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 + 27 road tests and 1,457 + 6,614 owner reviews. How we score
Pilot Sport 4 S is ahead, 83–69
Both Amazon links then search this exact size.
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
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 82 · 27 tests Owners 86 · 6,614 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 15 in 2021 Auto Bild 19 inch Summer Tyre Test (dry braking)
“A note about the pilot sport 4 S: in cold weather (below 5 degrees) even if it isn't icy, the tyre compound hardens and has dramatically reduced grip. They are excellent summer tyres though, good in the wet too. These days I run Uniroyal rainsport 5 and they're very good.”
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | Pilot Sport 4 S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 25 tests | ≈ 72 (est.) | 94 |
| Reviews found online | 78 | 92 |
Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 72.1 (est.) + 40% × 77.6 = 74
Pilot Sport 4 S: 60% × 94.3 + 40% × 92.1 = 93
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).
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | Pilot Sport 4 S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 26 tests | ≈ 68 (est.) | 86 |
| Reviews found online | 65 | 91 |
Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 67.6 (est.) + 40% × 65.1 = 67
Pilot Sport 4 S: 60% × 86.4 + 40% × 90.7 = 88
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).
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | Pilot Sport 4 S |
|---|---|---|
| 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 4 S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests | ≈ 68 (est.) | 70 |
| Reviews found online | 64 | 84 |
Firehawk Indy 500: 40% × 68.3 (est.) + 60% × 64.4 = 66
Pilot Sport 4 S: 40% × 70.4 + 60% × 84.2 = 79
No road tests of comfort for Firehawk Indy 500. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | Pilot Sport 4 S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 20 tests | ≈ 67 (est.) | 70 |
| Reviews found online | 65 | ≈ 67 (est.) |
Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 64.9 = 66
Pilot Sport 4 S: 60% × 70.3 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 69
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.
No owner ratings of noise for Pilot Sport 4 S. The owner half is the owners’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | Pilot Sport 4 S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests | 70 | 70 |
| Reviews found online | 61 | 74 |
| Tested Tread Life (Miles) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–0 | 62% | 62% |
Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 70.2 + 40% × 60.8 = 66
Pilot Sport 4 S: 60% × 70.2 + 40% × 74.1 = 72
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | Pilot Sport 4 S |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews found online | 71 | 90 |
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | Pilot Sport 4 S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 23 tests | – | 72 |
| Category | Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 | Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 69 | 83 |
| Dry | 74 | 93 |
| Wet | 67 | 88 |
| Snow | 44 | – |
| Comfort | 66 | 79 |
| Noise | 66 | 69 |
| Treadwear | 66 | 72 |
| Handling (owners) | 71 | 90 |
| Efficiency | – | 72 |
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.
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 4 S
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
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 Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S 1 times.
| Discipline | Category | Firehawk Indy 500 | Pilot Sport 4 S | 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 | #1/22 | – | 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.
“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”
“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.”
“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.”
Based on 146 community posts
The community widely regards the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S as a benchmark max-performance summer tire, praising its outstanding dry and wet grip, stability, and daily driving refinement. Common criticisms focus on its premium price, rapid tread wear on high-powered heavy vehicles or hot track sessions, and significantly reduced grip in cold weather. Many enthusiasts consider it an ideal street tire, though some note softer sidewalls compared to predecessors or recommend dedicated track tires for hard circuit driving.
“A note about the pilot sport 4 S: in cold weather (below 5 degrees) even if it isn't icy, the tyre compound hardens and has dramatically reduced grip. They are excellent summer tyres though, good in the wet too. These days I run Uniroyal rainsport 5 and they're very good.”
“I’ll say this. Going from the Pilot Super Sport to the Pilot Sport 4 S of the same size, I’m disappointed in the soft sidewall of the 4 S. This is an 8.5” wide wheel with 235/40/18 tires. The left-right fast slalom action got a bit mushy like the weight transfer was slowed down when I switched to the 4 S. I think a shorter sidewall 4 S would perform better in this way, or the same tire on a 9” wide wheel too. That said, the dry and wet grip is exceptional. To save money, I’d recommend the Continental ExtremeContact Sport.”
“New tires Pilot Sport 4s got some new Pilot Sport 4s in 245/40/18. way different to my yokohama advan AS+. a lot more grip, obviously. very minimal to no sidewall flex. very good tires. i had pilot sport 3's on my 2013 hatchback wrx back in the day. feels good to get back on some good tires again. Read more”
Based on 208 community posts
| Attribute | A · Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 | B · Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 47 | 110 |
| Rim diameters | 16″ – 20″ | 17″ – 22″ |
| Tread depth | 9 - 10/32″ | — |
| UTQG | 340 A A | — |
| Sidewall | Black Side Wall | — |
| Max pressure | 50 - 51 psi | — |
| Sizes in common | 27 | 27 |
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S — better wet, dry and handling. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 88 vs 67 on wet.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 93 vs 74 on dry.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 90 vs 71 on handling.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S scores 79 vs 66 on comfort.
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S, 88 vs 67 on our wet score.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S, 93 vs 74 on our dry score.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S, 69 vs 66 on our noise score.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S, 79 vs 66 on our comfort score.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S, 72 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
