Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews. Based on 1 + 2 road tests and 1,457 + 45 owner reviews. How we score
ExtremeContact Sport leads, 70–66 Narrow edge
Both Amazon links then search this exact size.
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
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.”
Tests 74 · 2 tests Owners 69 · 45 reviews
Best test result: #6 of 22 in 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires (tested tread life (miles))
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | ExtremeContact Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests | ≈ 71 (est.) | 74 |
| Reviews found online | 77 | 79 |
Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 71.3 (est.) + 40% × 76.5 = 73
ExtremeContact Sport: 60% × 73.8 + 40% × 79.4 = 76
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).
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | ExtremeContact Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests | ≈ 68 (est.) | 79 |
| Reviews found online | 66 | 78 |
Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 67.6 (est.) + 40% × 65.9 = 67
ExtremeContact Sport: 60% × 78.9 + 40% × 77.6 = 78
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).
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | ExtremeContact Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 55 (est.) | ≈ 57 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 26 | 31 |
Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 55.3 (est.) + 40% × 25.9 = 44
ExtremeContact Sport: 60% × 56.9 (est.) + 40% × 30.5 = 46
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).
No road tests of snow for ExtremeContact Sport. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.33).
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | ExtremeContact Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 68 (est.) | ≈ 70 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 65 | 74 |
Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 68.5 (est.) + 40% × 65.2 = 67
ExtremeContact Sport: 60% × 70 (est.) + 40% × 73.9 = 72
No road tests of comfort for Firehawk Indy 500 or ExtremeContact Sport. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | ExtremeContact Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests | ≈ 67 (est.) | 73 |
| Reviews found online | 67 | 70 |
Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 67.3 (est.) + 40% × 67 = 67
ExtremeContact Sport: 60% × 72.8 + 40% × 69.8 = 72
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.
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | ExtremeContact Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests | 70 | 70 |
| Reviews found online | 62 | 68 |
| Tested Tread Life (Miles) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–0 | 62% | 62% |
Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 70.2 + 40% × 61.9 = 67
ExtremeContact Sport: 60% × 70.2 + 40% × 67.8 = 69
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | ExtremeContact Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews found online | 71 | 74 |
| Category | Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 | Continental ExtremeContact Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 66 | 70 |
| Dry | 73 | 76 |
| Wet | 67 | 78 |
| Snow | 44 | 46 |
| Comfort | 67 | 72 |
| Noise | 67 | 72 |
| Treadwear | 67 | 69 |
| Handling (owners) | 71 | 74 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.
Firehawk Indy 500
ExtremeContact Sport
Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.
In the overall rankings of 1 tests that ran both, Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 finished ahead 0 times and Continental ExtremeContact Sport 1 times.
| Discipline | Category | Firehawk Indy 500 | ExtremeContact Sport | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tested Tread Life (Miles) | Treadwear | 62% | 62% | 0.0 | 0–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires · 215/60R18 |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #9/22 | #2/22 | – | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires · 215/60R18 |
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
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
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
| Attribute | A · Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 | B · Continental ExtremeContact Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 47 | 1 |
| Rim diameters | 16″ – 20″ | 17″ |
| Tread depth | 9 - 10/32″ | 10/32″ |
| UTQG | 340 A A | 340 AA A |
| Treadwear warranty | — | 30,000 mi |
| Sidewall | Black Side Wall | Black Side Wall |
| Max pressure | 50 - 51 psi | 44 - 51 psi |
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500
Continental ExtremeContact Sport
Narrow edge: Continental ExtremeContact Sport — better wet, comfort and noise. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Continental ExtremeContact Sport scores 78 vs 67 on wet.
Continental ExtremeContact Sport scores 72 vs 67 on comfort.
Continental ExtremeContact Sport scores 72 vs 67 on noise.
Continental ExtremeContact Sport scores 76 vs 73 on dry.
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
Continental ExtremeContact Sport, 78 vs 67 on our wet score.
Continental ExtremeContact Sport, 76 vs 73 on our dry score.
Neither, by our numbers: 44 vs 46 on the snow score, within 3 points.
Continental ExtremeContact Sport, 72 vs 67 on our noise score.
Continental ExtremeContact Sport, 72 vs 67 on our comfort score.
Neither, by our numbers: 67 vs 69 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.
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
