[Mbbrewer]

Just got my Indy 500's installed today. Initial impression is very good compared to the bstone runflats. Will post a more thorough review after break in

[jgoens]

Originally Posted by Mbbrewer

Just got my Indy 500's installed today. Initial impression is very good compared to the bstone runflats. Will post a more thorough review after break in

Yeah, there are two Indy threads going--I have been posting in the other one. Neighbor saw my tires and said it looks like a racecar....well..yep...I noticed the 5hp gain from the tires as well. Gotta say, these tires look better than any I have ever had....I squealed them today too just to be....race car.

[zinner]

Originally Posted by metallicpea

Firestone is wholly owned by and integrated into Japanese parent company Bridgestone.

Yeah I got my Bridgestones mounted at the Firestone shop :-D.

I take the point, but is there a firestone RE-71R?

[metallicpea]

Originally Posted by zinner

Yeah I got my Bridgestones mounted at the Firestone shop :-D.

I take the point, but is there a firestone RE-71R?

Now I follow, you are running a different tire because of the performance characteristics, not because of the brand.

I thought you were saying you went with Bridgestone instead of the Firestones because you wanted to support the Bridgestone brand.

Yeah the two don't really compare as to the post you quoted.

[griebel]

Discount tire has $100 rebate this weekend along with the $60 from Firestone.

[desmat]

After 500 miles
Getting a new one installed today...

[rphz]

Originally Posted by rphz

Has anyone compared the performance of the Firehawk Indy 500 against the Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R for track/autocross use? Is it even a fair comparison? At almost $400 less for a set (depending on size) vs the RE-71R, they are very tempting

Looking at the APEX group buy that's currently up and adding these to the mix looks to be a great deal for a track set this year

So I ended up getting both the APEX wheels (18x8.5" EC-7) and a set of 255/40-18 Indy 500's. I've tried these on both autocross and an HPDE track event and have about 1500 miles on them now. While I initially thought they felt great and comparable to the Pilot Sport 4S, after the HPDE I will not purchase these again for track use. As soon as they get hot they start to get too greasy, and they are noisy as hell. Ran these over 2 days last weekend where temps were in the low 90's and they just didn't feel that good (and I kept dropping pressure to attempt to keep them in the mid-30 PSI range). My instructors agreed that these were a limiting factor for the weekend. The shoulders also wore much faster than expected.

So, that's my experience and I answered my own question - no, they are not comparable to the RE71R for track and/or autocross use in my opinion if you really plan to push them. Still a great street tire though

[wantafastone]

1 month and 500 miles with these and I'm very disappointed and the reason is that the response of the car feels so blunted now. Before these tires, the moment I moved my steering wheel the car would immediately responded to this, this made twists and turns around the mountain roads so much fun as I could leave both hands on the steering wheel and just enjoy the car. Now with these tires it's impossible to drive around twisty roads with both hands on the wheel without taking them off in order to spin the wheel more to get the car to turn. I feel very disappointed.

[tegraphile]

22K miles in and it has been a really positive experience.

This is my highway commuter (70mi round trip to work), with only about 10% of spirited driving mixed in. Road noise has been minimal and not changed since mounting (which was a complaint on Tire Rack after 20K miles). Initially bite is fantastic and handling is quite good IMHO. Tread wear has been even on all four tires.

Tread life is quite good. I have about 3-4/32 in the rear and 5-6/32 in the front, should get another 10K out of the rear and the fronts may make it another 20K. Ride quality is much improved and I'm really happy I make the switch.

I also went with the Continental repair kit, but thankfully have not had to use it.

[3ToAgree]

Originally Posted by wantafastone

1 month and 500 miles with these and I'm very disappointed and the reason is that the response of the car feels so blunted now. Before these tires, the moment I moved my steering wheel the car would immediately responded to this, this made twists and turns around the mountain roads so much fun as I could leave both hands on the steering wheel and just enjoy the car. Now with these tires it's impossible to drive around twisty roads with both hands on the wheel without taking them off in order to spin the wheel more to get the car to turn. I feel very disappointed.

What was on the car prior?

[BigJack75]

Wow just saw these on tirerack. Prices are amazing. Will most likey buy these when I need tires. Do not like the runflats but they have a few more miles in them. Anyone got pics on 19" oem wheels? Wondering how well they protect the rim.

