Head-to-head Updated

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 vs General G-MAX AS-03 — 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 1 + 0 road tests and 1,457 + 23 owner reviews. How we score

Firehawk Indy 500 is ahead, 65–51

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Firestone Firehawk Indy 500
± 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.”

General G-MAX AS-03
Tire BGeneral

G-MAX AS-03

All Season Ultra High Performance tires

± 8

Tests – · none yet Owners 41 · 23 reviews

Category by category

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

  1. 74

    Dry

    Firehawk Indy 500 +21
    53
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk Indy 500G-MAX AS-03
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 72 (est.)≈ 58 (est.)
    Reviews found online7745

    Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 71.8 (est.) + 40% × 77.2 = 74

    G-MAX AS-03: 60% × 58.4 (est.) + 40% × 44.8 = 53

    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 0.41).

    No road tests of dry for G-MAX AS-03. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 66

    Wet

    Firehawk Indy 500 +9
    57
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk Indy 500G-MAX AS-03
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)≈ 60 (est.)
    Reviews found online6552

    Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 67.4 (est.) + 40% × 64.6 = 66

    G-MAX AS-03: 60% × 60.3 (est.) + 40% × 51.7 = 57

    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).

    No road tests of wet for G-MAX AS-03. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 45

    Snow

    Firehawk Indy 500 +2
    43
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk Indy 500G-MAX AS-03
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 57 (est.)≈ 56 (est.)
    Reviews found online2724

    Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 56.7 (est.) + 40% × 27.3 = 45

    G-MAX AS-03: 60% × 55.7 (est.) + 40% × 24.1 = 43

    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).

    No road tests of snow for G-MAX AS-03. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 65

    Comfort

    Firehawk Indy 500 +20
    45
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk Indy 500G-MAX AS-03
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 62 (est.)
    Reviews found online6434

    Firehawk Indy 500: 40% × 67.6 (est.) + 60% × 63.5 = 65

    G-MAX AS-03: 40% × 61.7 (est.) + 60% × 33.9 = 45

    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).

    No road tests of comfort for G-MAX AS-03. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 65

    Noise

    Firehawk Indy 500 +10
    55
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk Indy 500G-MAX AS-03
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online6439

    Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 64.2 = 65

    G-MAX AS-03: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 39.1 = 55

    No road tests of noise for Firehawk Indy 500 or G-MAX AS-03. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 66

    Treadwear

    Firehawk Indy 500 +17
    49
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk Indy 500G-MAX AS-03
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests70≈ 56 (est.)
    Reviews found online6137

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

    G-MAX AS-03: 60% × 56.1 (est.) + 40% × 37.2 = 49

    No road tests of treadwear for G-MAX AS-03. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 71

    Handling (owners)

    Firehawk Indy 500 +24
    47
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk Indy 500G-MAX AS-03
    Reviews found online7147
Scores at a glance
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 vs General G-MAX AS-03: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryFirestone Firehawk Indy 500General G-MAX AS-03
Relative Score 65 51
Dry 74 53
Wet 66 57
Snow 45 43
Comfort 65 45
Noise 65 55
Treadwear 66 49
Handling (owners) 71 47

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.

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Neutral
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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score
± 7

Firehawk Indy 500

± 8

G-MAX AS-03

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 G-MAX AS-03

Pros

  • Excellent wet and dry traction and grip
  • Surprising and capable performance in snow and winter weather
  • Aggressive tread pattern and sporty handling feel

Cons

  • Soft sidewalls leading to a bouncy ride and body roll
  • Develops loud humming or road noise over time
  • Prone to uneven wear such as cupping
All owner themes in the G-MAX AS-03 review

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

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.

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....”

r/FiestaST ·22 upvotes ·2018-04-09

“Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 Tire Review After my stock rubber wore down I decided to look into other (cheaper) options for this summer. I landed on getting a set of Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 205/40/17 tires and have been on them for about a week now in both rain and dry. The TLDR of this would be buy these tires! The longer version of it is that these tires to me at least feel much more comfortable than the stock tires both in terms of ride comfort and road noise. On top of that the grip in the wet is impressive to say the least! I got a lot of rain here in Oregon so wet performance was really important to me. On the stock tires I always left my TC on and was careful going around turns especially as the tires wore down further and further. These Indy 500 just keep on gripping in the wet and I haven't had any problems at all. The first day I had them out in the dry I would have sworn my car was actually faster accelerating! Probably because there was less wheel hopping or it simply just grabbed the road better. I haven't tried a launch on them yet but hope to do some auto-crossing and such in the Spring. If you have any questions about these things fire away. Read more”

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.”

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

Tire B

General G-MAX AS-03

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

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 B · General G-MAX AS-03
CategorySummerAll Season Ultra High Performance tires
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available47—
Rim diameters16″ – 20″—
Tread depth9 - 10/32″10/32″
UTQG340 A A480 A A
Treadwear warranty—40,000 mi
SidewallBlack Side WallBlackwall
Max pressure50 - 51 psi51 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500

General G-MAX AS-03

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

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 71 vs 47 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 74 vs 53 on dry.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 65 vs 45 on comfort.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 66 vs 49 on treadwear.

Tire A · Firestone Firehawk Indy 500
Tire B · General G-MAX AS-03

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Firehawk Indy 500 or G-MAX AS-03?

Which is better in the wet, Firehawk Indy 500 or G-MAX AS-03?

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, 66 vs 57 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Firehawk Indy 500 or G-MAX AS-03?

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, 74 vs 53 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Firehawk Indy 500 or G-MAX AS-03?

Neither, by our numbers: 45 vs 43 on the snow score, within 3 points.

Which is quieter, Firehawk Indy 500 or G-MAX AS-03?

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, 65 vs 55 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Firehawk Indy 500 or G-MAX AS-03?

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, 65 vs 45 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Firehawk Indy 500 or G-MAX AS-03?

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, 66 vs 49 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