Jamie’s car needed new tires two weeks ago to pass inspection. You can read more on that in the previous post. I decided to get four of Firestone’s Firehawk GT’s. This is an all-season tire with a 460 treadwear, so we’ll get about 50-60,000 miles out of it, which is about 3 years for us on that car. Its rating is A for both traction and temperature. For the northeast I don’t recommend anything less than A/A.
The tire looks really good on her car. Since its an RSX and a bit sporty, the tire fits in well. The tire has the look and feel of a sports tire because its a bit wider and sleeker, but has the dependability of an all-season tire and less rapid treadwear of a sports tire (like mine). It also is pretty decently priced, only about $100 a tire.
You can check out more at the manufacturer’s website here.
The Firehawk GT’s asymmetrical design provides optimal balance and evacuation of water. It’s advanced technology called Veri-Pitch Noise Reduction helps reduce road noise. It has a high-silica compound and wider tread profile for improved cornering coefficient for superb handling.
Nice review. I’m considering the Firehawk GT for my 2000 Maxima, it seems like a promising tire from Firestone. Firestone’s current product line of mostly low-quality Original Equipment tires is outdated and non-competitive (and the Ford Explorer problems didn’t help). But the Firehawk could be a new start for the brand. However, I have heard that road noise gets louder after about 10K miles, and some have complained about the tread wearing quickly. I’d love to see a followup review on the tire from you.
I’m afraid you, like the majority of tire consumers, have misunderstood the Uniform Tire Quality Grade. The UTQG is used to compare different products offered by the same manufacturer. As the quality grades are determined by tests conducted by the manufacturers, they– like the manufacturers tread wear warranty– are used as marketing tools. Check out this link from tirerack.com, and it should give you a better understanding. And thanks for the nice review!
Thanks for the reply Chris.
Yes it is a bit noisy over previous tires that I have had. We have two cars with these tires, both with over 10k miles on them. One car has a slight tire noise that you only hear if the radio is off, the other car makes a ton of noise and drives my father crazy. It’s a great tire if you don’t mind noise or if you drive with a loud stereo on so you can’t hear it. They are excellent in the rain and snow and grip rather nicely on dry roads.
Joe,
Be careful. My Firehawk GT’s cupped after 15,000 miles.
Good Luck.
@Chad
Get them installed from a shop that actually knows how to balance tires.
I put these tires on my 2007 Camery. After about 5000 miles the became very loud. I have neve had a set ties that have been this loud on a car.As of right now the tires have about 20,000 miles on them and my 2007 Camery is louder then a semi truck going down the road. The tire does provie good traction but the road noise is just plain unacceptable. I cannot wait to get these ties off my car. I keep bringing the tires back to the tire dealer that I bought the tires at and they claim they have not been rotated enough. I am convinces that I could rotate these tires everyday and they would still be loud.
i have had these tire since 2009 and about 15000 miles i hate it noisy and absoulutely no traction during snow never buy these tires
Loud Tires, I have a Volvo s-40 I think I might start with replacing the 2 front. Any suggestions for a quieter tire?
@Golf guy
Not really yet. I have some Bridgestone’s that I just bought but haven’t put them on yet.
The claims that these tires are loud and wear out fast is bull,these tires work in all weather and at high temps and speeds I.E. Vehicle pursuits the good guys use em they work great and last. I have them on my personal charger rt and my police car .Way better wet traction and high speed stability than the tires that were original equipment i wont mention the company name not bashing any manufacturers here.
my gf has these on her 05 FOCUS THEY SUCK AT ALL SPEEDS VERY LOUD AND NO I MEAN NO TRACTION EVEN A INCH OF SNOW..SHE SPENT A LOT ON THESE TIRES NEVER AGAIN…. I DID BUY TIRES FOR MY ALERO AND WENT WITH THE FIREHAWK INDY SERIES THEY ARE AWESOME AND CHEAPER THEY ARE BETTER ALL AROUND…GO WITH THOESE TIRES
@Eric
I agree they handle very, very well in all weather especially rain. I don’t know what it is then, guess maybe just the type of car you drove.
Thanks for the good review of this tire. I have a set of the pursuit version of the tire. Like Eric says, they handle great and really take the abuse!
Have really liked the tire on my 300C AWD but the noise has become almost unbearable. 30,00 miles on them and it’s time to replace. Unfortunately, one was replaced about 10K miles ago when my mechanic forgot to retract the lift all the way and shredded on when backing out. Now I’m stuck between replacing 3 or going with 4 of something hopefully quieter!
No complaints about traction from me but then again it is a 300C with AWD and ESP. The OEM Continental tires were absolutely horrible in the traction department in all conditions and only lasted 20K so in comparison, the Firehawk GT has been outstanding! However, I am soliciting suggestions for a better and less noisy replacement.
These tires began cupping very early, and are very loud. Excellent traction in snow and inclement weather, however, the road noise from these tires have ruined my experience.
