Firestone Firehawk Indy 500

[Capri to ST]

Pretty much ALL of the actual OEM factory fitted sizes of a given tire model are overpriced on TR (and elsewhere), no matter how 'long in the tooth', out of date, or old tech they may be (or even past their "useful" date, why you see the 2013 and older leftovers being sold at a discount on TR).

They were getting (or at least asking) STUPID prices for the ancient (and not so phenomenal even when they were NEW) RE92s not long ago simply because they were the factory tire on many preludes and Integras.

Rereading this thread as I start to think about my next tire, and this is an interesting point. Do you think they just figure most people will automatically get the same tire, not being knowledgeable enough about alternatives to change from the oem tire?

 

[M-Sport fan]

Rereading this thread as I start to think about my next tire, and this is an interesting point. Do you think they just figure most people will automatically get the same tire, not being knowledgeable enough about alternatives to change from the oem tire?

That's My guess.
Or the tire companies charge them (TR, DTD,etc.) some kind of OEM size licensing fee, to help 'protect' the OEM dealers' sky high prices on exact OEM replacement tires.

 

[Capri to ST]

Bumping for some recent comments on these tires.

 

[HoboBob]

This thread inspired me to get a set. Unfortunately, it's been either below 45 or snowing just about everyday since I got them on a week ago, but I'm loving them so far. I've done one autocross event with them (https://youtu.be/3yWGwJxvEZ4), and they definitely had more traction than the Pilot Sport A/S 3's (which isn't saying too much). I'm definitely excited for decent traction that will last the 400 miles per week of commuting that I have right now. I'll have a set of RE71Rs coming for future autocross events though.

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[S_Manley]

Bumping for some recent comments on these tires.

I have been running the Indy's in the stock size since last July. I have about 8000 miles on them now. This is my daily driver tire, rain or shine (no snow). I use them in temps from about 30 degrees all the way up to over 100. Most of the time in the fall, winter, and spring it is about 43 degrees and raining in PDX, so I have extensive experience in wet.

In every situation they have been exceptional. I am realistic about these tires. They are not track or autocross tires, nor are they designed to be driven at 10/10 all the time. These are high-performance summer tires that excel as a daily tire with more significantly more grip and responsiveness than an all-season. I am of the mindset that you should use the appropriate tool for the job.

There are some people who complain that the Indy's don't perform exceptionally well on the track or at the extreme limit. I think some of what they say is true. If you are looking for a track tire or a tire where you can thrash it in the mountains, you need to be looking at an RE-71R or Star Specs or some other extreme summer tire. This is not that and it is not trying to be that.

The advantage of this tire is that you can run it reliably in cold, wet weather and it will perform well while still providing the performance you need for spirited driving. I had a big argument about the Indy's on FB the other day with people who say you should just go straight to RE-71R's or Star Specs and just run those all the time and that the Indy's just aren't worth the time. I quickly discovered that the people saying that lived in AZ and TX where it's warm and dry most of the time. I live in the PNW where that is certainly not the case. I simply cannot reliably run something that aggressive all-year. Extreme Tires are MUCH more sensitive to cold temps and their glass transition temps than even the Indy's. I don't need to drive the car in the snow, as I have another vehicle that does that, so snow tires wouldn't make any sense. I guess I could run all-seasons in the fall, winter, and spring - though the FiST really deserves summer tires and good all-seasons are quite expensive.

The other reason I think the Indy's are a great daily tire is the tread life. I should say I have not personally run Extreme Tires and cannot personally comment on tread life, though I think you will be hard-pressed to get the 25,000 or so miles that you will get out of the Indy's. Even though I am not one to cheap out on tires, if I don't have to drop $600-$800 on tires every year-and-a-half, I am happy. The Indy's have been wearing like iron, especially for a summer tire.

To sum up, the Indy's are the best daily driver tire for the Fiesta ST in moderate climates. If you live somewhere where you get a bunch of snow and ice or well-below freezing temps, you should be running the Blizzaks, which they make in our stock size. The Indy's combination of price, performance, treadlife, and availability make it the obvious choice for those of us who put miles on our cars but want performance at the same time. At $80 a tire, it's almost a no-brainer.

