Firestone Firehawk Indy 500

[neeqness]

Oh man! Ok, I just realized there is one other downside to these tires. If you thought your FiST was influencing you to drive a bit more than you really needed to...well you probably shouldn't get these tires.

I went on an hour and a half one way trip last week late at nite on PCH just to scout out a new hiking spot near malibu (that near full moon looked really nice at night over the Santa Monica mountains though!). And tonight I went an hour away one way to Norco to buy some dog food when I knew I had an appointment to go to Chino (which is a short distance away) tomorrow anyway.

Any respectable and practical Toyota driver would have waited until tomorrow to do that shopping, but nooo...I just had to rush tonight before they closed at the last minute, risking a wasted trip (if LA traffic came out as usual - and it had me worried for a good bit) just to buy some dog food.

Who am I kidding here? These tires are going to double my gas bill (and no more if I'm lucky). I can just see it coming and it's not looking good...

 

[insertnamehere]

I got these a couple weeks ago based on the TireRack comparison and some reviews for my oem wheels and stock springs and koni str.ts at 205/45 17 - no rubbing at all so far and I have lots of dips, potholes, and bumps in my routes. Although they did mention that performance was better than sc2s, they seemed to have downplayed it based on the lesser feedback given.

I haven't driven the sc2s yet (and unfortunately I probably won't based on what I've read and heard regarding the relatively high noise levels since that's really important to me for road trips), but performance wise these do not disappoint wet or dry. They are definitely grippier than stock tires and I actually have more wet experience than dry with these so far because it has been raining here almost every day since I bought them.

After the initial break-in I started pushing them a bit and not once did they slip. A few times in the wet I hit a some turns a bit faster than I really wanted and was pleasantly surprised at the grip. Made me want to push it further. These tires are really amazing. Better than they are rated I think. Not only that but they are smooth and quiet too. Exactly what I'm looking for in a tire if they get long tread life (time will tell).

They do have one caveat though which brings me back to the feedback thing TireRack was talking about. When you push them, there is virtually no feedback. It's hard to tell when or if they are at their limits. I still haven't pushed them to their limits yet but in a way I worry that they will just slip when least expected. Tire wall seems a little soft (not a lot) but you can feel it in turns and since it's the only thing you feel, it makes you wonder if it will slip...they just don't.

Overall it's not a big issue though and I still like them so much I would have skipped the Federal ss595s for my 15s (even though they are like 40% cheaper) and bought another set of these instead. Unfortunately they don't make them in 15 inch which I don't get because the wide ovals come in 15s and these are supposed to replace them but oh well. Federal it is...

With the increased tire diameter and slight increase in weight from a 205/40/17, did you notice any drop in power delivery?

 

[neeqness]

With the increased tire diameter and slight increase in weight from a 205/40/17, did you notice any drop in power delivery?

Yes, it was a slight drop. My motor is stock though. The comfort level is worth it. It's been raining a lot here too including some flash floods today and tomorrow...the extra height is now well appreciated.

I still want to drop my car though so within the next few months I'll switch to my 15s which are pretty light and lowering springs. I already have everything I need except the tires and if indy 500s came in the right size I'd probably have that too.

 

[insertnamehere]

Yes, it was a slight drop. My motor is stock though. The comfort level is worth it. It's been raining a lot here too including some flash floods today and tomorrow...the extra height is now well appreciated.

I still want to drop my car though so within the next few months I'll switch to my 15s which are pretty light and lowering springs. I already have everything I need except the tires and if indy 500s came in the right size I'd probably have that too.

How noticeable was the drop? I've only found one figure so far from a guy on a dyno who claimed going to a 205/45/17 dropped his WTQ from 300 to 260 (obviously not stock like yours), but that seems so drastic! I'm really liking most everything I've read about these tires, but if it was >10% drop that might steer me into something OEM sized.

