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Head-to-head Updated

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 vs Continental ExtremeContact Sport — Compared

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

ExtremeContact Sport is ahead, 71–66

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Tire AFirestone

Firehawk Indy 500

Summer

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))

“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”

Tire BContinental

ExtremeContact Sport

Summer

Tests 74 · 2 tests Owners 69 · 45 reviews

Best test result: #2 of 22 in 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires (overall ranking)

Category by category

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

  1. 73

    Dry

    ExtremeContact Sport +3
    76
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk Indy 500ExtremeContact Sport
    Professional tests (TWG score)–74
    Reviews found online7780
  2. 67

    Wet

    ExtremeContact Sport +11
    78
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk Indy 500ExtremeContact Sport
    Professional tests (TWG score)–78
    Reviews found online6678
  3. 44

    Snow

    ExtremeContact Sport +3
    47
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk Indy 500ExtremeContact Sport
    Reviews found online2832
  4. 67

    Comfort

    ExtremeContact Sport +5
    72
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk Indy 500ExtremeContact Sport
    Reviews found online6574
  5. 66

    Noise

    ExtremeContact Sport +5
    71
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk Indy 500ExtremeContact Sport
    Professional tests (TWG score)–73
    Reviews found online6669
  6. 67

    Treadwear

    ExtremeContact Sport +2
    69
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk Indy 500ExtremeContact Sport
    Professional tests (TWG score)7070
    Reviews found online6268
  7. 71

    Handling

    ExtremeContact Sport +3
    74
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk Indy 500ExtremeContact Sport
    Reviews found online7174
Scores at a glance
CategoryFirestone Firehawk Indy 500Continental ExtremeContact Sport
Relative Score 66 71
Dry 73 76
Wet 67 78
Snow 44 47
Comfort 67 72
Noise 66 71
Treadwear 67 69
Handling 71 74

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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Recomputed
Headline score

Firehawk Indy 500

ExtremeContact Sport

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.

DisciplineCategoryFirehawk Indy 500ExtremeContact SportΔBoth?
Tested Tread Life (Miles) Other 62% #6/22 · 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires 62% #6/22 · 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires 0.0 Same test
Overall Ranking Overall 62% #9/22 · 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires 95% #2/22 · 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires −33.3 Same test

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A 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

Tire B ExtremeContact Sport

Pros

  • Exceptional dry and wet traction with high confidence in the rain
  • High value for money compared to primary competitors like Michelin
  • Quiet and comfortable ride quality for an ultra-high-performance tire

Cons

  • Softer sidewalls leading to a slight delay or lack of immediate steering feedback and precision
  • Requires a brief warm-up period in colder temperatures, sometimes causing temporary vibrations
  • Stiff ride over sharp road imperfections noted by some users
All owner themes in the ExtremeContact Sport review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

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/tires ·5 upvotes ·2025-11-27

“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.”
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”
r/Charger ·15 upvotes ·2021-08-10

“Firestone firehawk indy 500's 305/35r20 , huge upgrade from the all season perrelis.”
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

Tire B

Continental ExtremeContact Sport

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

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 B · Continental ExtremeContact Sport
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available471
Rim diameters16″ – 20″17″
Tread depth9 - 10/32″10/32″
UTQG340 A A340 AA A
Treadwear warranty—30,000 mi
SidewallBlack Side WallBlack Side Wall
Max pressure50 - 51 psi44 - 51 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500

Continental ExtremeContact Sport

Winner: Continental ExtremeContact Sport — better wet, comfort and noise. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental ExtremeContact Sport scores 78 vs 67 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Continental ExtremeContact Sport scores 72 vs 67 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want a quieter cabin

Continental ExtremeContact Sport scores 71 vs 66 on noise.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental ExtremeContact Sport scores 76 vs 73 on dry.

Tire A · Firestone Firehawk Indy 500
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Tire B · Continental ExtremeContact Sport
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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.

71

Leads

ExtremeContact Sport

Amazon