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 + 1 road tests and 1,457 + 567 owner reviews. How we score
Too close to call: Firehawk Indy 500 66, G-MAX RS 65.
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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.”
Tests – · 1 test Owners 61 · 567 reviews
Best test result: #3 of 22 in 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires (tested tread life (miles))
“G-max rs I put 7k miles on these tires and this is the front how many miles would you say I have before problems occur I plan on replacing in a few weeks Read more”
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | G-MAX RS |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 72 (est.) | ≈ 69 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 78 | 71 |
Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 72.1 (est.) + 40% × 77.6 = 74
G-MAX RS: 60% × 69.4 (est.) + 40% × 71.2 = 70
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).
No road tests of dry for G-MAX RS. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | G-MAX RS |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 68 (est.) | ≈ 72 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 65 | 73 |
Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 67.6 (est.) + 40% × 65.1 = 67
G-MAX RS: 60% × 71.8 (est.) + 40% × 72.7 = 72
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 RS. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | G-MAX RS |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 55 (est.) | ≈ 48 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 28 | 10 |
Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 54.7 (est.) + 40% × 27.7 = 44
G-MAX RS: 60% × 48 (est.) + 40% × 10 = 33
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 0.37).
No road tests of snow for G-MAX RS. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | G-MAX RS |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 68 (est.) | ≈ 68 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 64 | 64 |
Firehawk Indy 500: 40% × 68.3 (est.) + 60% × 64.4 = 66
G-MAX RS: 40% × 68.2 (est.) + 60% × 64.2 = 66
No road tests of comfort for Firehawk Indy 500 or G-MAX RS. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | G-MAX RS |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 67 (est.) | ≈ 67 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 65 | 56 |
Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 64.9 = 66
G-MAX RS: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 56.2 = 62
No road tests of noise for Firehawk Indy 500 or G-MAX RS. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | G-MAX RS |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests | 70 | 73 |
| Reviews found online | 61 | 66 |
| Tested Tread Life (Miles) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 | 62% | 69% |
Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 70.2 + 40% × 60.8 = 66
G-MAX RS: 60% × 73.4 + 40% × 65.6 = 70
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | G-MAX RS |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews found online | 71 | 65 |
| Category | Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 | General G-MAX RS |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 66 | 65 |
| Dry | 74 | 70 |
| Wet | 67 | 72 |
| Snow | 44 | 33 |
| Comfort | 66 | 66 |
| Noise | 66 | 62 |
| Treadwear | 66 | 70 |
| Handling (owners) | 71 | 65 |
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
G-MAX RS
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 General G-MAX RS 1 times.
| Discipline | Category | Firehawk Indy 500 | G-MAX RS | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tested Tread Life (Miles) | Treadwear | 62% | 69% | −7.7 | 0–1 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 | #3/22 | – | 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.
“Quote: Originally Posted by Toys4Life C5 I gotta ask - did you actually try them in snow? I can't imagine scary the ride would be. Yes not by choice but was 50 miles from home late at night. Snow on the road about 2 inches deep. Taking off slowly in second and driving way under the speed limit got me home. It was not scary at all actually sort of fun. I have run these tires in temps from -6f to 110f in all weather and they do the job if you drive the car in accordance to the weather conditions. I have never had a Vette get away from me if driven sanely for conditions.”
“I had them on wifes old MR2 spyder, drove great. deep tread and quiet, did not exhibit any bad behavior and held well at high speed on ramps, ect....great in wet weather and were by far the longest lasting tire I ever had on that car, yokohamas would burn down in 15-20k miles in rear and staggered so no rotates. different beast, I know but the tires on a miata should easily go 40-50k.”
“To say I'm not a fan of the stock tires is an under statement. I had these on my 2015 Si and loved them. I did some serious spirited driving on them. Extremely good grip for the price and never had an issue. I did have to go up 10 on the width on the Si as well. I think I'm going to go with 255/35/20 in them. Anyone ever try them? I know a good amount of Mustang GT guys use them and have no issues.”
Based on 146 community posts
Community sentiment toward the General G-MAX RS is broadly positive, with users frequently praising its exceptional value and strong dry and wet traction as a budget-friendly ultra-high-performance summer tire. While often favorably compared against premium alternatives like the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S or Firestone Indy 500, some owners note compromises including elevated road noise and occasional handling inconsistencies on specific sports car platforms.
“Been driving on the General G-Max RS 225's for about a month now and it feels like I'm glued to the road. Now I just need to install my Corksport rear sway bar for even more cornering fun!”
“I have had the G-max RS 305-30-19 for 20k. Not noisy. I love them! Great traction compared to BFG G-force sport comp-2. Great price and similar compound as Michelin pilot sport.”
“I do the Indy 500's but was thinking about going with the General G-Max RS for the higher speed rating.. 305/35r20's on 10.5 wheels General’s G-Max RS May Change The Way UHP Tires Are Made! - Hot Rod Network”
Based on 53 community posts
| Attribute | A · Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 | B · General G-MAX RS |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer tire |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 47 | 48 |
| Rim diameters | 16″ – 20″ | 16″ – 20″ |
| Tread depth | 9 - 10/32″ | 10/32″ |
| UTQG | 340 A A | 360 - 700 A - AA A |
| Sidewall | Black Side Wall | Black Side Wall |
| Max pressure | 50 - 51 psi | 50 - 51 psi |
| Sizes in common | 23 | 23 |
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500
General G-MAX RS
Too close to call: Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 and General G-MAX RS are within 2 points overall. Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 is stronger on snow, handling and dry. General G-MAX RS is stronger on wet and treadwear.
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 44 vs 33 on snow.
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 71 vs 65 on handling.
General G-MAX RS scores 72 vs 67 on wet.
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 74 vs 70 on dry.
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General G-MAX RS, 72 vs 67 on our wet score.
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, 74 vs 70 on our dry score.
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, 44 vs 33 on our snow score.
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, 66 vs 62 on our noise score.
Neither, by our numbers: 66 vs 66 on the comfort score, within 3 points.
General G-MAX RS, 70 vs 66 on our treadwear score.
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