 

[Capri to ST]

I have been running the Indy's in the stock size since last July. I have about 8000 miles on them now. This is my daily driver tire, rain or shine (no snow). I use them in temps from about 30 degrees all the way up to over 100. Most of the time in the fall, winter, and spring it is about 43 degrees and raining in PDX, so I have extensive experience in wet.

In every situation they have been exceptional. I am realistic about these tires. They are not track or autocross tires, nor are they designed to be driven at 10/10 all the time. These are high-performance summer tires that excel as a daily tire with more significantly more grip and responsiveness than an all-season. I am of the mindset that you should use the appropriate tool for the job.

There are some people who complain that the Indy's don't perform exceptionally well on the track or at the extreme limit. I think some of what they say is true. If you are looking for a track tire or a tire where you can thrash it in the mountains, you need to be looking at an RE-71R or Star Specs or some other extreme summer tire. This is not that and it is not trying to be that.

The advantage of this tire is that you can run it reliably in cold, wet weather and it will perform well while still providing the performance you need for spirited driving. I had a big argument about the Indy's on FB the other day with people who say you should just go straight to RE-71R's or Star Specs and just run those all the time and that the Indy's just aren't worth the time. I quickly discovered that the people saying that lived in AZ and TX where it's warm and dry most of the time. I live in the PNW where that is certainly not the case. I simply cannot reliably run something that aggressive all-year. Extreme Tires are MUCH more sensitive to cold temps and their glass transition temps than even the Indy's. I don't need to drive the car in the snow, as I have another vehicle that does that, so snow tires wouldn't make any sense. I guess I could run all-seasons in the fall, winter, and spring - though the FiST really deserves summer tires and good all-seasons are quite expensive.

The other reason I think the Indy's are a great daily tire is the tread life. I should say I have not personally run Extreme Tires and cannot personally comment on tread life, though I think you will be hard-pressed to get the 25,000 or so miles that you will get out of the Indy's. Even though I am not one to cheap out on tires, if I don't have to drop $600-$800 on tires every year-and-a-half, I am happy. The Indy's have been wearing like iron, especially for a summer tire.

To sum up, the Indy's are the best daily driver tire for the Fiesta ST in moderate climates. If you live somewhere where you get a bunch of snow and ice or well-below freezing temps, you should be running the Blizzaks, which they make in our stock size. The Indy's combination of price, performance, treadlife, and availability make it the obvious choice for those of us who put miles on our cars but want performance at the same time. At $80 a tire, it's almost a no-brainer.

Thanks, this is helpful. How are the steering precision and turn-in? I love how quickly and precisely the car steers. I'm also on stock size, and it looks like I'll only get 7-8000 miles on the OEM RE050A's, which makes the Indy's very tempting.
It doesn't snow enough here to justify a second set of tires for winter. You bring up a good point about the Extreme tires' greater sensitivity to cold, the glass transition point. I didn't know what that was until we had a highly unusual whole week below freezing last year when I researched driving on summer tires in very cold weather. The Indy's are still summer tires but I'd feel better about them on an occasional cold day than an Extreme tire.

 

[Speedboosted]

I have been running the Indy's in the stock size since last July. I have about 8000 miles on them now. This is my daily driver tire, rain or shine (no snow). I use them in temps from about 30 degrees all the way up to over 100. Most of the time in the fall, winter, and spring it is about 43 degrees and raining in PDX, so I have extensive experience in wet.

In every situation they have been exceptional. I am realistic about these tires. They are not track or autocross tires, nor are they designed to be driven at 10/10 all the time. These are high-performance summer tires that excel as a daily tire with more significantly more grip and responsiveness than an all-season. I am of the mindset that you should use the appropriate tool for the job.

There are some people who complain that the Indy's don't perform exceptionally well on the track or at the extreme limit. I think some of what they say is true. If you are looking for a track tire or a tire where you can thrash it in the mountains, you need to be looking at an RE-71R or Star Specs or some other extreme summer tire. This is not that and it is not trying to be that.

