[Canyon Carver]

Anyone up for a detailed tire review? If so, read on...but I warn you, it's a long one. :-)

Last Thursday I decided to pull the trigger on a set of Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 tires. I read a ton of reviews, did some research and decided to stray from my usual Michelin PSS tire choice. I didn't want to spend the money on Michelin's this time (almost $1200 before installation) and I was hoping these Indy 500's, being re-branded Bridgestone RE003's, would live up to my habitual canyon carving and the occasional track day.

The Firestones are soft and sticky. I can bury my thumbnail in the tread with ease and they feel tacky as hell. Good stuff, right? I thought so and was pumped to get them up to speed. I reluctantly took my time getting them warmed up before hitting the afterburners and immediately realized that they didn't track as well as the stock Goodyear F1's. I was quickly reminded that a great car is pretty dependent on it's rubber, no matter how great it is. Turn in was vague and they didn't have the bite and precision of the Goodyears...and let's be clear - I wasn't a huge fan of the stock Goodyears, I generally hate run-flats.

My first excuse was, "Well, since they're not run-flats the sidewalls won't be as stiff, this is to be expected". But the more I pushed the sloppier they got. The car took a lot more steering input to keep it where I pointed it. It felt loose, and a little all over the place. The precise, heavy weighted steering of Track Mode (which I love) was suddenly diminished and lighter, reducing feedback and road feel. Even the slightest mid-corner corrections that were effortless before, caused scrubbing and the car started to push...what was this strange sensation in my 6th Gen SS? Understeer? (queue dramatic music) It never did that before. "Ok", I thought, "These tires require better driving skills and I'm up to the task" so I corrected accordingly and adjusted my driving style to turn in quicker and deeper with a little more consistent throttle, and unwind faster when powering out. That helped a bit, but it still felt like the sidewalls were rolling under (Which reminded me of how much I love my LSD). The adjustments helped, but the car felt like it had more body roll than before, except it wasn't the body, it was the tires.

OK, so the turn in isn't as crisp and you can feel them fade and drift in broad sweepers until the grip point...but surely, they will change direction well in the esses, right? Wrong. Upon tossing the car side to side rapidly, it felt floaty and slower to respond. My poor SS suddenly felt like mush, it was traveling wide in every switchback and it was tougher to stay on my side of the double yellow. My sharp precision instrument was suddenly dull and sloppy. Anyone who pushes these cars hard knows how amazing the chassis is and how hard it is to unsettle them...but not with these tires. My SS never felt like the 3700 pounds that it is, until I mounted these tires.

When I had the stock Goodyears and my G Meter on, I was able to consistently hit over 1G (even as much as 1.12 on a particularly good run) of lateral grip, but with the Firestones, the max I reached was .91. They stick, but don't hold up to the cornering forces our cars are capable of hitting - or carry as much speed under duress, they buckle under.

But they aren't all bad. In the tires defense, they are still very new (300 miles) and maybe I didn't have the right pressures. They're quieter than the stock Goodyears, a bit more comfortable overall and I'll reiterate, super cheap in comparison. In a straight line, they hook up INCREDIBLY well and barely even break loose when using NLS. I was shocked at how well they launch from a standing start. If I was a drag guy, I'd buy 2-3 sets of these just to keep in my garage in case they get discontinued. But alas, I'm not a drag guy. I prefer turning right and left, and these tires don't inspire confidence at the limit at all. When you hit that limit, they simply give up.

Are the Firestone's the secret deal of the century that I was looking for? The amazing performer for half the price of the Michelins? No. But for $637 a set, instead of almost $1200 for the Michelins, I think they're a great value as a show car tire (good looking tread) a daily driver tire, or especially at the drag strip. But if you love to run canyons like I do...ya' might wanna stay away from these tires and spend a little more money on a tire that's made to go around corners at speed, and not make you feel like they'll put you in an early grave.

[kropscamaro16]

michelin ps4 ftw

[Camaroguy555]

Thank you so much for the review, I've been considering these as a longer lasting Track alternative to my 200 tread wear tires but I'm definitely not going with these after this review. Maybe for the street, awesome write up.

[Canyon Carver]

Originally Posted by Camaroguy555

Thank you so much for the review, I've been considering these as a longer lasting Track alternative to my 200 tread wear tires but I'm definitely not going with these after this review. Maybe for the street, awesome write up.

Thanks, man! Really glad it helped...and let me know what you end up going with, I'd be curious. I'm still hunting for a decent performing tire with a little better tread wear, that's not quite as much money as Michelin's. Not sure if it exists, I may be asking too much...probably just have to surrender and spend the cash on some PS4's.

[JaxChris]

Originally Posted by kropscamaro16

michelin ps4 ftw

Doesn't your car say Continental on it? =)

[enzia35]

Will you run them until worn out?

[Bluecyclone]

Ok thank's, I've bought Bridgestones pole positions and got lateral grip, less acceleration. Firestone firehawk Indy 500 on the front and the responsiveness in the twisty's is noticed but I am coming from P Zero Nero 235/50/18 to 255/45/18 rear & 255/40/18 on the front. It's so hard to thread the needle on sticky street tires. I am still searching.

[kropscamaro16]

Originally Posted by JaxChris

Doesn't your car say Continental on it? =)

lol yup old photoshoot and not sponsored by them anymore had 5p tires on it at the time and they were ok but these michelin ps4 are awesome and super happy with my choice

[Canyon Carver]

Originally Posted by enzia35

Will you run them until worn out?

Probably...I'll just try to run them hard and see how long they last. Gives me time to keep searching for a tire that suits me better.

[Emoto]

Canyon Carver, thanks for the review!

I am in my infancy with performance cars, but I know that on motorcycles, tire pressure can make a huge difference. Have you tried running these at other pressures yet?

[DetCam]

I'm looking forward to reading your "long term update". I too bought the Firestones and after my first autocross and into my first HPDE with them I though "oh man, what have I done". But I must say, by the end of my HPDE, my story was changing, and my 2nd and 3rd track days made me a fan. They took a really long time to scrub in and were unstable in the beginning. Once scrubbed in it didn't take me long until I was turning faster laptimes with my Firestones than I was with the factory Goodyears. (There was some learning in there on my part, I was improving my line a bit).

At first I preferred the feel of the solid sidewall of the Runflat, but soon changed my mind.

On a normal driving day on "cold" tires (going to/from work) they never did hook up on a dig like the Goodyears. So they are definitely not for the drag race crowd.


OP: I'll be curious if your experience matches mine, where they get better with age.

[Mr. Wyndham]

I actually bought a set of these for the Sonic....

Haven't put them on, yet, because winter attacked...but they've GOT to be better than the shit Hankook A/S that came on them from the factory.

[17txcamaross]

I am looking forward to a detailed review following a bit more use.

I wanted these tires for my daily driver, but wasn't sure the 305/35 and 285/35/20 tires would fit on MRR M017s with the Phastek lowering springs.

If I find they will fit this will be my next set of tires.

I currently am running the Nitto NT555 G2s in 305/30 and 285/30/20

[kropscamaro16]

Originally Posted by Mr. Wyndham

I actually bought a set of these for the Sonic....

Haven't put them on, yet, because winter attacked...but they've GOT to be better than the shit Hankook A/S that came on them from the factory.

haha i have a 17 cruze lt and yea those hankooks suck lol