 500. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 64

    Noise

    Firehawk Indy 500 +2
    66
    Why this score
    SourceG Force Rival S 1.5Firehawk Indy 500
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests62≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online≈ 66 (est.)64

    G Force Rival S 1.5: 60% × 62.4 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 64

    Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 64.4 = 66

    No owner ratings of noise for G Force Rival S 1.5. The owner half is the owners’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

    No road tests of noise for Firehawk Indy 500. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 60

    Treadwear

    Firehawk Indy 500 +6
    66
    Why this score
    SourceG Force Rival S 1.5Firehawk Indy 500
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 63 (est.)70
    Reviews found online5561

    G Force Rival S 1.5: 60% × 62.5 (est.) + 40% × 55.4 = 60

    Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 70.2 + 40% × 60.7 = 66

    No road tests of treadwear for G Force Rival S 1.5. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 74

    Handling (owners)

    G Force Rival S 1.5 +3
    71
    Why this score
    SourceG Force Rival S 1.5Firehawk Indy 500
    Reviews found online7471
Scores at a glance
CategoryBFGoodrich G Force Rival S 1.5Firestone Firehawk Indy 500
Relative Score 64 69
Dry 68 74
Wet 61 66
Snow – 45
Comfort 58 65
Noise 64 66
Treadwear 60 66
Handling (owners) 74 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 starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
± 9

G Force Rival S 1.5

± 7

Firehawk Indy 500

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

The professional test results behind the scores

Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.

DisciplineCategoryG Force Rival S 1.5Firehawk Indy 500ΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #3/7 2025 Tire Rack Extreme Performance Track Tyre Test #9/22 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A G Force Rival S 1.5

Pros

  • Exceptional dry traction and lateral grip
  • Rapid warm-up, making it ideal for short-duration autocross
  • Superior tread life and durability compared to other 200TW competitors

Cons

  • Performance degrades significantly in wet or cold conditions
  • Tendency to overheat and lose grip ('grease up') during long track sessions
  • Increased road noise and tendency to tramline on public roads
All owner themes in the G Force Rival S 1.5 review

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
All owner themes in the Firehawk Indy 500 review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

BFGoodrich G Force Rival S 1.5

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Tire B

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500

Positive

The Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 is overwhelmingly praised as an exceptional value and 'bang for your buck' summer performance tire. Drivers consistently highlight strong dry grip, commendable wet traction, comfortable ride quality, and progressive handling breakaway. Minor criticisms center on reduced performance in cold temperatures, softer steering feedback, and grease on hard track sessions.

r/MINI ·20 upvotes ·2025-05-02

“Firehawk Indy 500s As promised, some initial thoughts. These are extremely comfortable. They honestly made it hard to understand how fast I was going because I've come to gauge my speed based on how much I'm being jostled around. I felt almost nothing with these, and there's so much construction on my way to work from the tire place, including a road that hasn't been surfaced properly yet. Perfect testing run for comfort. In terms of performance these bite the road a lot better and it's a lot easier for me to get moving again. Granted, my run flats were almost bald and that's my most recent memory of how they performed, but it's shocking how much I can take a turn or even just accelerate without any risk of sliding or slipping. It feels like a completely different car honestly, and people aren't kidding when they say "just get better tires" on some of these posts asking about mods. It's not as sexy as a new intake, but it makes a much bigger difference. I mean I feel like I was missing out on at least half of my roadster's potential here. So yeah I definitely like them. I don't mean to insult the tire guys' ability to apply tire shine, but I need to redo that disaster when I'm home. I only have detailing spray right now.”
s2ki.com

“Quote: Originally Posted by AUaviator I'm having trouble finding these tires in stock. Rears are back ordered and only 1 front available and it's on tire rack. 22545/17 255/40/17. www.simpletire.com looks to have them instock with free shipping and a 60 dollar rebate. A little hard to find but search for them individually by size.”
grassrootsmotorsports.com

“I need a 224/45/15 I run these on my S2000 wheelset for driving around town and they are great. I also have used them for plenty of track days. They get a little greasy towards the end of sessions but have never let me down.”
Top themes
#value for money#dry grip performance#wet road traction#ride comfort#cold temperature limitations#track and autocross use#sidewall and steering response

Based on 141 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · BFGoodrich G Force Rival S 1.5 B · Firestone Firehawk Indy 500
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger 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?

BFGoodrich G Force Rival S 1.5

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500

Winner: Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 — better comfort, dry and treadwear. Where the BFGoodrich G Force Rival S 1.5 is ahead, it is by less than 3 points.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 65 vs 58 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 74 vs 68 on dry.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 66 vs 60 on treadwear.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 66 vs 61 on wet.

Tire A · BFGoodrich G Force Rival S 1.5
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Tire B · Firestone Firehawk Indy 500
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G Force Rival S 1.5 or Firehawk Indy 500?

Which is better in the wet, G Force Rival S 1.5 or Firehawk Indy 500?

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, 66 vs 61 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, G Force Rival S 1.5 or Firehawk Indy 500?

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, 74 vs 68 on our dry score.

Which is quieter, G Force Rival S 1.5 or Firehawk Indy 500?

Neither, by our numbers: 64 vs 66 on the noise score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, G Force Rival S 1.5 or Firehawk Indy 500?

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, 65 vs 58 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, G Force Rival S 1.5 or Firehawk Indy 500?

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, 66 vs 60 on our treadwear score.

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.

Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology