What tires should I buy?

[NotGnu]

I purchased my 2018 Fiesta ST two weeks ago. It came w/ Firehawk Indy 500 tires on it.
I believe that these tires are Ultra High Performance Summer only tires.
It is currently snowing in Ohio March 13, 2023. The snow isn't sticking. I may have to Uber/Lyft home if the snow starts to stick?
In my opinion, I am not that impressed w/ the Firehawks on dry pavement.
Or, my car is tuned too fast, as I can't keep traction in any gear except 6 if I floor the gas pedal.
TMI, but recommendations for tires to buy?
I'm leaning towards Michelins, but they are expensive to me.

 

[Capri to ST]

I purchased my 2018 Fiesta ST two weeks ago. It came w/ Firehawk Indy 500 tires on it.
I believe that these tires are Ultra High Performance Summer only tires.
It is currently snowing in Ohio March 13, 2023. The snow isn't sticking. I may have to Uber/Lyft home if the snow starts to stick?
In my opinion, I am not that impressed w/ the Firehawks on dry pavement.
Or, my car is tuned too fast, as I can't keep traction in any gear except 6 if I floor the gas pedal.
TMI, but recommendations for tires to buy?
I'm leaning towards Michelins, but they are expensive to me.

Welcome to the Forum, this car is a hell of a lot of fun and I think you will enjoy it. I previously had the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 tires, and also wasn't thrilled with them, I thought the steering was a bit too vague. For a summer Ultra High Performance tire, I currently have the Yokohama Advan Fleva V701, which I like better, the handling and turn in are sharper and more crisp. I use them all year round because it doesn't get that cold or snow much here, and the few times it snows I just stay off the road.

A lot of people in colder climates get two sets of tires, one for summer which I gave you my recommendation on, and one for winter which I don't know much about. I'll let some of the guys who live in colder places where it snows more chime in on the winter part of it.

The other alternative is obviously to get some all season tires and use them all year round. I didn't want to go that route because I felt like they would compromise the car's best asset, its quick and agile handling, too much. That said, I understand Michelin makes some really good all-season tires, and there are plenty of people on here with those who can tell you about them if you want to go that way.

 

[esp_martin]

I purchased my 2018 Fiesta ST two weeks ago. It came w/ Firehawk Indy 500 tires on it.
I believe that these tires are Ultra High Performance Summer only tires.
It is currently snowing in Ohio March 13, 2023. The snow isn't sticking. I may have to Uber/Lyft home if the snow starts to stick?
In my opinion, I am not that impressed w/ the Firehawks on dry pavement.
Or, my car is tuned too fast, as I can't keep traction in any gear except 6 if I floor the gas pedal.
TMI, but recommendations for tires to buy?
I'm leaning towards Michelins, but they are expensive to me.

running summer rubber compound in weather below 40degrees F ruins the tires. permanently. even keeping the tires *on* the car and under load when it's freezing is not recommended per the tire manufacturer. when the temps warm back up the rubber that gives the tires so much more grip than all seasons or winters has changed its structure and will not rebound to its original structure.

you can get away with driving the tire in freezing temps if it's an emergency but i wouldn't recommend it for sure. for freezing temperatures but the ground isn't frozen? i've driven the original Potenza summers when we got a surprise snow fall that melted as soon as it hit the ground. As long as the grounds not frozen it wasn't an issue at all. i wouldn't call a Lyft if I were in your situation but that's a judgement call. i'm not recommending it one way or the other.

you're already going to need to replace those tires come summer. i like my Firehawk Indy 500s but I'm also not going to say they were as good as true Ultra High Performance Tires. on factory 17s, a lot of people here like the Falken RT615s for the best bang for your buck (or the 660s full stop).

and you'll need to get a set of winters or all seasons to put on the car when the temps drop below 40. I used to live in KY and i would put Blizzaks on my RWD car in the winter and they were amazing. I would get home no problem during the once a year "Snowmageddon" that seems to hit the state every winter now. Can't recommend Blizzaks enough. for winter you don't care about amazing levels of grip in turns. you just care about keeping your car in one piece for when the weather warms back up again.

edit: for people here who say "if the temps are only below 40degrees at night and it's warmed up by the time you drive, you're fine" that is not what i've read. manufacturers recommend you let those tires sit for 24 hours after it's warmed up before you drive it. i'm not a tire expert so i can't say who is right here but i also have the luxury of keeping my winter tires on the car until i know it won't drop below 40 at night.

