Head-to-head Updated

Bridgestone Potenza RE070r 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 4 + 1,457 owner reviews. How we score

Firehawk Indy 500 leads, 69–67 Narrow edge

Add your size for an exact match
/R

Both Amazon links then search this exact size.

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

Bridgestone Potenza RE070r

Potenza RE070r

Summer Extreme Performance tires

Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 65 · 4 reviews

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500

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.

  1. 72

    Dry

    Firehawk Indy 500 +1
    73
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE070rFirehawk Indy 500
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online7477

    Potenza RE070r: 60% × 70.3 (est.) + 40% × 74 = 72

    Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 71.3 (est.) + 40% × 76.5 = 73

    No road tests of dry for Potenza RE070r. 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).

  2. 66

    Wet

    Firehawk Indy 500 +1
    67
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE070rFirehawk Indy 500
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online6566

    Potenza RE070r: 60% × 67.3 (est.) + 40% × 65.3 = 66

    Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 67.6 (est.) + 40% × 65.9 = 67

    No road tests of wet for Potenza RE070r. 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).

  3. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    44
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE070rFirehawk 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).

  4. 60

    Comfort

    Firehawk Indy 500 +7
    67
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE070rFirehawk Indy 500
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online5265

    Potenza RE070r: 60% × 66.1 (est.) + 40% × 51.7 = 60

    Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 68.5 (est.) + 40% × 65.2 = 67

    No road tests of comfort for Potenza RE070r or Firehawk Indy 500. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    67
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE070rFirehawk 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.

  6. 61

    Treadwear

    Firehawk Indy 500 +6
    67
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE070rFirehawk Indy 500
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 63 (est.)70
    Reviews found online5862

    Potenza RE070r: 60% × 63.2 (est.) + 40% × 57.7 = 61

    Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 70.2 + 40% × 61.9 = 67

    No road tests of treadwear for Potenza RE070r. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).

  7. 72

    Handling (owners)

    Potenza RE070r +1
    71
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE070rFirehawk Indy 500
    Reviews found online7271
Scores at a glance
Bridgestone Potenza RE070r vs Firestone Firehawk Indy 500: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryBridgestone Potenza RE070rFirestone Firehawk Indy 500
Relative Score 67 69
Dry 72 73
Wet 66 67
Snow – 44
Comfort 60 67
Noise – 67
Treadwear 61 67
Handling (owners) 72 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

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

Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score

Potenza RE070r

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 RE070r

Pros

  • Exceptional dry grip and cornering stability
  • Excellent steering feedback and communication
  • Strong performance consistency under high-heat track conditions

Cons

  • Very stiff sidewalls leading to a harsh ride
  • Rapid tread wear
  • Increased road noise
All owner themes in the Potenza RE070r 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 RE070r

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.

bobistheoilguy.com ·2022-07-14

“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....”

fiestastforum.com ·2022-11-30

“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.”

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 RE070r B · Firestone Firehawk Indy 500
CategorySummer Extreme Performance tiresSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available147
Rim diameters20″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 RE070r

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500

Narrow edge: Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 — better comfort and treadwear. Where the Bridgestone Potenza RE070r is ahead, it is by less than 3 points. Bridgestone Potenza RE070r rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 4 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 67 vs 60 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 67 vs 61 on treadwear.

Tire A · Bridgestone Potenza RE070r
Tire B · Firestone Firehawk Indy 500

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

Potenza RE070r or Firehawk Indy 500?

Which is better in the wet, Potenza RE070r or Firehawk Indy 500?

Neither, by our numbers: 66 vs 67 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, Potenza RE070r or Firehawk Indy 500?

Neither, by our numbers: 72 vs 73 on the dry score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, Potenza RE070r or Firehawk Indy 500?

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, 67 vs 60 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Potenza RE070r or Firehawk Indy 500?

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, 67 vs 61 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