Head-to-head Updated

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 vs Michelin Pilot Super Sport — 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 + 1 road tests and 1,457 + 1,506 owner reviews. How we score

Pilot Super Sport is ahead, 78–69

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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.”

Michelin Pilot Super Sport
± 6

Tests 75 · 1 test Owners 82 · 1,506 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 9 in 2017 Motor Mag UHP Tyre Test (dry handling)

“Damn. 295s on Style 359Ms? That's pushing it a bit, isn't it? I so desperately wish Michelin would make a 285/30 PSS. I'm running 275/35s now, and while I like the extra rubber on the road, I don't like the increased sidewall height over the OEM 265/35.”

Category by category

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

  1. 74

    Dry

    Pilot Super Sport +8
    82
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk Indy 500Pilot Super Sport
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 72 (est.)77
    Reviews found online7790

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

    Pilot Super Sport: 60% × 77.5 + 40% × 89.7 = 82

    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).

  2. 66

    Wet

    Pilot Super Sport +11
    77
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk Indy 500Pilot Super Sport
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 67 (est.)73
    Reviews found online6584

    Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 67.4 (est.) + 40% × 64.7 = 66

    Pilot Super Sport: 60% × 73 + 40% × 83.7 = 77

    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).

  3. 45

    Snow

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk Indy 500Pilot Super Sport
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 57 (est.)–
    Reviews found online27–

    Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 56.8 (est.) + 40% × 27.4 = 45

    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).

  4. 65

    Comfort

    Pilot Super Sport +9
    74
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk Indy 500Pilot Super Sport
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online6476

    Firehawk Indy 500: 40% × 67.6 (est.) + 60% × 63.6 = 65

    Pilot Super Sport: 40% × 70.2 (est.) + 60% × 76.2 = 74

    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 Pilot Super Sport. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 66

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk Indy 500Pilot Super Sport
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)–
    Reviews found online64–

    Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 64.4 = 66

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

  6. 66

    Treadwear

    Pilot Super Sport +4
    70
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk Indy 500Pilot Super Sport
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests70≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online6173

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

    Pilot Super Sport: 60% × 68.8 (est.) + 40% × 72.7 = 70

    No road tests of treadwear for Pilot Super Sport. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 71

    Handling (owners)

    Pilot Super Sport +12
    83
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk Indy 500Pilot Super Sport
    Reviews found online7183
Scores at a glance
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 vs Michelin Pilot Super Sport: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryFirestone Firehawk Indy 500Michelin Pilot Super Sport
Relative Score 69 78
Dry 74 82
Wet 66 77
Snow 45 –
Comfort 65 74
Noise 66 –
Treadwear 66 70
Handling (owners) 71 83

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.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
± 7

Firehawk Indy 500

± 6

Pilot Super Sport

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

The professional test results behind the scores

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.

DisciplineCategoryFirehawk Indy 500Pilot Super SportΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #9/22 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires #2/9 2017 Motor Mag UHP Tyre Test – Different tests

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 Pilot Super Sport

Pros

  • Phenomenal dry grip and cornering stability
  • Precise steering response and excellent road feedback
  • Better-than-expected tread wear and mileage for a performance tire

Cons

  • Reduced grip and traction in cold weather (below 15°C)
  • Mediocre performance and tendency to aquaplane when tread wears down in heavy rain
  • High price point compared to some alternatives
All owner themes in the Pilot Super 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

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.

r/MINI ·20 upvotes ·2025-05-02

“Firehawk Indy 500s As promised, some initial thoughts. These are extremely comfortable. They honestly made it hard to understand how fast I was going because I've come to gauge my speed based on how much I'm being jostled around. I felt almost nothing with these, and there's so much construction on my way to work from the tire place, including a road that hasn't been surfaced properly yet. Perfect testing run for comfort. In terms of performance these bite the road a lot better and it's a lot easier for me to get moving again. Granted, my run flats were almost bald and that's my most recent memory of how they performed, but it's shocking how much I can take a turn or even just accelerate without any risk of sliding or slipping. It feels like a completely different car honestly, and people aren't kidding when they say "just get better tires" on some of these posts asking about mods. It's not as sexy as a new intake, but it makes a much bigger difference. I mean I feel like I was missing out on at least half of my roadster's potential here. So yeah I definitely like them. I don't mean to insult the tire guys' ability to apply tire shine, but I need to redo that disaster when I'm home. I only have detailing spray right now.”