 

[SteveS]

In the stock size there aren't many choices any more. If you want to get an all season tire, the best (and most expensive) choice is the Michelin PilotSport AS4. https://www.tire-reviews.com/Tire/Michelin/Pilot-Sport-All-Season-4.htm

The General G Max AS 05 is a good street tire. https://www.tire-reviews.com/Tire/General/G-Max-AS-05.htm

The Hankook Ventus V2 Concept II is a high performance all season with average scores. https://www.tire-reviews.com/Tire/Hankook/Ventus-V2-Concept.htm

The Vredestein Quatrac Pro is an all season that can even work in snow, and aces wet handling and grip but oddly is poor at aquaplaning. https://www.tire-reviews.com/Tire/Vredestein/Quatrac-Pro.htm

The Kumho Ecsta PA51 has good grip but poor wet performance and poor comfort ratings. https://www.tire-reviews.com/Tire/Kumho/Ecsta-PA51.htm

At less than half the price of the Michelin is an OK tire, the Nitto NeoGen. https://www.tire-reviews.com/Tire/Nitto/NeoGen.htm

Since the original summer only Bridgestone RE050A is no longer available, many chose the Firestone Indy 500s, which do have grip but don't have the sharpness and turn-in of the RE050s. They also are relatively low priced for an UHP summer tire. https://www.tire-reviews.com/Tire/Firestone/Firehawk-Indy-500.htm

There is the Pirelli P Zero Nero which should have been a good tire, but universally seems to be a disappointment in dry weather handling. https://www.tire-reviews.com/Tire/Pirelli/PZero-Nero.htm

The Yokohama Advan Fleva V701 is a spirited tire that in Tire Rack's test got the best time on the dry track portion of their testing. It wasn't perfect with only average numbers in Wet track handling and braking, but was rated as OK as a street tire in the wet. I need to get new summer tires this year and this might be my choice. https://www.tire-reviews.com/Tire/Yokohama/Advan-Fleva-V701.htm

The Kumho Ecsta PS31 is a middling performance tire. https://www.tire-reviews.com/Tire/Kumho/Ecsta-PS31.htm


If you opt for summer only tires, you should consider getting some 15"x6" wheels and putting 185/60-15 snow tires on them. That's what we do and we probably get less winter than you do in Akron. The lack of grip you are experiencing with the Indy500s is because it's been cool/cold lately. Not quite cold enough to damage them but cold enough that the tread compound has less grip than a hockey puck.

Temperatures even down to freezing don't damage summer only tires; that happens at temperatures a little lower, say 15-25 degrees. But if they get that cold you do have to let them warm up until it's been above 40 for a long time (a day) before you are clear of the risk of cracking from the rubber crystallization. But driving in the temperature range of freezing to 45 degrees or so is risky because of the hardness of the compound at those temperatures and lack of traction.

As evidence that just being in the temperature is OK, look at cars like the Mach 1s I saw at a Ford dealer sitting on the lot this week (or even the FiST back in the day) with summer tires on. They wouldn't do that if sitting there would risk a $2200 set of Sport Cup 2s. But driving on them below 45? No.

 

[FiestaSTdude]

I’ve only ever had Michelin pilot sport 3 and 4 all season tires and I love them. I don’t have any other reference points tire wise but I was very pleased with their wet and dry performance and it was nice not having to worry about driving in the cold. The only reason I won’t be getting them again is because I am switching to 15 inch wheels and Michelin doesn’t make them in that size.
While we’re on the topic of how cold affects tires, would the Advan Fleva V701 be affected by cold temperatures like a UHP summer tire? Also what do people think about their performance in rain?