 

[neeqness]

How noticeable was the drop? I've only found one figure so far from a guy on a dyno who claimed going to a 205/45/17 dropped his WTQ from 300 to 260 (obviously not stock like yours), but that seems so drastic! I'm really liking most everything I've read about these tires, but if it was >10% drop that might steer me into something OEM sized.

Well to be fair, I don't race mine. If you plan to race yours, you might need that drop. But fwiw, I really don't notice it except in 1st on takeoff and again it's slight. It might slow turnin a little but the stickiness on these tires made it a nonissue. Like I had to think about it to really notice it because I was so happy they were so much stickier. It will affect the speedometer though and your mileage might seem to drop a little especially if you do a lot of city driving. I think mileage should go up if you do a lot of highway driving. You might not want to do it if you have a lot of stop and go in your driving.

But for me it didn't matter because the comfort was relatively significant. The rest are only really minor issues in comparison but if you race it probably isn't worth it. Also because of the larger circumference, your miles and speed will come up a bit less than actual.

 

[Joker328]

How noticeable was the drop? I've only found one figure so far from a guy on a dyno who claimed going to a 205/45/17 dropped his WTQ from 300 to 260 (obviously not stock like yours), but that seems so drastic! I'm really liking most everything I've read about these tires, but if it was >10% drop that might steer me into something OEM sized.

I'm no expert, but can't you just calculate the drop in WTQ? Torque is just the force times the radius, and the force output from the engine is the same, so it's just the radius of the tire that is changing. The online calculator said it should change by about 3.4% from a 40 to a 45 profile, but you could probably look at tire rack to get the specifics for these tires. So factor in some additional weight from the larger tire as well (no idea how much that contributes, but probably not much) and you are probably looking at 4-5% less WTQ in each gear. To what extent that actually impacts your acceleration, it's hard to say, because while you will have slightly less WTQ in each gear, you will be in each gear to a higher speed (though the speedometer will not indicate it), so you will be able to shift slightly later. You might also have less wheelspin off the line.

 

[insertnamehere]

Going to give these tires a try in 205/45/17. The price was fantastic, $556 CAD after taxes and shipping!

 

[neeqness]

Going to give these tires a try in 205/45/17. The price was fantastic, $556 CAD after taxes and shipping!

Let us know how you like them.

 

[neeqness]

A final note on these: mileage for me has dropped all around even for the freeway although I haven't taken any long trips with these tires yet and I've still seen some moments when I got pretty decent freeway mileage, any kind of street driving usually ruins it. Especially since these tires may likely entice you to drive a little more "spirited" than your usual.

That said, your actual mileage is probably slightly more than indicated because the larger circumference takes less revolutions to reach a mile than what was programmed in the speedometer...

 

[92FOX]

A final note on these: mileage for me has dropped all around even for the freeway although I haven't taken any long trips with these tires yet and I've still seen some moments when I got pretty decent freeway mileage, any kind of street driving usually ruins it. Especially since these tires may likely entice you to drive a little more "spirited" than your usual.

That said, your actual mileage is probably slightly more than indicated because the larger circumference takes less revolutions to reach a mile than what was programmed in the speedometer...

And if your speedometer is off, that also means your odometer will be off as well. Larger tire will tell the odometer that you travelled less distance, making it seem like you're getting less MPG, if that makes sense. This is what I am always over-obsessed with having my speedometer recalibrate after changing tire-sizes, something a lot of people tend to brush off, especially on this forum I've noticed.

 

[neeqness]

And if your speedometer is off, that also means your odometer will be off as well. Larger tire will tell the odometer that you travelled less distance, making it seem like you're getting less MPG, if that makes sense. This is what I am always over-obsessed with having my speedometer recalibrate after changing tire-sizes, something a lot of people tend to brush off, especially on this forum I've noticed.

