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Continental Sport Contact looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Continental Sport Contact 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 0 + 1 road tests and 18 + 1,457 owner reviews. How we score

Firehawk Indy 500 is ahead, 69–63

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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. 64

    Dry

    Firehawk Indy 500 +10
    74
    Why this score
    SourceSport ContactFirehawk Indy 500
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 65 (est.)≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online6277

    Sport Contact: 60% × 65.4 (est.) + 40% × 61.8 = 64

    Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 71.8 (est.) + 40% × 77.3 = 74

    No road tests of dry for Sport Contact. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

    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 0.42).

  2. 66

    Wet

    Level
    66
    Why this score
    SourceSport ContactFirehawk Indy 500
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online6465

    Sport Contact: 60% × 67.3 (est.) + 40% × 64.4 = 66

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

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

    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
    SourceSport ContactFirehawk Indy 500
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 57 (est.)
    Reviews found online–27

    Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 56.9 (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. 61

    Comfort

    Firehawk Indy 500 +4
    65
    Why this score
    SourceSport ContactFirehawk Indy 500
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online5864

    Sport Contact: 40% × 66.5 (est.) + 60% × 57.5 = 61

    Firehawk Indy 500: 40% × 67.7 (est.) + 60% × 63.6 = 65

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

    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. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    66
    Why this score
    SourceSport ContactFirehawk Indy 500
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online–64

    Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 64.3 = 66

    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. 58

    Treadwear

    Firehawk Indy 500 +8
    66
    Why this score
    SourceSport ContactFirehawk Indy 500
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 62 (est.)70
    Reviews found online5361

    Sport Contact: 60% × 61.6 (est.) + 40% × 52.7 = 58

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

    No road tests of treadwear for Sport Contact. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 61

    Handling (owners)

    Firehawk Indy 500 +10
    71
    Why this score
    SourceSport ContactFirehawk Indy 500
    Reviews found online6171
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental Sport ContactFirestone Firehawk Indy 500
Relative Score 63 69
Dry 64 74
Wet 66 66
Snow – 45
Comfort 61 65
Noise – 66
Treadwear 58 66
Handling (owners) 61 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
± 8

Sport Contact

± 7

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 Sport Contact

Pros

  • Excellent dry weather grip and cornering stability
  • Commendable tread life and durability for a performance-oriented tire
  • Predictable and progressive handling characteristics

Cons

  • Noticeable decline in wet weather performance as tread depth decreases
  • Inconsistent tread wear reports ranging from 6,000 to 40,000 miles
  • Increased road noise reported by some users
All owner themes in the Sport Contact 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

Continental Sport Contact

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.

audizine.com ·2025-01-27

“I had them on my B8.5 S4. I found the sidewall stiffness to be very low and introduced more slop in the steering than the continentals I was running prior. Sent from my iPhone using Audizine Forum”
r/S2000 ·4 upvotes ·2025-06-04

“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”
r/Miata ·1 upvote ·2026-10-07

“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.”
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 · Continental Sport Contact 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?

Continental Sport Contact

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500

Winner: Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 — better dry, handling and treadwear. It leads or ties in every category we score. Continental Sport Contact rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 18 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 74 vs 64 on dry.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 71 vs 61 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 66 vs 58 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 65 vs 61 on comfort.

Tire A · Continental Sport Contact
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Tire B · Firestone Firehawk Indy 500
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Sport Contact or Firehawk Indy 500?

Which is better in the wet, Sport Contact or Firehawk Indy 500?

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

Which grips better on dry roads, Sport Contact or Firehawk Indy 500?

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, 74 vs 64 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, Sport Contact or Firehawk Indy 500?

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, 65 vs 61 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Sport Contact or Firehawk Indy 500?

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, 66 vs 58 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