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 + 13 owner reviews. How we score
Firehawk Indy 500 is ahead, 65–52
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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 43 · 13 reviews
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | NT555 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 72 (est.) | ≈ 60 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 78 | 48 |
Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 72.1 (est.) + 40% × 77.6 = 74
NT555: 60% × 59.5 (est.) + 40% × 47.7 = 55
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 NT555. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | NT555 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 68 (est.) | ≈ 56 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 65 | 45 |
Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 67.6 (est.) + 40% × 65.1 = 67
NT555: 60% × 56.5 (est.) + 40% × 44.9 = 52
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 NT555. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | NT555 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 55 (est.) | ≈ 53 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 28 | 23 |
Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 54.7 (est.) + 40% × 27.7 = 44
NT555: 60% × 53.1 (est.) + 40% × 23.4 = 41
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 NT555. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | NT555 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 68 (est.) | ≈ 65 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 64 | 44 |
Firehawk Indy 500: 40% × 68.3 (est.) + 60% × 64.4 = 66
NT555: 40% × 64.5 (est.) + 60% × 44 = 52
No road tests of comfort for Firehawk Indy 500 or NT555. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | NT555 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 67 (est.) | ≈ 67 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 65 | 50 |
Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 64.9 = 66
NT555: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 49.6 = 60
No road tests of noise for Firehawk Indy 500 or NT555. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | NT555 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests | 70 | ≈ 58 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 61 | 43 |
Firehawk Indy 500: 60% × 70.2 + 40% × 60.8 = 66
NT555: 60% × 58.2 (est.) + 40% × 43.4 = 52
No road tests of treadwear for NT555. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
| Source | Firehawk Indy 500 | NT555 |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews found online | 71 | 50 |
| Category | Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 | Nitto NT555 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 65 | 52 |
| Dry | 74 | 55 |
| Wet | 67 | 52 |
| Snow | 44 | 41 |
| Comfort | 66 | 52 |
| Noise | 66 | 60 |
| Treadwear | 66 | 52 |
| Handling (owners) | 71 | 50 |
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.
Firehawk Indy 500
NT555
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
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
| Attribute | A · Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 | B · Nitto NT555 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 47 | 53 |
| Rim diameters | 16″ – 20″ | 15″ – 22″ |
| Tread depth | 9 - 10/32″ | 10.3/32″ |
| UTQG | 340 A A | 300 A A |
| Sidewall | Black Side Wall | Blackwall |
| Max pressure | 50 - 51 psi | 50 psi |
| Sizes in common | 19 | 19 |
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500
Nitto NT555
Winner: Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 — better handling, dry and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score. Nitto NT555 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 13 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 71 vs 50 on handling.
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 74 vs 55 on dry.
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 67 vs 52 on wet.
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 66 vs 52 on comfort.
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Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, 67 vs 52 on our wet score.
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, 74 vs 55 on our dry score.
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, 44 vs 41 on our snow score.
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, 66 vs 60 on our noise score.
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, 66 vs 52 on our comfort score.
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, 66 vs 52 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
