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Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R vs Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

Firehawk Indy 500 is ahead, 66–59

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Tire ABridgestone

Potenza RE-71R

Summer

Tests – · 1 test Owners 56 · 23 reviews

Best test result: #13 of 22 in 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires (overall ranking)

Tire BFirestone

Firehawk Indy 500

Summer

Tests – · 1 test Owners 63 · 1,457 reviews

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

“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.”

Category by category

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

  1. 75

    Dry

    Potenza RE-71R +2
    73
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE-71RFirehawk Indy 500
    Reviews found online7977
  2. 64

    Wet

    Firehawk Indy 500 +3
    67
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE-71RFirehawk Indy 500
    Reviews found online6366
  3. 48

    Snow

    Potenza RE-71R +3
    45
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE-71RFirehawk Indy 500
    Reviews found online3328
  4. 58

    Comfort

    Firehawk Indy 500 +9
    67
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE-71RFirehawk Indy 500
    Reviews found online4765
  5. 62

    Noise

    Firehawk Indy 500 +5
    67
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE-71RFirehawk Indy 500
    Reviews found online5466
  6. 35

    Treadwear

    Firehawk Indy 500 +32
    67
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE-71RFirehawk Indy 500
    Professional tests (TWG score)3870
    Reviews found online3162
  7. 73

    Handling

    Potenza RE-71R +2
    71
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE-71RFirehawk Indy 500
    Reviews found online7371
Scores at a glance
CategoryBridgestone Potenza RE-71RFirestone Firehawk Indy 500
Relative Score 59 66
Dry 75 73
Wet 64 67
Snow 48 45
Comfort 58 67
Noise 62 67
Treadwear 35 67
Handling 73 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.

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Recomputed
Headline score

Potenza RE-71R

Firehawk Indy 500

The professional test results behind the scores

Each result is shown as % of the best tire in that test. “Same test” rows are the strictest comparison: both tires were measured side by side.

DisciplineCategoryPotenza RE-71RFirehawk Indy 500ΔBoth?
Tested Tread Life (Miles) Other 38% #22/22 · 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires 62% #6/22 · 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires −23.1 Same test
Overall Ranking Overall 43% #13/22 · 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires 62% #9/22 · 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires −19.0 Same test

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Potenza RE-71R

Pros

  • Phenomenal dry grip and exceptional cornering traction
  • Fast heat-up times, making them ideal for autocross and time attacks
  • Consistent performance throughout the lifespan of the tire

Cons

  • Rapid tread wear and short lifespan, wearing faster in hot weather or heavy track use
  • Noticeable road noise on the highway due to the aggressive tread pattern
  • Uncomfortable and stiff ride quality for daily driving
All owner themes in the Potenza RE-71R 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

Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R

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

Tire B

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500

Positive

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.

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.”
s197forum.com ·2018-03-14

“I have them on my 14 GT. 255 front/285 rear. They have roughly 5k on them and have worn well. Wheel spin has to be intentionally induced now. No more surprises. Highly recommend.”
r/Mustang ·7 upvotes ·2025-02-13

“Will I regret buying Firestone Firehawk Indy 500s? I have a stock '21 GT Premium convertible with the black appearance package. It came with the upgraded Pirelli P Zero 255/40-19 tires, but with 35,000 miles, they are really worn, and I need new tires. I live in North Florida. We don't have a lot of cold weather (I missed the snow last month), but I do get a lot of rain. I don't track the car, and mostly drive on country roads and the interstate. The Pirelli's have treated me well as far as traction, dry and wet. I like the aggressive look of the Firehawks, but I am concerned about wet weather traction. Will the Firehawks be at least comparable to the Pirelli's for wet weather and general handling? If not, it sounds like the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 4 is the way to go. Also, the car is all black, with black rims, and the tires look wimpy. I'm not up for new rims this go-round, and I won't lower it because I like the clearance for potholes, etc., that I see a lot of in my area. I'm hoping the tires will help the look a little bit. Read more”
Top themes
#value and pricing#dry grip and traction#wet weather handling#track and autocross use#cold temperature limitations#ride comfort and road noise#Firehawk Indy 500 V2

Based on 146 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R B · Firestone Firehawk Indy 500
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—47
Rim diameters—16″ – 20″
Tread depth8/32″9 - 10/32″
UTQG200 A A340 A A
SidewallBlackwallBlack Side Wall
Max pressure44 psi50 - 51 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500

Winner: Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 — better treadwear, comfort and noise. Pick the Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R if snow matters most to you.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 67 vs 35 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 67 vs 58 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want a quieter cabin

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 67 vs 62 on noise.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R scores 48 vs 45 on snow.

Tire A · Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R
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Tire B · Firestone Firehawk Indy 500
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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.

66

Leads

Firehawk Indy 500

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