Tests – · none yet Owners 56 · 8 reviews
Bridgestone Potenza RE030 looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.
Bridgestone Potenza RE030 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. Based on 0 + 1 road tests and 8 + 1,457 owner reviews. How we score
Firehawk Indy 500 is ahead, 69–58
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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))
“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.
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59
Dry
Firehawk Indy 500 +1473Why this score
Source Potenza RE030 Firehawk Indy 500 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 63 (est.) ≈ 71 (est.) Reviews found online 55 77 Potenza RE030: 60% × 62.5 (est.) + 40% × 54.8 = 59
Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 71.3 (est.) + 40% × 76.5 = 73
No road tests of dry for Potenza RE030. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).
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 0.40).
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56
Wet
Firehawk Indy 500 +1167Why this score
Source Potenza RE030 Firehawk Indy 500 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 59 (est.) ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 51 66 Potenza RE030: 60% × 59.5 (est.) + 40% × 51.4 = 56
Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 67.6 (est.) + 40% × 65.9 = 67
No road tests of wet for Potenza RE030. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).
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 0.56).
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Snow
No comparison44Why this score
Source Potenza RE030 Firehawk Indy 500 Professional tests (TWG score) – ≈ 55 (est.) Reviews found online – 26 Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 55.3 (est.) + 40% × 25.9 = 44
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 0.33).
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56
Comfort
Firehawk Indy 500 +1167Why this score
Source Potenza RE030 Firehawk Indy 500 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 65 (est.) ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 43 65 Potenza RE030: 60% × 64.6 (est.) + 40% × 43.1 = 56
Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 68.5 (est.) + 40% × 65.2 = 67
No road tests of comfort for Potenza RE030 or Firehawk Indy 500. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
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Noise
No comparison67Why this score
Source Potenza RE030 Firehawk Indy 500 Professional tests (TWG score) – ≈ 67 (est.) Reviews found online – 67 Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 67.3 (est.) + 40% × 67 = 67
No road tests of noise for Firehawk Indy 500. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
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67
Treadwear
Level67Why this score
Source Potenza RE030 Firehawk Indy 500 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests ≈ 67 (est.) 70 Reviews found online 69 62 Potenza RE030: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 68.7 = 67
Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 70.2 + 40% × 61.9 = 67
No road tests of treadwear for Potenza RE030. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).
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49
Handling (owners)
Firehawk Indy 500 +2271Why this score
Source Potenza RE030 Firehawk Indy 500 Reviews found online 49 71
Scores at a glance
| Category | Bridgestone Potenza RE030 | Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 58 | 69 |
| Dry | 59 | 73 |
| Wet | 56 | 67 |
| Snow | – | 44 |
| Comfort | 56 | 67 |
| Noise | – | 67 |
| Treadwear | 67 | 67 |
| Handling (owners) | 49 | 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.
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Potenza RE030
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 Potenza RE030
Pros
- Exceptional tread longevity and durability
- Reliable and consistent dry road grip
- Strong, stiff sidewall construction
Cons
- High levels of cabin road noise
- Poor traction and handling in wet conditions
- Tendency toward understeer
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
Bridgestone Potenza RE030
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.
“At autocross, as a passenger in my main rivals car(in the slow fwd crap cars on UHP's division), my heart sank as these firehawks would take all sorts of hamfisted overdriving and still grip very well with all sorts of fwd full throttle understeer.... Granted his were new and my sport comp2's had one season on them, but it was shocking how they gripped better with lots of slip angle or wheelspin, compared to my tires... I did manage to beat him still, but I think I was much more on a knife edge than him for the whole run....”
“I should walk back on my comment about there being numerous other tires I would choose. I forget about many tires getting damaged by cold weather. Like others I've had good luck with Firehawk Indy 500's. They are usually very competitvely priced. I actually got caught in a snowstorm with my CTS-V and made it home safely without a scare, with that being said you probably would be better off with something in the UHPAS class. I've had insanely good luck with Continental DWS06. They barely give up much performance to the Sport Contacts that I'm currently running, but the Continentals are only sold in 205/45R17, so you have to ask yourself if you are okay with a slightly taller sidewall. The continentals have a rebate going on too, but I think it ends today. Not sure if it is going to be renewed for next month.”
“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”
Based on 146 community posts
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Bridgestone Potenza RE030 | B · Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | 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?
Bridgestone Potenza RE030
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500
Winner: Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 — better handling, dry and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score. Bridgestone Potenza RE030 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 8 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 71 vs 49 on handling.
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 73 vs 59 on dry.
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 67 vs 56 on wet.
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 67 vs 56 on comfort.
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Potenza RE030 or Firehawk Indy 500?
Which is better in the wet, Potenza RE030 or Firehawk Indy 500?
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, 67 vs 56 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Potenza RE030 or Firehawk Indy 500?
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, 73 vs 59 on our dry score.
Which is more comfortable, Potenza RE030 or Firehawk Indy 500?
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, 67 vs 56 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Potenza RE030 or Firehawk Indy 500?
Neither, by our numbers: 67 vs 67 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.
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