 

[SteveS]

The Advan Fleva V701 is a UTQG 300TW summer tire and is adversely affected by cold temperatures. It is a UHP summer tire. https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...utoYear=2019&autoModel=Fiesta ST&autoModClar=

 

[M-Sport fan]

The Advan Fleva V701 is a UTQG 300TW summer tire and is adversely affected by cold temperatures. It is a UHP summer tire. https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Yokohama&tireModel=ADVAN+Fleva+V701&partnum=04WR7V701XL&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&autoMake=Ford&autoYear=2019&autoModel=Fiesta ST&autoModClar=

TRUE, albeit not quite as drastically/permanently as the 100 and 200 tread wear, warm/hot summertime ONLY gumballs are, in sub-freezing temps.

 

[tri-pedaler]

Keep an eye out for winters and 15” steelies in the Classifieds here and on FB if you can wait until next year. I’m running Michelin X Ice and they’re superb in snow and ice (and lots of fun).

My car came with Michelin PS4 ASs, and they’re amazing for an all season…but that’s the caveat. Looking to summers after these wear out.

 

[M-Sport fan]

Although many on here HATE on them passionately (probably because they are comparing them to the turn-in/response and grip of the factory Potenzas ), I was actually quite impressed with the Michelin Pilot Sport All Seasons.

For a tire which CAN handle down to 0*F (or lower??) temps without harm, they were pretty great as far as response and grip goes, to me at least.
They were also quite good in snow/slush as long as it was not too deep (like under 2") especially when new and not worn.

IF they were available in a 215/45-16 size, they would be on my daily use/year 'round Dekagrams as we speak!

The Neo Gens are probably the best handling all season rated tire I have ever driven on (the 205/50-16 ones are on my Dekagrams currently).

That being said, they DO 'fall down' in even VERY shallow snow, or ANY ice at all, and are even a little sketchy in colder (but not frozen) wet weather (like a 37*F rain).
So, if you anticipate having to drive in those conditions, I would avoid them.

In the COLD and DRY, they are well beyond my expectations.

 

[Ford ST]

running summer rubber compound in weather below 40degrees F ruins the tires. permanently. even keeping the tires *on* the car and under load when it's freezing is not recommended per the tire manufacturer. when the temps warm back up the rubber that gives the tires so much more grip than all seasons or winters has changed its structure and will not rebound to its original structure.

you can get away with driving the tire in freezing temps if it's an emergency but i wouldn't recommend it for sure. for freezing temperatures but the ground isn't frozen? i've driven the original Potenza summers when we got a surprise snow fall that melted as soon as it hit the ground. As long as the grounds not frozen it wasn't an issue at all. i wouldn't call a Lyft if I were in your situation but that's a judgement call. i'm not recommending it one way or the other.

you're already going to need to replace those tires come summer. i like my Firehawk Indy 500s but I'm also not going to say they were as good as true Ultra High Performance Tires. on factory 17s, a lot of people here like the Falken RT615s for the best bang for your buck (or the 660s full stop).

and you'll need to get a set of winters or all seasons to put on the car when the temps drop below 40. I used to live in KY and i would put Blizzaks on my RWD car in the winter and they were amazing. I would get home no problem during the once a year "Snowmageddon" that seems to hit the state every winter now. Can't recommend Blizzaks enough. for winter you don't care about amazing levels of grip in turns. you just care about keeping your car in one piece for when the weather warms back up again.

edit: for people here who say "if the temps are only below 40degrees at night and it's warmed up by the time you drive, you're fine" that is not what i've read. manufacturers recommend you let those tires sit for 24 hours after it's warmed up before you drive it. i'm not a tire expert so i can't say who is right here but i also have the luxury of keeping my winter tires on the car until i know it won't drop below 40 at night.

I Have Azenis RT660 on my car, and according to them you are good down to 20 degrees. Below that you need to let them warm up before driving. With the ADVAN A052 they say 14 degrees.

 

[Dialcaliper]

I’ve only ever had Michelin pilot sport 3 and 4 all season tires and I love them. I don’t have any other reference points tire wise but I was very pleased with their wet and dry performance and it was nice not having to worry about driving in the cold. The only reason I won’t be getting them again is because I am switching to 15 inch wheels and Michelin doesn’t make them in that size.
While we’re on the topic of how cold affects tires, would the Advan Fleva V701 be affected by cold temperatures like a UHP summer tire? Also what do people think about their performance in rain?