The advantage of this tire is that you can run it reliably in cold, wet weather and it will perform well while still providing the performance you need for spirited driving. I had a big argument about the Indy's on FB the other day with people who say you should just go straight to RE-71R's or Star Specs and just run those all the time and that the Indy's just aren't worth the time. I quickly discovered that the people saying that lived in AZ and TX where it's warm and dry most of the time. I live in the PNW where that is certainly not the case. I simply cannot reliably run something that aggressive all-year. Extreme Tires are MUCH more sensitive to cold temps and their glass transition temps than even the Indy's. I don't need to drive the car in the snow, as I have another vehicle that does that, so snow tires wouldn't make any sense. I guess I could run all-seasons in the fall, winter, and spring - though the FiST really deserves summer tires and good all-seasons are quite expensive.

The other reason I think the Indy's are a great daily tire is the tread life. I should say I have not personally run Extreme Tires and cannot personally comment on tread life, though I think you will be hard-pressed to get the 25,000 or so miles that you will get out of the Indy's. Even though I am not one to cheap out on tires, if I don't have to drop $600-$800 on tires every year-and-a-half, I am happy. The Indy's have been wearing like iron, especially for a summer tire.

To sum up, the Indy's are the best daily driver tire for the Fiesta ST in moderate climates. If you live somewhere where you get a bunch of snow and ice or well-below freezing temps, you should be running the Blizzaks, which they make in our stock size. The Indy's combination of price, performance, treadlife, and availability make it the obvious choice for those of us who put miles on our cars but want performance at the same time. At $80 a tire, it's almost a no-brainer.

This review has finally sold me on them. I have been going back and forth between these and the Neogen because I was worried about all of the 40-50* wet days we have (I live in Battle Ground) and how they would perform. Right now I have just over 18k miles on the stock tires that still have good tread left but I hate how noisy and harsh they are. I do enjoy the turn in and response though.

Are you able to comment on how they compare to the Bridgestones in regards to straight line grip in various temps? Tired of spinning 2nd gear unless it's warm out.

 

[Truth in Ruin]

This review has finally sold me on them. I have been going back and forth between these and the Neogen because I was worried about all of the 40-50* wet days we have (I live in Battle Ground) and how they would perform. Right now I have just over 18k miles on the stock tires that still have good tread left but I hate how noisy and harsh they are. I do enjoy the turn in and response though.

Are you able to comment on how they compare to the Bridgestones in regards to straight line grip in various temps? Tired of spinning 2nd gear unless it's warm out.

NeoGens are great tires for what they are, but if you don’t get sub freezing temps, I’d go with the Indy 500s. The Indy’s sidewalls are probably less squishy, too.

 

[Speedboosted]

NeoGens are great tires for what they are, but if you don’t get sub freezing temps, I’d go with the Indy 500s. The Indy’s sidewalls are probably less squishy, too.

I was considering 205/45/17 NeoGens as well, in hopes that the added sidewall will give more comfort. But I'm worried about the potential negative effect on the gear ratio for acceleration. Although having a slightly taller tire would be nice for road trips too.

 

[felopr]

well after browsing for tires I went with this one for my next tire change. My car is mostly a DD but from time to time doing some spirited driving, so a 200tw tire is out of the question.
will get here this week with some rota titans in gold

 

[Truth in Ruin]

I was considering 205/45/17 NeoGens as well, in hopes that the added sidewall will give more comfort. But I'm worried about the potential negative effect on the gear ratio for acceleration. Although having a slightly taller tire would be nice for road trips too.

The 205/40/17 NeoGens ride smoother than the stock Bridgestones.

 

[S_Manley]

This review has finally sold me on them. I have been going back and forth between these and the Neogen because I was worried about all of the 40-50* wet days we have (I live in Battle Ground) and how they would perform. Right now I have just over 18k miles on the stock tires that still have good tread left but I hate how noisy and harsh they are. I do enjoy the turn in and response though.

Are you able to comment on how they compare to the Bridgestones in regards to straight line grip in various temps? Tired of spinning 2nd gear unless it's warm out.

I am glad you have decided to go with them. Make sure to get them from Firestone so you don't have to pay for shipping. You also get 6 months no interest if you have the card and when they do their $60 rebate, you get an extra $40 back if you use the Firestone card.

