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Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 vs Nitto NT555 G2 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

Firehawk Indy 500 leads, 66–64 Narrow edge

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Tests – · 1 test Owners 64 · 1,457 reviews

Best test result: #6 of 22 in 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires (tested tread life (miles))

“Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 Tire Review After my stock rubber wore down I decided to look into other (cheaper) options for this summer. I landed on getting a set of Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 205/40/17 tires and have been on them for about a week now in both rain and dry. The TLDR of this would be buy these tires! The longer version of it is that these tires to me at least feel much more comfortable than the stock tires both in terms of ride comfort and road noise. On top of that the grip in the wet is impressive to say the least! I got a lot of rain here in Oregon so wet performance was really important to me. On the stock tires I always left my TC on and was careful going around turns especially as the tires wore down further and further. These Indy 500 just keep on gripping in the wet and I haven't had any problems at all. The first day I had them out in the dry I would have sworn my car was actually faster accelerating! Probably because there was less wheel hopping or it simply just grabbed the road better. I haven't tried a launch on them yet but hope to do some auto-crossing and such in the Spring. If you have any questions about these things fire away. Read more”

Tire BNitto

NT555 G2

Summer

Tests 65 · 2 tests Owners 61 · 411 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 22 in 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires (tested tread life (miles))

“Finally slapped on the widened steelies with 285/40/17 Nittos NT555 G2.”

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 75

    Dry

    Firehawk Indy 500 +13
    62
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk Indy 500NT555 G2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–57
    Reviews found online7868
  2. 66

    Wet

    Firehawk Indy 500 +11
    55
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk Indy 500NT555 G2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–53
    Reviews found online6558
  3. 45

    Snow

    NT555 G2 +4
    49
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk Indy 500NT555 G2
    Reviews found online2834
  4. 67

    Comfort

    NT555 G2 +1
    68
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk Indy 500NT555 G2
    Reviews found online6667
  5. 67

    Noise

    Level
    67
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk Indy 500NT555 G2
    Reviews found online6766
  6. 67

    Treadwear

    NT555 G2 +11
    78
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk Indy 500NT555 G2
    Professional tests (TWG score)7084
    Reviews found online6267
  7. 72

    Handling

    Firehawk Indy 500 +5
    67
    Why this score
    SourceFirehawk Indy 500NT555 G2
    Reviews found online7267
Scores at a glance
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 vs Nitto NT555 G2: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryFirestone Firehawk Indy 500Nitto NT555 G2
Relative Score 66 64
Dry 75 62
Wet 66 55
Snow 45 49
Comfort 67 68
Noise 67 67
Treadwear 67 78
Handling 72 67

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

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Recomputed
Headline score

Firehawk Indy 500

NT555 G2

The professional test results behind the scores

Each result is shown as % of the best tire in that test. “Same test” rows are the strictest comparison: both tires were measured side by side.

DisciplineCategoryFirehawk Indy 500NT555 G2ΔBoth?
Tested Tread Life (Miles) Other 62% #6/22 · 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires 100% #1/22 · 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires −38.5 Same test
Overall Ranking Overall 62% #9/22 · 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires 5% #21/22 · 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires +57.1 Same test

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Firehawk Indy 500

Pros

  • Exceptional value and affordability compared to premium tier brands like Michelin
  • Outstanding dry grip and confident, responsive cornering capabilities
  • Surprisingly quiet and comfortable ride quality on the highway

Cons

  • Accelerated tread wear and shorter overall lifespan
  • Poor performance and loss of traction in cold temperatures (below 40°F)
  • Vulnerability to hydroplaning or reduced traction in heavy standing water
All owner themes in the Firehawk Indy 500 review

Tire B NT555 G2

Pros

  • Aggressive, visually appealing tread pattern and sidewall design
  • Exceptional value and lower price point compared to premium brands like Michelin or Pirelli
  • Long-lasting tread life and slow wear rates for a summer performance tire

Cons

  • Poor wet-weather traction, with multiple users reporting hydroplaning and a slippery feel in the rain
  • Lack of straight-line traction and wheel spin under heavy acceleration, especially on high-horsepower RWD vehicles
  • Subpar performance in cooler temperatures or cold conditions, requiring heat to grip properly
All owner themes in the NT555 G2 review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500

Positive

Community opinion on the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 is largely positive, praising them as an affordable, high-performing summer tire with great dry grip and decent wet weather traction. While some enthusiasts note they feel slightly softer or less responsive compared to high-end tier-one options like Michelins, their value for the price makes them a popular recommendation.

r/MINI ·20 upvotes ·2025-05-02

“Firehawk Indy 500s As promised, some initial thoughts. These are extremely comfortable. They honestly made it hard to understand how fast I was going because I've come to gauge my speed based on how much I'm being jostled around. I felt almost nothing with these, and there's so much construction on my way to work from the tire place, including a road that hasn't been surfaced properly yet. Perfect testing run for comfort. In terms of performance these bite the road a lot better and it's a lot easier for me to get moving again. Granted, my run flats were almost bald and that's my most recent memory of how they performed, but it's shocking how much I can take a turn or even just accelerate without any risk of sliding or slipping. It feels like a completely different car honestly, and people aren't kidding when they say "just get better tires" on some of these posts asking about mods. It's not as sexy as a new intake, but it makes a much bigger difference. I mean I feel like I was missing out on at least half of my roadster's potential here. So yeah I definitely like them. I don't mean to insult the tire guys' ability to apply tire shine, but I need to redo that disaster when I'm home. I only have detailing spray right now.”

