Firestone Firehawk tires - what is your experience

Seldom rains here. I like Yoko AVS/ES-100s on the rear of both cars (AVS/db2s on the front). Good dry traction, nice control into and out of a drift. Quieter than either AVS/Sport or Goodyear EMTs. OK wear (tread is heavy on silica). C4 tires are at 18K miles with over 4/32 remaining to wear bars. Both cars skittish on damp pavement. Rear of C4 hydroplanes @ about 35mph--well before the front (ugly!).

Keep in mind that Tirerack's ratings are biased toward sport sedan behavior.

-- PJ

On or about Mon, 11 Sep 2006 21:11:20 -0400, "Dick Snyder" wrote or did cause to be written:

I got about 35K out of my Firehawks on an '85. Are you sure you don't have a rear alignment problem? Or maybe you just are a little more "spirited" than I, though nothing beats that little chirp at shift change to indicate your displeasure when passing someone going slow in the fast lane. :)

I have bought from Tirerack before and was always very pleased with the result.

Dale

Dick Snyder, wrote the following at or about 9/11/2006 8:11 PM:

Hmmmm, guess I'll side with the driver who suggests that you might be a bit more spirited than you let on or have a rear alignment problem.

I have ~ 12,000 mi on my Firehawks and they look barely used. One of the reasons I bought them was the great reviews they were getting along with claims of tire life in excess of 35,000 miles.

Mine look as if they'll easily last that long.

Unfortunately -- though I've not checked of late -- Firestone discontinued that tire. The reason I know is I took a bolt right through the tread on one of my rear tires. When I went to the dealer he broke the bad news to me. No more Firehawks. Fortunately, his rep was a great little lady who moved heaven and earth and found what was thought to be the LAST NOS Firehawk in my size down in some gas station in Alabama and had it up here in a little over a week.

I really like the tires and hope that Firestone brings them back. Great grip and smooth, quiet ride.

'94 Polo Green II Convertible

I experienced the same with an 88 IROC; my Firestone Firehawks lasted about

10,000 and I do not drive hard. This has been a while, but what I learned from the experience was to pay attention to the threadwear number. For Firestone Firehawks the number is about 180 (versus about 300+ for sedan type of tires). The lower the number the less durable but more traction (in a general sense). Find the right balance for your driving style and driving time while taking into consideration the brand you are most comfortable with.

Empty3

I have them on my 93 Polo Green Vert and have had the same experience as you, except I have had to buy 2 sets of rear tires for each set of fronts.

The tire wear on both rear tires is uniform - I don't think there is an alignment problem but maybe I don't know what symptoms I should be looking for.

Huh. How would you describe your driving style?

Hard and fast. I've found some areas where I can push it kind of hard and do it regularly.