Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 Tire Review
Being a car enthusiast on a budget can be tough. I know as I’ve firmly been a member of the limited funds for automotive fun camp since I got my license. But not having endless cash to throw at a weekend toy doesn’t mean it’s impossible to have fun.
There are plenty of vehicles on the used market that offer good thrills for not a lot of money. These are the kinds of cars that can work as daily drivers while still being something that isn’t out of place at the local autocross or lapping days. My 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe fits that bill as it's slow, but can still be fun.
A Performance Tire for the Daily Grind
When looking for a new set of tires for a vehicle like this, the same principles apply. The tire needs to be able to handle the daily grind, regardless of weather, while also having a performance pedigree for weekend fun. There are countless tires that consist of these qualities, but many are too expensive or not of great quality.
Firestone thinks the brand has the solution of quality and affordability with the Firehawk Indy 500 tire. Inspired by the manufacturer’s racing history, the Firehawk Indy 500 is an everyday performance tire. It can handle the abuse of spirted driving, while still enduring the grind of a daily commute.
The tire features four chunky tread blocks that offer plenty of rubber to always remain in contact with the road. The Proprietary Pulse Grooves are tasked with extracting water in wet conditions. In fact, Firestone states the tire’s three best attributes are wet performance, wear life, and track performance.
Testing in the Real World
To see if the tire lives up to these claims, Firestone sent me a set to evaluate on my budget sporty coupe. I installed 255/35R19 tires up front and 275/35R19 tires in the rear. Available in over 70 sizes, all the tires come with a Traction A, Temperature A, and a 340 treadwear ratings. My tires, being of the larger size, feature 10/32nds of tread depth as well.
Over the course of two months, I’ve tested the tires on road, on track, in the dry, and in the wet. Click the video above for a detailed video account of how these tires have performed.
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A 20+ year industry veteran, Mike rejoins the AutoGuide team as the Managing Editor. He started his career at a young age working at dealerships, car rentals, and used car advertisers. He then found his true passion, automotive writing. After contributing to multiple websites for several years, he spent the next six years working at the head office of an automotive OEM, before returning back to the field he loves. He is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), and Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA). He's the recipient of a feature writing of the year award and multiple video of the year awards.
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I had a set of these tires (245/45R20) on my Dodge Charger Rallye. Every year my college alumni association sponsors a track day at Watkins Glen. I noticed a significant difference in the tire performance compared to the OEM Firestone Firehawk all season tires. The Dodge Performance Pages were showing 0.96G in the corners with the Indy 500's. I was very pleased with their performance. About the only negative was they were fairly noisy by the time I replaced them.