r/Mustang ·7 upvotes ·2025-02-13

“Will I regret buying Firestone Firehawk Indy 500s? I have a stock '21 GT Premium convertible with the black appearance package. It came with the upgraded Pirelli P Zero 255/40-19 tires, but with 35,000 miles, they are really worn, and I need new tires. I live in North Florida. We don't have a lot of cold weather (I missed the snow last month), but I do get a lot of rain. I don't track the car, and mostly drive on country roads and the interstate. The Pirelli's have treated me well as far as traction, dry and wet. I like the aggressive look of the Firehawks, but I am concerned about wet weather traction. Will the Firehawks be at least comparable to the Pirelli's for wet weather and general handling? If not, it sounds like the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 4 is the way to go. Also, the car is all black, with black rims, and the tires look wimpy. I'm not up for new rims this go-round, and I won't lower it because I like the clearance for potholes, etc., that I see a lot of in my area. I'm hoping the tires will help the look a little bit. Read more”

r/S2000 ·4 upvotes ·2025-06-04

“Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 reviews Hi all! First post here on Reddit for S2K. I have a 2002 with 80k (130 km's) that is 100% stock. I recently purchased some new tires moving from a Potenza RE-71 (rear) Potenza RE760 (front) I bought the Indy 500 Firehawk since a lot of S2K owners say they are an excellent tire, perfect for the S2K with a ton of great qualities. So far I am thinking a little bit of a mixxed bag. The tires are not as responsive as I thought and don't inspire the same level of cornering confidence. The seem a little mushy/soft and my rear end thus far doesn't seem as firmly planted as I would like. Almost kind of wobbly? Alignment is fine, tires are brand new with less than 100 miles on them and tire pressure is factory spec within 1 psi. The DOT code for the tires is late 2024 so brand new. I don't track the car and these days just baby it around town mostly so the tires use should fine for my use. Thanks! Leer más”

Top themes
#Value and Pricing#Dry and Wet Grip#Ride Comfort and Noise#Comparison to Premium Brands#Sidewall and Sizing Queries#Version 2 Updates

Based on 28 community posts

Tire B

Nitto NT555 G2

Mixed

Community opinions on the Nitto NT555 G2 are mixed, often positioning it as an affordable, good-looking tire with decent tread life that performs adequately in warm weather. However, many enthusiast drivers note that it struggles significantly with straight-line traction, wet weather grip, and cold temperatures compared to higher-end alternatives like the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S.

r/Mustang ·6 upvotes ·2022-03-30

“I have the nittos NT555 G2s on my mustang and they have lasted about 30k miles. But I wouldn't call them ultra high performance by any stretch of the word. I put firestone firehawk indy 500s, 305s on all 4 corners of my widebody scatpack and think it's a far superior tire in terms of grip, style and rain grooves for wet traction.”

r/NewedgeMustang ·5 upvotes ·2026-06-06

“Staggered tire recommendations? Title. I have 17x9 rims up front and 17x10.5 rims in the rear. Currently running 245/45R17 on the front and 275/40R17 in the rear. Ideally I’d like to keep these tire sizes. Tires all around are Nitto NT555 G2 tires, and I’m just not happy at all with the grip. They’re fine around corners, but if I even breathe on the throttle at all in 1st gear, I’m instantly spinning. It’s sketchy as fuck in the rain, too. I wanted Continental DWS06 tires, but they don’t make those in a 275/40R17 for my rear tires. I’d only be able to get the fronts. Thinking about Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 4s, but not sure. I want to be able to handle well enough around corners, handle Ohio weather no matter what it’s doing, and I wanna be able to floor it in 1st gear and get very little wheel spin. Obviously not trying to drive the car in snow, it’s still mostly gonna see nice weather and occasional rain, I usually like to store the car over the winter and drive something else. But still, Ohio is Ohio, and our weather can absolutely never make up its damn mind. So, I come asking for tire recommendations. Don’t really mind price all too much, but my car is completely stock engine wise minus the exhaust, so it’s not like I’m pushing crazy power. I “daily” this car whenever the weather is nice, so I just need a streetable all season tire that won’t lose grip instantly whenever I try having a little fun. Thanks!”

r/Autocross ·3 upvotes ·2021-06-21

“How to make the most of my nt555 g2s? Hey, I have 285 front 305 rear 20" 555 g2s on my Camaro 1LE and I'm really struggling at autocross. I find that my braking ability and front grip mid corner are aweful. I drove a friend's car on Better 200tw tire and loved out. How can I make the most of my G2? I ran 28psi last event. I'm not trying to win a class, just learning what I can. I plan on upgrading tires after I burn these but I don't want to drop 1400 on good tires until I need to since my car is not only used at Autocross. It's drag raced, autoXd, going to go to a road course, and I want to go to Canada and the tail of the Dragon lol. Yes, I know wheels/tires for the street and track Seperate would be the best idea Read more”

Top themes
#straight-line traction#wet weather performance#cold temperature grip#price and value#treadwear and longevity#comparison to michelin ps4s

Based on 24 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 B · Nitto NT555 G2
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available4764
Rim diameters16″ – 20″17″ – 22″
Tread depth9 - 10/32″10.2/32″
UTQG340 A A320 A A
SidewallBlack Side WallBlackwall
Max pressure50 - 51 psi50 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500

Nitto NT555 G2

Winner: Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 — better dry, wet and handling. Pick the Nitto NT555 G2 if treadwear and snow matter most to you.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 75 vs 62 on dry.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 66 vs 55 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Nitto NT555 G2 scores 78 vs 67 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 scores 72 vs 67 on handling.

Tire A · Firestone Firehawk Indy 500
Tire B · Nitto NT555 G2

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How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.

66

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Firehawk Indy 500

Amazon