I bought them about a year ago for my Honda Accord. Didn’t use them much the first nine months and after getting a job I have rode on them 80 miles a day for the past three months. Had a front end alignment problem which cupped the tires. The noise then and now should not be coming from my tires, but it is. I think I now have 9,000 miles on them. Took my car back had a front end alignment with them switching the front to the back. They are still noisy with the noise now in the back. Firestone said to give it a few months for them to wear down. If it is anything like what I read from the above stories, it seems like I will be hearing it until I change them out! I would not recommend these tires due to the noise produced at 50 to 60 mph. I can only explain it as loud ringing.
Finally got those noisy tires off of my car and had Firestone put new Champion Tires (40K) on, what a difference! Cost me extra but will never wait 1 year for the tires to wear in. Firestone said sometimes you get a pair of bad shoes, but that is what I pay you for, not to put me in those bad shoes.
Congrats, Rich. Although these tires have gripped well for me, they are the loudest set of tires I’ve ever had. I now have 40K miles on these tires, and can’t wait to get rid of them once the tread level is below acceptable.
I bought a second set of these tires because I liked the look and feel of them. The first set had cupped and made terrible noise, so I had new shocks put on all around had a complete alignment done and after just under 6,000 miles these tires are cupping also…I am taking them back to see if Firestone can do something about it as it has to be the tire causing this or tire vehicle combo, and yes they are “loud” when they start cupping as well as they vibrate.
i just bought a used focus with these tires on it and omg i cant believe the noise they make the person before me that owned the car siad he replaced hubs all around and the brakes all around still the noise is unberable i just recently drove 1000 miles round trip drive and it was like torture. i would never recommend them , googled this to see if other people had this problem and i was right its this tire thats the problem. Never buy these they are the worse.
Worst tires I ever bought. Noisy right from day one. Was told I needed to rotate them every 5,000 miles and get an alignment every 6 months to get the maxium wear out of these. After 18 months my tires were worn so bad I had to have them replaced. Alignment and rotation every 5,000 miles just wasn’t enough. Had my last alignment and rotation the end of January and tires were worn to useless in thess than 3 months and 5,000 miles. Tire warrent 50,000 miles. These didn’t last 23,000 miles. worst tires I ever owned. Don’t buy these tires. Firstone doesn’t stand behind them and just smirk when you complain about there lack of wear, the noise and terrible ride.
I bought these tires on 6/20/2009 for a 2005 Honda Civic EX with 47,433 miles on it at the time. By about 75,000 miles the tires began to cup and the road noise has become terrible, particularly at 50 mph, although I can hear it from 30 mph up. I will have to replace these tires soon because the noise is unbearable and I have noticed decreased speed of stopping with the cupped tires. They were billed to last 50,000 miles but didn’t last 30,000. I don’t recommend them.
i got a set of these brand new for my 01 ss camaro, traction is good on dry pavement and wear is even. But i had the passenger front tire blow out due to being to hot. im not sure why but these tires seem to heat up much faster than the nexus i was using.
I have also been having concerns with my tires. The road noise is terrible, and the tires became cupped quite quickly. I’ve addressed this issue with the dealer where I purchased them and, of course, was told the problem wasn’t the manufacturer, it was my car. They proceeded to tell me it could be a number of issues with the car itself – but failed to verify the exact cause of the cupping. I called firestone and because the tread was still really good, I got 50% 4 new (different style) tires.
The tires are louder than mudder tire which I had on my truck.
I would not ever get these tires again. Bought my first pair for my ’05 Accord at 70k. 5,000 miles in they were cupping. I was told I needed an alignment, so I got one. 30,000 miles later, I had to replace all 4 tires (supposed to be 50,000 mile tires). Stupid me got the same kind figuring it was my vehicle causing the problem with the cupping. 1 week with the new set, I went back to Firestone and they couldn’t figure out why my car was shaking so badly from 30 mph up to 60 mph. Over that they seem to smooth out. 2 months later I took it back again, and they still couldn’t find anything wrong with my car. So my question to them was, “so it must be the tires, right?” Of course it wasn’t bad tires…. I’m now about 30,000 miles into these and having the same issues. Went in this week for an oil change…front end rep comes out and asks me if my car vibrates…haha. Yes, ever since I got these tires and you guys said there was nothing wrong. She tries to tell me I have bad struts. Wants to charge me $1100 to replace those. Too funny. Why can’t they just admit the tires are crap? I will never again buy any Firestone or Bridgestone tire.
I have a Set of these, and I have had nothing but Problems with them. Like everyone else the Road noise is so bad i have to turn my Radio up very loud and even sometimes i still can hear it. I’m constantly losing Air, and in my Case, i have a 50 Mile Round trip to and from Work, and it worries me a lot, being by myself. I have had them rotated a lot, but it seems about 100 Miles later i’m right back to where i started. I wouldn’t recommend these Tires to no one.