87
/ 100
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
88/100
18 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
Head-to-head
Updated September 2026
Firestone Firehawk AS vs General G Max AS 05 — Compared (September 2026)
Our Relative Score blends 60% objective test data with 40% owner-review signal — so any two tires can be compared even if they were never tested on the same day.
VS
84
/ 100
Objective (60%)
73/100
1 professional test
User signal (40%)
83/100
128 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
VerdictWinner: Firestone Firehawk AS — better snow, treadwear and dry. Pick the General G Max AS 05 if handling matters most to you.
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Category breakdown
7 categories, side by side
Each bar is the Relative Score for that category. Expand a tile to see the test results and owner ratings behind it.
Dry
Score (0–100)
Firehawk AS leads by 6
Why this score
| Source | Firehawk AS | G Max AS 05 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | – | 86 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 75 | 80 |
| America's Tire owners | – | 96 |
Wet
Score (0–100)
Firehawk AS leads by 1
Why this score
| Source | Firehawk AS | G Max AS 05 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | – | 87 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 50 | 71 |
| America's Tire owners | – | 90 |
Snow
Score (0–100)
Firehawk AS leads by 12
Why this score
| Source | Firehawk AS | G Max AS 05 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 45 | 53 |
Comfort
Score (0–100)
Firehawk AS leads by 3
Why this score
| Source | Firehawk AS | G Max AS 05 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | – | 96 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 75 | 76 |
| America's Tire owners | – | 92 |
Noise
Score (0–100)
Firehawk AS leads by 1
Why this score
| Source | Firehawk AS | G Max AS 05 |
|---|---|---|
| America's Tire owners | – | 90 |
Treadwear
Score (0–100)
Firehawk AS leads by 8
Why this score
| Source | Firehawk AS | G Max AS 05 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 75 | 81 |
| America's Tire owners | – | 89 |
Handling
Score (0–100)
G Max AS 05 leads by 14
Why this score
| Source | Firehawk AS | G Max AS 05 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 70 | 80 |
| America's Tire owners | – | 94 |
Scores at a glance
| Category | Firestone Firehawk AS | General G Max AS 05 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 87 | 84 |
| Dry | 94 | 88 |
| Wet | 87 | 86 |
| Snow | 79 | 67 |
| Comfort | 94 | 91 |
| Noise | 90 | 89 |
| Treadwear | 92 | 84 |
| Handling | 70 | 84 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
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Recomputed
Headline score
87
/ 100
Tire A
84
/ 100
Tire B
From owners
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews across retailers and review sites — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
The Firestone FireHawk AS is generally regarded as a high-value, sporty all-season tire that offers impressive dry grip and handling characteristics. While many users praise its longevity and aesthetic appeal, there is a notable divide regarding its wet-weather performance, with some users reporting significant concerns regarding hydroplaning.
Pros
- Exceptional tread life and durability
- Strong dry traction and cornering stability
- Attractive aesthetic design
- High value-to-price ratio
- Responsive steering feedback and sidewall stiffness
Cons
- Significant concerns regarding hydroplaning in heavy rain
- Potential for tread cracking after extended high-mileage use
- Availability issues at local retail outlets
Observations
- Owners of RWD performance vehicles like the Ford Mustang and Infiniti G35 report high satisfaction with cornering and handling.
- The tire demonstrates robust durability on high-torque FWD vehicles, effectively resisting belt shifting compared to other brands.
- Drivers of heavy, body-on-frame sedans appreciate the increased sidewall stiffness for improved steering feedback.
The General G-Max AS-05 is widely regarded as a high-value, performance-oriented all-season tire that competes favorably with premium brands at a lower price point. While most users praise its dry handling, steering responsiveness, and wet-weather confidence, experiences regarding ride comfort and tread longevity are polarized, with some users reporting exceptional mileage and others experiencing premature wear.
Pros
- Excellent price-to-performance ratio compared to premium competitors like Michelin and Continental.
- Sharp, responsive steering feel and high levels of dry grip.
- Strong wet-weather traction and hydroplaning resistance.
- Attractive aesthetic and inclusion of a rim protection bead.
