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Dunlop Direzza DZ102 vs Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 — Compared

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

Firehawk Indy 500 leads, 69–65 Narrow edge

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Tire ADunlop

Direzza DZ102

Summer

Tests – · none yet Owners 63 · 22 reviews

Best test result: #7 of 8 in 2015 Australian Motor 235/35 R19 Tyre Test (overall ranking)

Tire BFirestone

Firehawk Indy 500

Summer

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

Best test result: #9 of 22 in 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires (overall ranking)

“Need recommendations for an All Season tire that's comparable to Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 in a 205 45 17 Live in Southern California. Car only gets about 3,000-4,000 Miles a year. Tire size is 205 45 17 Currently have Firehawk Indy 500 but I got them used for $150 a couple years ago and they're done now. Cheaper options would be nice for new.”

Category by category

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

  1. 66

    Dry

    Firehawk Indy 500 +7
    73
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ102Firehawk Indy 500
    Reviews found online6577
  2. 68

    Wet

    Direzza DZ102 +1
    67
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ102Firehawk Indy 500
    Reviews found online6766
  3. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    44
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ102Firehawk Indy 500
    Reviews found online–28
  4. 65

    Comfort

    Firehawk Indy 500 +2
    67
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ102Firehawk Indy 500
    Reviews found online6165
  5. 66

    Noise

    Level
    66
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ102Firehawk Indy 500
    Reviews found online6466
  6. 62

    Treadwear

    Firehawk Indy 500 +5
    67
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ102Firehawk Indy 500
    Professional tests (TWG score)–70
    Reviews found online5962
  7. 63

    Handling

    Firehawk Indy 500 +8
    71
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ102Firehawk Indy 500
    Reviews found online6371
Scores at a glance
CategoryDunlop Direzza DZ102Firestone Firehawk Indy 500
Relative Score 65 69
Dry 66 73
Wet 68 67
Snow – 44
Comfort 65 67
Noise 66 66
Treadwear 62 67
Handling 63 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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Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

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Recomputed
Headline score

Direzza DZ102

Firehawk Indy 500

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

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.

DisciplineCategoryDirezza DZ102Firehawk Indy 500ΔBoth?
Overall Ranking Overall 14% #7/8 · 2015 Australian Motor 235/35 R19 Tyre Test 62% #9/22 · 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires −47.6 Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Direzza DZ102

Pros

  • Excellent price-to-performance ratio
  • Strong dry pavement grip and cornering stability
  • Surprisingly high levels of ride comfort for a performance tire

Cons

  • Rapid or inconsistent tread wear
  • Inconsistent wet weather performance and hydroplaning resistance
  • Increased road noise as the tire ages
All owner themes in the Direzza DZ102 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

Dunlop Direzza DZ102

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

Tire B

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500

Positive

Community opinion on the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 is largely positive, praising them as an affordable, high-performing summer tire with great dry grip and decent wet weather traction. While some enthusiasts note they feel slightly softer or less responsive compared to high-end tier-one options like Michelins, their value for the price makes them a popular recommendation.

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”
r/Charger ·15 upvotes ·2021-08-10

“Firestone firehawk indy 500's 305/35r20 , huge upgrade from the all season perrelis.”
r/FiestaST ·4 upvotes ·2026-05-04

“Firehawk indy 500 V2s I’ve looked on firestones website and it doesn’t show a 205/40R17 is available, but on a handful of third party websites I’ve seen the option to choose said tire size. Can anyone confirm if they do in fact make a 205/40R17, and if so why wouldn’t they advertise that on their website? Read more”
Top themes
#Value and Pricing#Dry and Wet Grip#Ride Comfort and Noise#Comparison to Premium Brands#Sidewall and Sizing Queries#Version 2 Updates

Based on 28 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Dunlop Direzza DZ102 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?

Dunlop Direzza DZ102

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500

Winner: Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 — better handling, dry and treadwear. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 71 vs 63 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 73 vs 66 on dry.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 67 vs 62 on treadwear.

Tire A · Dunlop Direzza DZ102
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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.

69

Narrow edge

Firehawk Indy 500

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