s2ki.com

“Quote: Originally Posted by AUaviator I'm having trouble finding these tires in stock. Rears are back ordered and only 1 front available and it's on tire rack. 22545/17 255/40/17. www.simpletire.com looks to have them instock with free shipping and a 60 dollar rebate. A little hard to find but search for them individually by size.”

grassrootsmotorsports.com

“I need a 224/45/15 I run these on my S2000 wheelset for driving around town and they are great. I also have used them for plenty of track days. They get a little greasy towards the end of sessions but have never let me down.”

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

Michelin Pilot Super Sport

Positive

The Michelin Pilot Super Sport is widely praised by the community as a benchmark high-performance street tire offering outstanding dry grip, sharp cornering capability, and decent ride comfort for daily driving. Many drivers note that its successor, the Pilot Sport 4S, improves upon it—especially in cold and wet conditions—while several users highlight downsides such as poor winter/snow capability, premium pricing, and eventual rubber degradation or tread cracking as the tires age.

corvetteforum.com

“Our 2017 Z51 has about 18k miles on the AS3+ ZP, and 10k miles on the factory PSS ZP, we switch out every Fall/Spring with a second set of wheels/sensors. I've done hours of really hard driving on back roads in Texas and New Mexico with the AS3+, if you need the little extra grip of the PSS on public roads, you're driving like an idiot. I only keep the PSS because I do some autocrossing each summer and small increases in grip can be the difference between good times and mediocre times. Also, the PSS will stand up to the heat of competition driving better, but that shouldn't be an issue on the street. The PSS cost about 10% less and last about 50% longer, so your tire-cost-per-mile gets cut in half. Below about 50'-60', the AS3+ grip as well or better. I just tested them in 3 1/2" of snow on my driveway, worked pretty well. The AS3+ should be the standard factory tire, with the PSS only as an option.”

z4-forum.com ·2013-10-18

“I use mine all year round, and it's only in snow that they come unstuck - although I've never actually been driving in enough snow to need to break out my sno-socks. I've done wet 'Ring laps on mine, below zero Welsh hoons etc. They take about 10 miles to warm up enough to push on, but you probably shouldn't be pushing on in the first 10 minutes of a sub-zero day anyway!”

r/GolfGTI ·3 upvotes ·2018-03-23

“12k on two consecutive sets of PSS. Stage 2 MK6 (285whp/325wtq), drive fairly aggressively, an odd track day or two here and there, full suspension but run aggressive alignment settings. No abnormaly quick wear in any one spot, they just look like racing slicks when I’m done. If you can afford it, they are well worth the $$. Other tires may come close in performance, but for daily use, can’t beat the comfort of the PSS”

Top themes
#Dry grip and cornering#Comparison to PS4S#Poor snow performance#Tread life and wear#High purchase price#Age and cracking issues#Daily driving comfort

Based on 364 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 B · Michelin Pilot Super Sport
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available4750
Rim diameters16″ – 20″17″ – 23″
Tread depth9 - 10/32″—
UTQG340 A A300 AA A
SidewallBlack Side Wall—
Max pressure50 - 51 psi—
Sizes in common1515

Which one should you actually buy?

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500

Michelin Pilot Super Sport

Winner: Michelin Pilot Super Sport — better handling, wet and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Pilot Super Sport scores 83 vs 71 on handling.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Pilot Super Sport scores 77 vs 66 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Pilot Super Sport scores 74 vs 65 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Pilot Super Sport scores 82 vs 74 on dry.

Tire A · Firestone Firehawk Indy 500
Tire B · Michelin Pilot Super Sport

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Firehawk Indy 500 or Pilot Super Sport?

Which is better in the wet, Firehawk Indy 500 or Pilot Super Sport?

Michelin Pilot Super Sport, 77 vs 66 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Firehawk Indy 500 or Pilot Super Sport?

Michelin Pilot Super Sport, 82 vs 74 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, Firehawk Indy 500 or Pilot Super Sport?

Michelin Pilot Super Sport, 74 vs 65 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Firehawk Indy 500 or Pilot Super Sport?

Michelin Pilot Super Sport, 70 vs 66 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