I can attest from experience that the V701’s are plenty adequate in the rain, even light standing water, through I don’t recommend charging through deep puddles at 70-80mph on the freeway…To be fair, it was just obviously hydroplaning, didn’t even get sideways or leave my lane…🤦

As far as cold goes, about 25F is the coldest I’ve had them, so I can’t attest to the 20F warnings, but I did not see any cracking or other issues. As far as grip goes, they’ll get you through your commute fine, but below about 40F the rubber does get hard and grip is definitely compromised below that point

 

[esp_martin]

I can attest from experience that the V701’s are plenty adequate in the rain, even light standing water, through I don’t recommend charging through deep puddles at 70-80mph on the freeway…To be fair, it was just obviously hydroplaning, didn’t even get sideways or leave my lane…🤦

As far as cold goes, about 25F is the coldest I’ve had them, so I can’t attest to the 20F warnings, but I did not see any cracking or other issues. As far as grip goes, they’ll get you through your commute fine, but below about 40F the rubber does get hard and grip is definitely compromised below that point

In the stock size there aren't many choices any more. If you want to get an all season tire, the best (and most expensive) choice is the Michelin PilotSport AS4. https://www.tire-reviews.com/Tire/Michelin/Pilot-Sport-All-Season-4.htm

The General G Max AS 05 is a good street tire. https://www.tire-reviews.com/Tire/General/G-Max-AS-05.htm

The Hankook Ventus V2 Concept II is a high performance all season with average scores. https://www.tire-reviews.com/Tire/Hankook/Ventus-V2-Concept.htm

The Vredestein Quatrac Pro is an all season that can even work in snow, and aces wet handling and grip but oddly is poor at aquaplaning. https://www.tire-reviews.com/Tire/Vredestein/Quatrac-Pro.htm

The Kumho Ecsta PA51 has good grip but poor wet performance and poor comfort ratings. https://www.tire-reviews.com/Tire/Kumho/Ecsta-PA51.htm

At less than half the price of the Michelin is an OK tire, the Nitto NeoGen. https://www.tire-reviews.com/Tire/Nitto/NeoGen.htm

Since the original summer only Bridgestone RE050A is no longer available, many chose the Firestone Indy 500s, which do have grip but don't have the sharpness and turn-in of the RE050s. They also are relatively low priced for an UHP summer tire. https://www.tire-reviews.com/Tire/Firestone/Firehawk-Indy-500.htm

There is the Pirelli P Zero Nero which should have been a good tire, but universally seems to be a disappointment in dry weather handling. https://www.tire-reviews.com/Tire/Pirelli/PZero-Nero.htm

The Yokohama Advan Fleva V701 is a spirited tire that in Tire Rack's test got the best time on the dry track portion of their testing. It wasn't perfect with only average numbers in Wet track handling and braking, but was rated as OK as a street tire in the wet. I need to get new summer tires this year and this might be my choice. https://www.tire-reviews.com/Tire/Yokohama/Advan-Fleva-V701.htm

The Kumho Ecsta PS31 is a middling performance tire. https://www.tire-reviews.com/Tire/Kumho/Ecsta-PS31.htm


If you opt for summer only tires, you should consider getting some 15"x6" wheels and putting 185/60-15 snow tires on them. That's what we do and we probably get less winter than you do in Akron. The lack of grip you are experiencing with the Indy500s is because it's been cool/cold lately. Not quite cold enough to damage them but cold enough that the tread compound has less grip than a hockey puck.

Temperatures even down to freezing don't damage summer only tires; that happens at temperatures a little lower, say 15-25 degrees. But if they get that cold you do have to let them warm up until it's been above 40 for a long time (a day) before you are clear of the risk of cracking from the rubber crystallization. But driving in the temperature range of freezing to 45 degrees or so is risky because of the hardness of the compound at those temperatures and lack of traction.

