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I finally got my Firestone Firehawk Indy 500s.
After only a few days, my initial thoughts: I agree with the OP and his assessment of these tires. A noticeable decrease in traction and corning, but still not bad. General road noise is moderately improved, but that obnoxious thump the run flats make over every bump is significantly reduced, providing a quieter and smoother/softer ride. I run 18” wheels with Blizzaks in the winter, and they give a quiet cushy ride, I love those things… (Until you throw it into a turn and you are reminded that they are just for commuting to work safely, not for playing). The Indy’s are like a decent compromise between the F1’s and the snow tires, you get a softer quieter ride, but you still get sufficient traction and can throw it into the corners. They tramline less than the worn out F1’s did. It’s probably just the reduced traction, but I prefer the rear ends behavior in corning with the Indy’s during spirited driving. Before I could feel the limited slip diff engaging causing the rear to dance about a bit. Now it just goes around a corner without drama. Granted, I’m pretty sure that just means I’m spinning the inside tire when the diff engages, but it holds the road well and continues on its way.
Some might say they are “numb” when compared to the F1’s, I like to think they are doing a better job of isolating me from the torture that is a Michigan road after too many winters.
For Daily Driving: Love em so far.
For AutoCross and Track days: Haven’t done either yet, but I’m pretty confident I just became a little less competitive in the autocross series. I’ll report back if they turn out to be better than my current expectations.
Considering I drove out of the tire store for less than $700: If they survive more than 3 or 4 track days, these are an incredible deal.
If your goal is to be the fastest guy on the block, you’ll have to pay (more) to play.
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