I think it's more work than it's worth. Especially if you are switching wheels each season (winter/summer). Ultimately it is in your favor if it's larger, in your future buyers favor if it's smaller. But even still it the odometer reading shouldn't be much off. It's really the mpgs though where it really makes the most difference.

 

[neeqness]

Just as a recap on my first mention of feedback on my previous post...

There is feedback given, it is just less feedback then most tires which is why it seems like no feedback at first. Now that I've driven with them for awhile I notice it now. It's there but just kind of subtle. As I got used to them driving here and there, I have started noticing it and drive accordingly. These are still really great tires in my book and I wouldn't doubt to be the best in it's class right now. What amazes me the most though is how well they perform performance wise, yet manage to also have such high road manners. Now I just wonder about their treadlife. Someone earlier stated 15k, but they also said they drove them hard and the reviews I read it seemed to imply a longer life than most other sticky tires. I hope others will chime in on their tread life when the time comes. I would but I will probably have them on the back burner for awhile after I switch to my 15s.

 

[Izzy]

So after two weeks of having these mounted in 205/45/16 I can positively say these are the best tire for the buck I've ever owned!! It's actually ridiculous how much confidence they inspire in the wet. Leaps and bounds above my previous Comp2's in both dry but especially wet. Needless to say thoroughly enjoying these and highly recommend. Got my set for $387 shipped off Tire Rack.

 

[Solort]

So after two weeks of having these mounted in 205/45/16 I can positively say these are the best tire for the buck I've ever owned!! It's actually ridiculous how much confidence they inspire in the wet. Leaps and bounds above my previous Comp2's in both dry but especially wet. Needless to say thoroughly enjoying these and highly recommend. Got my set for $387 shipped off Tire Rack.

Thx for the review! This will be my replacement set in a 205/45-17 when I burn up my OEM Bridgestones...

 

[Chriskozl]

I've also been running these for the past couple weeks, definitely the best tire for the money. You can actually go to a firestone and get them shipped to the store for free within a day or two.

 

[bscott182]

I've been running these in 205/45/17 for a little while. No issues on the track with them, plenty of dry grip, but I do need to be gentle on exit as even stock power levels can break them loose.

On stock suspension, no rubbing issues with this size on the track, but on spirited mountain runs, I do get a tiny rub if the suspension is loaded up and there's a big enough dip in the road.

I'll probably go with something more aggressive once these are toast, I'm not overly impressed with them, but its hard to be once you've run re71r's or similar type tire.

 

[neeqness]

I've been running these in 205/45/17 for a little while. No issues on the track with them, plenty of dry grip, but I do need to be gentle on exit as even stock power levels can break them loose.

On stock suspension, no rubbing issues with this size on the track, but on spirited mountain runs, I do get a tiny rub if the suspension is loaded up and there's a big enough dip in the road.

I'll probably go with something more aggressive once these are toast, I'm not overly impressed with them, but its hard to be once you've run re71r's or similar type tire.

While they are probably the best in their class right now, they aren't racing tires and can't compete against re71's or similar tires.

But if you are looking at the bfg comp IIs and similar tires, they can't be beat...especially at their current price.

Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk

 

[Solort]

I think it's more work than it's worth. Especially if you are switching wheels each season (winter/summer). Ultimately it is in your favor if it's larger, in your future buyers favor if it's smaller. But even still it the odometer reading shouldn't be much off. It's really the mpgs though where it really makes the most difference.

Remember that your speedometer/ odometer accuracy will also change due to depth of tread. New tires will have 5/8 in more diameter than tires worn past the 2/32 tread indicators....

 

[92FOX]

Interesting find this afternoon. I was on the website for Firestone Complete Auto Care centers and searched for tires by size in our stock size, 205/40/17, and this popped up. They do not show up on Firestone's Tire website, and the shop wasn't showing them either. Maybe this a sign of things to come?

 

[M-Sport fan]

^^^I for one would not complain too much IF they did a new release of that size AND a 215/40-17 for us as well. LOL