It's a bit of a tough comparison as I didn't have the AP when I was on the Bridgestones. I never had a huge problem with them and think they would be great at $125 a tire, not for $200 a tire. With the Indy's, I will sometimes have the light come on under heavy acceleration but that is to be expected and it isn't a huge issue for me. See below for more info on that.

The turn-in and response of the Indy's are on par with the Bridgestones. That was the thing that prevented me from getting the GY Asymmetric 3's. TR tested them and said their turn-in and response was poor, which is the Fiesta's biggest strength.

If you are having problems with traction, you should turn on the Cobb TC in your AP. The stock traction and stability control program from the factory is pretty dim-witted and cuts the power completely way too much, which doesn't help at all. The Cobb program reduces power progressively until grip is available and then restores power. It works MUCH better and is much less intrusive.

Noise-wise, the Indy's are about the same as the Bridgestones. The noise isn't really a concern for me. I am realistic about the car. It's a Fiesta with low-profile tires. There is going to be some noise and harshness.

I think the cold-weather performance is a bit better than the Bridgestones. Again, I am realistic: They are summer tires and are not optimized to be incredibly sticky in the cold. I don't thrash it when the weather is cold and rainy.

You will not regret getting the Indy's.

 

[Business6]

Ordered mine in stock size and should have them on at some point on Tuesday. I still want to go down to 16 or 15 but I'm not sure which direction to go; I like how they all look, really.

Regardless, it'll be nice to get off the Blizzaks and back to gripping the road especially as the temperature increases day after day.

 

[KenST]

Would anyone recommend these for 17x8’s? Was going to swap over my stock ones over have less that 1500miles on them but don’t really want to stretch them that much.

As of right now I’m considering the Indy’s, R888’s in oem sizes and s.drives, Nitto gens, 595 rs-r in 215/40 sizes.


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[TURBO BLACK]

just got a set of firestone indy 500's i have 17/8 wheels and have the 205/45/17 tires. fitment is good,noise seems to be less but very easy to burn rubber.have to watch the traction control.overall better then the oem tires.paid 111 for each tire.the downside is the wheels.went to three different tire shops to put them on.discount tire was the only one who had the correct machine to poop the side wall.

 

[jmrtsus]

just got a set of firestone indy 500's i have 17/8 wheels and have the 205/45/17 tires. fitment is good,noise seems to be less but very easy to burn rubber.have to watch the traction control.overall better then the oem tires.paid 111 for each tire.the downside is the wheels.went to three different tire shops to put them on.discount tire was the only one who had the correct machine to poop the side wall.

The tires certainly are not better performers from the tests I have read but are a great bargain it seems. However "overall better then the oem tires"? How?

 

[TURBO BLACK]

less road noise more side wall for a better ride and the tire is not as stretched on the 8" wheel.that by the way caused a very gradual air leak in all four tires.

 

[jmrtsus]

less road noise more side wall for a better ride and the tire is not as stretched on the 8" wheel.that by the way caused a very gradual air leak in all four tires.

Thanks, now it makes sense to me.......I love the performance of the stock tires but not the price. And I will take the harder ride for the performance. But if I was looking for a better ride and less money I like the 500's. I can get free Goodyear's but they have zero I want for my car. So I guess I'll look for some good used ones on the forum or just bite the bullet and pay. I have 20K on them but looks like another 10k depending on how many trips to the "tail" this summer.

 

[neeqness]

Just a reminder - Firestone tires will seem slippery at first until broken in. Best to drive them somewhat conservative for about 1,000 miles first, then start pushing them.

Also, the Indy 500s are not to be confused with the Indy 500 Wide Oval which are somewhat inferior in performance to the Indy 500s (two different tires - blame Firestone for being lazy with the names). Make sure your tires don't say Wide Oval or you may have been duped. Not bad tires overall, just somewhat inferior in performance and comfort.

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[A7xogg]

just got a set of firestone indy 500's i have 17/8 wheels and have the 205/45/17 tires. fitment is good,noise seems to be less but very easy to burn rubber.have to watch the traction control.overall better then the oem tires.paid 111 for each tire.the downside is the wheels.went to three different tire shops to put them on.discount tire was the only one who had the correct machine to poop the side wall.

got any pics?