- Generally quiet and smooth ride quality for most daily driving applications.
Cons
- Inconsistent tread life, with some users reporting premature wear or exposure of cords well before the warranty mileage.
- Increased road noise reported by some users as the tread wears down.
- Stiff ride characteristics that can feel harsh on certain vehicles or road surfaces.
- Limited performance in deep snow or icy conditions compared to dedicated winter tires.
- Occasional reports of balancing issues causing highway vibrations.
Observations
- Users transitioning from factory run-flat tires consistently report significant improvements in ride comfort and noise reduction.
- Drivers of high-performance or modified vehicles (e.g., Mustangs, BMWs, Abarths) frequently highlight the tire's sharp turn-in response and sporty handling characteristics.
- Owners of wider tire sizes noted increased susceptibility to hydroplaning in deep standing water compared to narrower fitments.
Community buzz
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Tire A
Firestone Firehawk AS
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Tire B
Positive
General G Max AS 05
Community members generally view the General G-Max AS-05 as a strong, budget-friendly alternative to premium ultra-high-performance all-season tires like the Continental DWS06 or Michelin Pilot Sport AS. Users praise its solid dry and wet grip, value for money, and capability in cold weather or light snow, though some note that its snow performance is only mediocre and tread life can vary.
r/FocusST
·54 upvotes ·2023-03-23
“18 ST on freshly refinished snowflakes and general g-max as-05 tires. Tire rack mobile install is awesome.”
r/Corvette
·21 upvotes ·2021-07-14
“Thanks to the advice of this group got four new tires General G max AS05. Huge improvement so far”
r/BoltEV
·7 upvotes ·2019-03-16
“General Tire G-MAX AS-05 I just ordered a set of General Tire G-MAX AS-05 for my Bolt. Tirerack.com says that this is an "Ultra High Performance All-Season" tire. With 28,000 miles of wear on the factory tires, I can feel it starting to hydroplane in heavy rain. I'm swapping before something worse than "starting to hydroplane" happens. And I'm looking forward to it being a lot more fun to drive. :-) General Tire G-MAX AS-05”
r/tires
·2 upvotes ·2023-11-06
“I am on my second set of GMAX AS05 tires on my '16 Miata. I got UHP A/S tires so I can drive them in colds temps and not be dead in the snow if I get caught on light snow. If the AS-07 tires are at least as good as the 05s, I will likely go ahead with them. I only get about 15k max out of a set of tires so I would be stuck with them for 2-3 years. The other one I am considering is the Conti DWS06+.”
Top themes
#Value and Pricing#Wet and Dry Grip#Snow and Winter Performance#Comparison to Premium Brands#Tread Wear and Longevity
Based on 19 community posts
Specifications
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Firestone Firehawk AS | B · General G Max AS 05 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All Season High Performance tires | All Season Ultra High Performance tires |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 4 | 1 |
| Rim diameters | 15″ – 18″ | 19″ |
| Tread depth | 11/32″ | 10/32″ |
| UTQG | 480 A A | 500 A - AA A |
| Treadwear warranty | 50,000 mi | 50,000 mi |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | Black Side Wall |
| Max pressure | 44 psi | 50 - 51 psi |
Final verdict
Which one should you actually buy?
87
/ 100
Firestone
84
/ 100
General
Winner: Firestone Firehawk AS — better snow, treadwear and dry. Pick the General G Max AS 05 if handling matters most to you.
Pick tire B
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
General G Max AS 05 scores 84 vs 70 on handling.
Pick tire A
You drive through snowy winters
Firestone Firehawk AS scores 79 vs 67 on snow.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Firestone Firehawk AS scores 92 vs 84 on treadwear.
Pick tire A
You want the most grip on dry roads
Firestone Firehawk AS scores 94 vs 88 on dry.
Tire A · Firestone Firehawk AS
Tire B · General G Max AS 05
More comparisons
Also compared with
Firestone Firehawk AS also compared with
General G Max AS 05 also compared with
How do we compare tires?
Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements) normalized against the best tire in each test and weighted toward recent tests. 40% comes from thousands of owner reviews collected from retailers and review sites. When a tire has only one of the two, we use what exists and say so.
Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.