Firestone Firehawk indy 500 tires
09-17-2005, 09:48 AM
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Firestone Firehawk indy 500 tires
Does anyone have experience with these tires? They have a very good tread wear and traction ratings. Heres a link to them on tire rack.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...ce=16
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...ce=16
09-17-2005, 10:06 AM
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Re: Firestone Firehawk indy 500 tires (Makdaddynuge)
Sidewall ratings are really not very good at describing a tire's true characteristics.
I see that the Tire Rack puts this tire in their "Performance All-Season" category. That's only their third highest performance category among all-season tires, which means it's not all that high in terms of performance. (I also see that these tires have a fairly low speed rating of S or T.) Furthermore, if you live in Louisiana, you don't drive on snow or in frigid cold, so you don't need all-season tires at all.
Why don't you tell us what you're looking for - dry traction, wet traction, treadlife, low price, etc - and we can recommend some suitable tires for you.
I see that the Tire Rack puts this tire in their "Performance All-Season" category. That's only their third highest performance category among all-season tires, which means it's not all that high in terms of performance. (I also see that these tires have a fairly low speed rating of S or T.) Furthermore, if you live in Louisiana, you don't drive on snow or in frigid cold, so you don't need all-season tires at all.
Why don't you tell us what you're looking for - dry traction, wet traction, treadlife, low price, etc - and we can recommend some suitable tires for you.
09-17-2005, 11:34 AM
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i'm looking for good dry traction with decent wet traction, just for safety purpouses. I hate when i barely tap the brakes when its raining and i start to hydroplain. Tread life is always a plus but sacrificing it for traction is ok. They need to fit 14x5.5 del sol wheels.
09-17-2005, 01:20 PM
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Re: (Makdaddynuge)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Makdaddynuge »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i'm looking for good dry traction with decent wet traction, just for safety purpouses. I hate when i barely tap the brakes when its raining and i start to hydroplain. Tread life is always a plus but sacrificing it for traction is ok. They need to fit 14x5.5 del sol wheels.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Good "summer tires" are good in wet as well as dry. You probably are looking for tires in size 185/60-14. The Yokohama AVS ES100 comes in that size and provides very good traction on dry pavement, outstanding traction on wet pavement (as noted in this previous topic), and good treadlife too. They're also reasonably priced, at $69 each.
Good "summer tires" are good in wet as well as dry. You probably are looking for tires in size 185/60-14. The Yokohama AVS ES100 comes in that size and provides very good traction on dry pavement, outstanding traction on wet pavement (as noted in this previous topic), and good treadlife too. They're also reasonably priced, at $69 each.
09-17-2005, 04:07 PM
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Re: (Makdaddynuge)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Makdaddynuge »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Well they also sell them in 195-60-14 so i would go with that size for the added width.</TD></TR></TABLE>
The added width will increase the outer diameter of the tires. Not only will that make your speedometer and odometer inaccurate (by 2.1 percent), but it will also make your acceleration slower (like getting taller gears), and it will increase the chances that they will rub. Not recommended.
The added width will increase the outer diameter of the tires. Not only will that make your speedometer and odometer inaccurate (by 2.1 percent), but it will also make your acceleration slower (like getting taller gears), and it will increase the chances that they will rub. Not recommended.
09-17-2005, 09:41 PM
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so what do you recomend man, 185 just doesn't sound like its gonna do the job, i'm about to be pushing 300hp out of my turbo setup, should i just upgrade to 15 inch wheels and get some 205/50/15s?
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09-18-2005, 06:41 AM
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Re: (Makdaddynuge)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Makdaddynuge »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">so what do you recomend man, 185 just doesn't sound like its gonna do the job, i'm about to be pushing 300hp out of my turbo setup, should i just upgrade to 15 inch wheels</TD></TR></TABLE>
Yes, that would be a good idea. The problem with 14 inch wheels is that the best tires around just aren't available in 14 inch sizes, so your choices for performance are extremely limited. The Yokohama ES100 is a budget performance tire, excellent value for the money, but it won't stick as well as top-of-the-line tires that are mostly available in sizes for 15 inch wheels and up.
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Makdaddynuge »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">and get some 205/50/15s?</TD></TR></TABLE>
If you get 15 inch wheels, the best size to use on your car is 195/50-15. Again, it will be a better match for your stock outer diameter, better accuracy for the speedometer/odometer, less worry about rubbing, doesn't hurt your gearing, etc. All the same reasons as 185/60-14 is better for 14 inch wheels.
