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 + 10 owner reviews. How we score
Firehawk Indy 500 leads, 69–67 Narrow edge
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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 – · none yet Owners 65 · 10 reviews
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | Pilot Sport 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 72 (est.) | ≈ 68 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 78 | 69 |
Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 72.1 (est.) + 40% × 77.6 = 74
Pilot Sport 3: 60% × 68.5 (est.) + 40% × 69 = 69
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 Pilot Sport 3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | Pilot Sport 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 68 (est.) | ≈ 70 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 65 | 70 |
Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 67.6 (est.) + 40% × 65.1 = 67
Pilot Sport 3: 60% × 70.5 (est.) + 40% × 70.2 = 70
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 Pilot Sport 3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | Pilot Sport 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 55 (est.) | – |
| Reviews found online | 28 | – |
Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 54.7 (est.) + 40% × 27.7 = 44
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).
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | Pilot Sport 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 68 (est.) | ≈ 67 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 64 | 60 |
Firehawk Indy 500: 40% × 68.3 (est.) + 60% × 64.4 = 66
Pilot Sport 3: 40% × 67.4 (est.) + 60% × 59.8 = 63
No road tests of comfort for Firehawk Indy 500 or Pilot Sport 3. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | Pilot Sport 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 67 (est.) | – |
| Reviews found online | 65 | – |
Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 64.9 = 66
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 | Pilot Sport 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests | 70 | ≈ 63 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 61 | 57 |
Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 70.2 + 40% × 60.8 = 66
Pilot Sport 3: 60% × 62.8 (est.) + 40% × 56.7 = 60
No road tests of treadwear for Pilot Sport 3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | Pilot Sport 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews found online | 71 | – |
| Category | Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 | Michelin Pilot Sport 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 69 | 67 |
| Dry | 74 | 69 |
| Wet | 67 | 70 |
| Snow | 44 | – |
| Comfort | 66 | 63 |
| Noise | 66 | – |
| Treadwear | 66 | 60 |
| Handling (owners) | 71 | – |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
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.
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Firehawk Indy 500
Pilot Sport 3
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.
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.
“Firehawk Indy 500 v2: Summer or All Season Just went to the local Firestone store to get tires. I needed to replace all four (front two for wear and back two from damage to one of them). I expressly asked for non-summer tires. We live in Texas, but it does get below 32 here. This is for a 2019 Genesis G80 Sport 3.3T. They sold me Firehawk Indy 500 v2 tires, even after I confirmed three times that they were not summer tires. The third time I even showed them on my phone and they were adamant that they show as All Season in their system. Did I just get punked? The only thing I could fine about temperature on their website was that these tires have basically a 0 rating for ice. In other articles, they show as dangerous for anything below 40 degrees Fahrenheit . Am I being overconcerned, and it'll be fine here in Texas? Is this something I need to get them to resolve (different tires) or should I go someplace else for tires and return these for my money back?”
“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.”
“I used to run MPSS tires on my style 162's and I could do about 30k miles max on my 2008 e90 335xi FBO. Once I switched to Summer performance firehawk indy 500's... I am about 50% thru the tread and I have put on about 40k miles so far. They are not as good as MPSS, but at 1/2 the price of a set of MPSS i'm perfectly fine with the minor compromise in performance. The only issue I noticed was, if the firehawks sit over night, they generally get a flat spot which will be noticeable for a few miles. By the time you reach your freeway the flat spot will be back to normal again. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND the Firehawks for a daily driver!!!! Best quality and performance at this price point!!!”
Based on 146 community posts
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
| Attribute | A · Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 | B · Michelin Pilot Sport 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer tire |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 47 | 10 |
| Rim diameters | 16″ – 20″ | 15″ – 19″ |
| Tread depth | 9 - 10/32″ | — |
| UTQG | 340 A A | — |
| Sidewall | Black Side Wall | — |
| Max pressure | 50 - 51 psi | — |
| Sizes in common | 4 | 4 |
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500
Michelin Pilot Sport 3
Narrow edge: Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 — better treadwear, dry and comfort. Pick the Michelin Pilot Sport 3 if wet matters most to you. Michelin Pilot Sport 3 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 10 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 66 vs 60 on treadwear.
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 74 vs 69 on dry.
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 66 vs 63 on comfort.
Michelin Pilot Sport 3 scores 70 vs 67 on wet.
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Michelin Pilot Sport 3, 70 vs 67 on our wet score.
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, 74 vs 69 on our dry score.
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, 66 vs 63 on our comfort score.
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, 66 vs 60 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
