63
/ 100
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
56/100
2 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
Head-to-head
Updated May 2026
Firestone firehawk S790 vs Kumho Solus KH17 — Compared (May 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
70
/ 100
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
70/100
56 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
VerdictWinner: Kumho Solus KH17 — better comfort, dry and wet. Pick the Firestone firehawk S790 if handling matters most to you.
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Category breakdown
5 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)
Solus KH17 leads by 11
Why this score
| Source | firehawk S790 | Solus KH17 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 65 | 76 |
Wet
Score (0–100)
Solus KH17 leads by 5
Why this score
| Source | firehawk S790 | Solus KH17 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 65 | 70 |
Comfort
Score (0–100)
Solus KH17 leads by 25
Why this score
| Source | firehawk S790 | Solus KH17 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 45 | 70 |
Treadwear
Score (0–100)
Solus KH17 leads by 2
Why this score
| Source | firehawk S790 | Solus KH17 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 65 | 67 |
Handling
Score (0–100)
firehawk S790 leads by 6
Why this score
| Source | firehawk S790 | Solus KH17 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 75 | 69 |
Scores at a glance
| Category | Firestone firehawk S790 | Kumho Solus KH17 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 63 | 70 |
| Dry | 65 | 76 |
| Wet | 65 | 70 |
| Comfort | 45 | 70 |
| Treadwear | 65 | 67 |
| Handling | 75 | 69 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
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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
63
/ 100
Tire A
70
/ 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 S790 receives a poor reception from users, primarily due to significant issues with directional stability and handling predictability. While the tire demonstrates adequate grip levels, the driving experience is described as exhausting due to constant steering corrections required to maintain a straight path.
Pros
- Progressive breakaway characteristics when grip is lost
- Adequate overall dry grip levels
Cons
- Poor directional stability and tracking
- High driver fatigue due to constant steering corrections
- Lack of ride comfort despite the profile specification
Observations
- Users transitioning from premium performance tires like Pirelli report a significant degradation in vehicle stability and handling composure.
The Kumho Solus KH17 is widely regarded as a budget-friendly, high-value tire that performs reliably for daily commuting and highway driving. While many users praise its dry grip and cost-effectiveness, consensus is polarized by inconsistent tread wear and reports of premature degradation, particularly when fitted as original equipment on specific compact vehicles.
Pros
- Excellent value for money compared to premium brands
- Strong dry weather traction and road feedback
- Generally quiet and comfortable ride quality
- Predictable handling characteristics for normal driving
Cons
- Inconsistent tread life with reports of premature wear
- Mixed performance in wet conditions
- Susceptibility to sidewall bubbles and structural issues
- Increased road noise as the tread wears down
Observations
- Owners of Hyundai i10 and i20 models frequently report significantly lower-than-average tread life and rapid wear compared to users of other vehicle makes.
- Drivers of larger or heavier vehicles often report better satisfaction with longevity and stability than those using the tire on smaller city cars.
- Some users noted that the tire's noise profile changes significantly, becoming more audible at city speeds (40-80 km/h) while remaining quiet at highway velocities.
Specifications
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Firestone firehawk S790 | B · Kumho Solus KH17 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer High Performance tires | Summer Touring tires |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
Final verdict
Which one should you actually buy?
63
/ 100
Firestone
70
/ 100
Kumho
Winner: Kumho Solus KH17 — better comfort, dry and wet. Pick the Firestone firehawk S790 if handling matters most to you.
Pick tire B
You want the most comfortable ride
Kumho Solus KH17 scores 70 vs 45 on comfort.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Kumho Solus KH17 scores 76 vs 65 on dry.
Pick tire A
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Firestone firehawk S790 scores 75 vs 69 on handling.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Kumho Solus KH17 scores 70 vs 65 on wet.
Tire A · Firestone firehawk S790
Tire B · Kumho Solus KH17
More comparisons
Also compared with
Firestone firehawk S790 also compared with
Kumho Solus KH17 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.