If you go to a 195/50-15 size, then you have a bunch of stickier options that will be more suitable for your high-power application. When people think about the best street tires, they're usually thinking of the Bridgestone S-03, which comes in that size for $114 a tire. But there are two options that are even better. One is the Goodyear F1 GS-D3, which is as good as the S-03 but only costs $83 per tire in 195/50-15. Furthermore, there is a special (through October 8) in which you get a $75 gas card when you buy a set of four, so the per-tire price becomes $64, which is an outstanding deal for such a great tire. Another option in 195/50-15 is the Toyo T1-R, which is on special for $60 per tire at onlinetires.com. The Toyo T1-R is an excellent tire, but the Goodyear F1 GS-D3 is even better. As long as you get the Goodyears with the gas card offer, so that the price is almost the same, then the Goodyear F1 GS-D3 in 195/50-15 is the way to go.
Yes, that would be a good idea. The problem with 14 inch wheels is that the best tires around just aren't available in 14 inch sizes, so your choices for performance are extremely limited. The Yokohama ES100 is a budget performance tire, excellent value for the money, but it won't stick as well as top-of-the-line tires that are mostly available in sizes for 15 inch wheels and up.
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Makdaddynuge »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">and get some 205/50/15s?</TD></TR></TABLE>
If you get 15 inch wheels, the best size to use on your car is 195/50-15. Again, it will be a better match for your stock outer diameter, better accuracy for the speedometer/odometer, less worry about rubbing, doesn't hurt your gearing, etc. All the same reasons as 185/60-14 is better for 14 inch wheels.
If you go to a 195/50-15 size, then you have a bunch of stickier options that will be more suitable for your high-power application. When people think about the best street tires, they're usually thinking of the Bridgestone S-03, which comes in that size for $114 a tire. But there are two options that are even better. One is the Goodyear F1 GS-D3, which is as good as the S-03 but only costs $83 per tire in 195/50-15. Furthermore, there is a special (through October 8) in which you get a $75 gas card when you buy a set of four, so the per-tire price becomes $64, which is an outstanding deal for such a great tire. Another option in 195/50-15 is the Toyo T1-R, which is on special for $60 per tire at onlinetires.com. The Toyo T1-R is an excellent tire, but the Goodyear F1 GS-D3 is even better. As long as you get the Goodyears with the gas card offer, so that the price is almost the same, then the Goodyear F1 GS-D3 in 195/50-15 is the way to go.
09-18-2005, 09:14 AM
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Re: (Makdaddynuge)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Makdaddynuge »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Why is the 205/50/15 tire so popular among honda-tech then if its "not the right application"?</TD></TR></TABLE>
There are several different stock sizes that are most common among h-t users. Most Civics, until recently, came stock with 175/70-13 or 185/60-14, and 195/50-15 is the proper 15" size. Most integras came stock with 185/65-14 or 195/55-15, and 195/55-15 is the proper 15" size, with the closest match to the stock outer diameter without being so wide that they may cause rubbing problems.
The main reason why 205/50-15 is popular is because the proper sizes (195/50-15 or 195/55-15) are not available for many popular tires, including most R compound track tires, the Falken Azenis (old and new), and the Kumho Ecsta MX. Also, for Integras, the 205/50-15 outer diameter is smaller than their stock tires, so it won't hurt acceleration or risk rubbing, the way it will on most Civics. Finally, some people mistakenly believe that wider is always better, without realizing that if the outer diameter is larger, it hurts acceleration.
There are several different stock sizes that are most common among h-t users. Most Civics, until recently, came stock with 175/70-13 or 185/60-14, and 195/50-15 is the proper 15" size. Most integras came stock with 185/65-14 or 195/55-15, and 195/55-15 is the proper 15" size, with the closest match to the stock outer diameter without being so wide that they may cause rubbing problems.
The main reason why 205/50-15 is popular is because the proper sizes (195/50-15 or 195/55-15) are not available for many popular tires, including most R compound track tires, the Falken Azenis (old and new), and the Kumho Ecsta MX. Also, for Integras, the 205/50-15 outer diameter is smaller than their stock tires, so it won't hurt acceleration or risk rubbing, the way it will on most Civics. Finally, some people mistakenly believe that wider is always better, without realizing that if the outer diameter is larger, it hurts acceleration.
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