As evidence that just being in the temperature is OK, look at cars like the Mach 1s I saw at a Ford dealer sitting on the lot this week (or even the FiST back in the day) with summer tires on. They wouldn't do that if sitting there would risk a $2200 set of Sport Cup 2s. But driving on them below 45? No.

i really did think i read 40degrees was the warning but sub-freezing being the red line makes more sense to me. this is good to know as i've been waiting to put my summers back on but night time temps dropping into the 30s still had me concerned. safe to say where i live it's not going to dip below 30degrees until November now.

as far as dealerships go, i wouldn't let that be my barometer only b/c there are a lot of other factors to consider. but i see your point.

 

[SteveS]

i really did think i read 40degrees was the warning but sub-freezing being the red line makes more sense to me. this is good to know as i've been waiting to put my summers back on but night time temps dropping into the 30s still had me concerned. safe to say where i live it's not going to dip below 30degrees until November now.

as far as dealerships go, i wouldn't let that be my barometer only b/c there are a lot of other factors to consider. but i see your point.

I know that my Fiesta was brought in from a dealership in a town where it had sat out on the lot in subfreezing temperatures on its RE050As (we bought it near Halloween). And the tires are fine.

There are two lines. The red line is actually at a quite low temperature which varies according to the tread compound. Some tires it's 15 degrees, others 20 or 25, whatever. That's the temperature where tread cracking can occur. The other line, say a yellow line, is where the tread has absolutely no grip and you can go sailing off a gentle curve at normal speeds or rear end someone at a light because of poor traction. There's no tread cracking, just hard compound. That line is somewhere in the vicinity of 40 degrees.

 

[M-Sport fan]

^^^The 300+ tread wear compounded summer tires tend to be at the lower temp 'lines' of the above, as compared to the 100/200 tread wear stickies which are at those higher temp 'lines'.

 

[NotGnu]

You all were correct. Today the temp passed 50 deg F. Now these Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 tires have traction.

 

[NotGnu]

205/40-17
General G-Max AS-05 for $119.99 per
vs
Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 $215.99 per
vs
Toyo Extensa HP II $104.10 per
vs
Hankook Ventus V2 Concept2 for $106.99 per

 

[Snrub]

There's a significant difference between 200tw and 300tw summer tires.

2000tw tires are typically optimized for autoX or track use. They have dry performance above all else.

300tw (or there abouts) typically try to do it all well. Tire rack tries to classify these tires as either as Ultra high performance vs. max performance. Max performance try to have very high wet performance and some comfort, etc. UHP tires tend to be a bit cheaper, their ride quality is a little less sophisticated and wet performance a bit worse.

I have Indy 500s. I really like them. They're kind of a classic UHP - wet performance is a little compromised and they are affordable (more so when they first came out).

The best non-200 TW tire is the Contental Extreme Contact Sport 02. It's a classic max performance tire. I plan to buy these as my next tire. Michelin Pilot Sport 4s are probably better, but I don't think they're available in our sizes. I see the PS5 is starting to hit the market too.

Given all the effort and money you spent modifying your car, I wouldn't cheap out on tires. The FiST is also very sensitive to tire performance.

 

[SteveS]

Your list is all all-seasons. If you have the budget, the Michelin is the best in that list, and the successor to the OEM tire option, the PS AS3. I've driven the 3 in the Urbancross at the Ford Performance Racing School, which includes a wet portion, and it performed well. I thought it compared favorably to our FiST's Bridgestone RE050As.

If I were on a budget, I would go with the Generals out of that list. Still good performers, and known to have sharp steering response and turn-in, characteristics the FiST on the RE050s is known for. Half the price.

 

[Zormecteon]

I bought the car new, drove it home and with fewer than 100 miles on it switched to Michelin Pilot Sport All Season. Now with about 75,000 miles on the car I won't run anything else. I still have the original wheels and tires in the basement.

I have to have tires that work in the rain as I live in the PNW.

 

[M-Sport fan]

I bought the car new, drove it home and with fewer than 100 miles on it switched to Michelin Pilot Sport All Season. Now with about 75,000 miles on the car I won't run anything else. I still have the original wheels and tires in the basement.

I have to have tires that work in the rain as I live in the PNW.

Did you install them on new/another set of factory wheels, or something aftermarket?