[varrg]

Had these put on 19" 403M staggered wheels about 6 months ago. First impression was the steering became very light and more numb, but of course the ride was improved coming from the OE Bridgestone S001 RFT. I prefer heavier steering, it felt like the Bridgestones had better handling as well.

I think they're okay for the price, but likely won't get them again. Aesthetically, I also prefer a more square sidewall, one that's not so rounded.

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by rphz

So I ended up getting both the APEX wheels (18x8.5" EC-7) and a set of 255/40-18 Indy 500's. I've tried these on both autocross and an HPDE track event and have about 1500 miles on them now. While I initially thought they felt great and comparable to the Pilot Sport 4S, after the HPDE I will not purchase these again for track use. As soon as they get hot they start to get too greasy, and they are noisy as hell. Ran these over 2 days last weekend where temps were in the low 90's and they just didn't feel that good (and I kept dropping pressure to attempt to keep them in the mid-30 PSI range). My instructors agreed that these were a limiting factor for the weekend. The shoulders also wore much faster than expected.

So, that's my experience and I answered my own question - no, they are not comparable to the RE71R for track and/or autocross use in my opinion if you really plan to push them. Still a great street tire though

That's the general consensus. Great inexpensive summer tires but they won't hold up to track use at all. You can get by with the MPSS and MP4S on the track.

[hbrakes]

Unpopular/different opinion - I didn't like them.

I bought two sets from tire rack previously, one set for my WRX and one set for my RX-7. In both cases the starting amount of tread was oddly low (compared to pirelli and bfgoodrich). I had multiple people asking when I was getting new tires because they looked so low, but they were brand new..

They also browned up fast. Even on the RX-7 which lived in the garage and was driven maybe 4 times a month I had four very brown sidewalls within 2 months. The tires on WRX looked awful in two weeks. I was able to scrub and condition them with restorer, but long term that wasn't worth it. They looked really bad on black rims.

They performed fine enough, but for street driving they were nothing amazing. I make no claim of being anything but a standard spirited driver, but I wasn't wowed compared to what they replaced. There were other options at the price point, and I think I'll go with something else next time. Just my 0.02 I suppose.

[Racer77]

Ordered a set of used Firestone tires 245/45/19 about half a year ago. No complaints. Have always been a fan of Michelins but Firestones turned out to be great as well.

[Spielzeugauto]

Originally Posted by Racer77

Ordered a set of used Firestone tires 245/45/19 about half a year ago. No complaints. Have always been a fan of Michelins but Firestones turned out to be great as well.

245/45-19 ???
That's a hell of a tall tire...

[scostu]

Originally Posted by Spielzeugauto

245/45-19 ???
That's a hell of a tall tire...

That's OEM size on BMW F25s.

[scostu]

Originally Posted by Racer77

Ordered a set of used Firestone tires 245/45/19 about half a year ago. No complaints. Have always been a fan of Michelins but Firestones turned out to be great as well.

Would you buy them again?

I'm in central Fl and looking to dump my RFTs on my F25.

[Lex]

I was weary about getting them, Indy 500's on my 2017 wagon (F31), I've had them on for about 10,000 miles & I love them, they made a HUGE difference from the original RFT's. Love them! They aren't as good as my Super Sports I had on my '06 X3, but darn close. My car handles so much better around corners even though I'm still floaty in back with my cars large Kardashian rear end. Highly recommend these tires!! They are a steal!!!!

[tegraphile]

I got 32K miles out the rears and 3-4/32 still left on the fronts. Happy with the longevity and just had the rears replaced today with another set of Indy 500s. Ordered again from tire rack, cost went up about $25 per tire (255/35/19), but still a decent deal and like to keep the set uniform.

Tire noise was a little high towards the end, but really happy with the wear profile. Both tires were evenly worn with no cupping. Even at 2/32, they did really well in all this recent California rain. No issues with slippage, instability, or hydroplaning.

I assume all four will need to be replaced next time around, so may consider another brand, but still happy with my purchase.

[Canadared]

Anyone run 225/40/19 255/35/19 on 19x9 19x10 wheels?

[Omar.c]

Originally Posted by Canadared

Anyone run 225/40/19 255/35/19 on 19x9 19x10 wheels?

I have them on my OEM 437M 19x9 and 19x10. I had them previously on an 8.5 and 9.5. There is some stretch but it isn't too bad. I'm definitely gonna switch to a wider set when these are toast.