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Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 Tire Review

Posted by Agota Szabo on Apr 25th 2022

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 Tire Review

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 Tire Review

Posted by Agota Szabo at Priority Tire on Apr 25th 2022

Looking for a reliable tire for those summer months? With so many tires to choose from on the market, it might not be obvious which one to get. A good summer tire has to have a short braking distance and a reliable lateral grip, among other important characteristics.

You have a wide price range with an abundance of summer tires that promise a lot. But which are the ones that are actually worth your money? Look no further because we have already done the hard work for you. We took a look at a large number of tires and ended up choosing the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 this time.

This tire’s price-to-value ratio beats most of its competition and we are going to explain exactly why. This is going to be another thorough review about a versatile tire that won’t go hard on your wallet. Without further ado, let’s evaluate what this model has to offer here on Priority Tire!

Quick Review:

  • Season: All Season and Summer
  • Type: High Performance, Performance, and Touring
  • Car Type: Passenger Vehicles and SUVs
  • Run Flat: NO
  • In Stock: Yes

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500

  • Enhanced braking
  • Improved maneuvering
  • Optimized controllability
  • Increased high speed durability

CHECK AVAILABLE SUMMER SIZES

CHECK AVAILABLE ALL SEASON SIZES


Experience the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500

The Firehawk Indy 500 is a high performance tire manufactured by Firestone. It is an ideal choice for sports cars or even performance sedans. It is engineered with great emphasis on comfort instead of solely being a performance tire. In order to maximize high speed durability, they have implemented race-inspired technologies.

When it comes to traction, reliability is guaranteed due to the carefully designed tread. You can count on its handling and cornering ability, due to its wide shoulder blocks that excel in dry weather conditions. It also comes with a strengthened internal structure that ensures stability and high-speed capability.

These are some of the core features that the Indy 500 offers for sports car enthusiasts. But before we get too much into the details, let’s discuss the main benefits of this model one-by-one.

Fully Optimized for Better Maneuvering

The Firehawk Indy 500 is engineered with driving safety in mind. A good summer tire is easy to handle and fast to follow the driver’s commands. This model offers those exact benefits, enabling you to enjoy a safe driving experience even at high speeds.

The combination of the asymmetric tread design and the reinforced internal structure enhance the tire’s overall maneuverability. The tire basically disperses the driving pressure utilizing the nylon and polyester casing that is further reinforced with steel belts.

Since the tire keeps its optimal shape at all times, you can count on fast and precise steering responses. This is especially important for the vehicle’s performing ability at high speeds. The model promotes a wide tread footprint with large shoulder elements that greatly improve controllability.

Safety Ensured with Short Braking Distance

The Firehawk Indy 500 comes with a tread that is optimized for better road grip. It utilizes its biting edges to maintain its forward motion in both wet and dry road conditions. This is all thanks to the asymmetric tread that features a special combination of lateral and angled siping.

The silica-based rubber compound enhances the tire’s weather flexibility, making its traction more consistent. The circumferential grooves also counter one of the biggest road hazards, namely hydroplaning. The tire guarantees constant road contact by channeling water away from the contact patch.

The innovative tread compound utilizes the circumferential center ribs to boost the tire’s road gripping ability. This greatly reduces its braking distance by creating immense friction at the moment of braking. You can rest assured that the Firehawk Indy 500 will stop your car just in time when the situation demands it.

A Structure Designed for High Speed Performance

The more you speed up with your vehicle, the more pressure is going to be applied to your tires. The tire’s ability to deal with high-speed pressure and heat build-up can make a world of difference. The Firehawk Indy 500 is not going to let you down at high speeds.

Learn more about how road heat affects your tires here on Priority Tire!

Instead, it guarantees outstanding speed-drive safety due to its strengthened construction. This model comes with a polyester nylon casing that is further reinforced with steel belts. This ensures that the tire always maintains its optimal shape no matter how fast you go.

It is going to resist deformations, while the road contact is going to be consistent throughout the drive. The tire features the L.L.Carbon compound that fully counters heat build-up, stabilizing its performance. It does so by evenly distributing the driving pressure across the contact patch.

Pros:

  • Excellent traction on wet and dry roads
  • Fast and precise steering responsiveness
  • Superb driving stability and grip
  • Unbeatable high speed durability

Cons:

  • Bad performance on snow and ice
  • Sacrifices some performance for comfort

Product Information

The Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 is a high performance and performance model that comes in plenty of touring sizes as well. The rim sizes for this model vary between 15 and 20 inches, making sure that it fits a wide range of sports car models. Its characteristics greatly differ with each size. This makes it easier to find the perfect tire for your own vehicle.

If you need some help regarding tire size, make sure to read our tire size guide here on Priority Tire.

Most sizes have a W speed rating, while the ones that fall into the performance and touring category are all S rated. This symbol indicates the maximum speed you can go with without overloading the tire. Every tire has its own pressure tolerance. If you exceed that too much, the tire’s structure won’t be able to take it and it can end up deforming.

A W speed rating allows you to speed up to 168 mph (270 kmh), while an S speed rating allows a 112 mph (180kmh) maximum. It is really a matter of preference which one you choose. Of course, it also depends on your vehicle’s performance and whether you can find a good size for it in the category.

The Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 has a rather wide load index range. It ranges between 84 and 108, determining the tire’s load carrying and withstanding ability. You can find the load index that is most optimal for your own car by taking a look at its manual. A tire with a load index of 84 has a 1102 lbs (500 kgs) load carrying capacity, while the 108 stands for 2205 lbs (1000 kgs).

This model comes with a versatile tread, offering many sizes in the summer category and a few of them in the all season category. Depending on your needs, you can use it to dominate the roads during the summer or to sacrifice some performance for an enjoyable ride all day.

Is the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 the Right Tire for You?

Firestone has really put the effort into designing the Indy 500. Their aim was to develop a performance tire that dominates the road while ensuring comfort, safety and stability. In our opinion, they have made a tire that is one of the best in its category regarding both its features and affordability.

If you opt for one of the high performance sizes, you can pretty much go as fast as you can. On the other hand, if comfort is more important for you than performance, then maybe you should buy one of the touring sizes. Both of them come with outstanding characteristics, which is quite impressive for the price.

Of course, the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 excels best on dry roads. If you want to break them loose a bit, then definitely try them out on one of those sunny summer days. The tire also offers decent self-cleaning ability to ensure reliable wet traction. 

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