Firestone Firehawk AS Review
For anyone looking to add a little extra driving dynamics into their vehicle without spending a lot, the Firestone Firehawk AS is an attractive high-performance all-season option.
PROS
- Good tread life for the money
- Solid handling dynamics
- Impressive wet weather grip
CONS
- They get louder with age
- Not as sporty as some rivals
It’s important to remember that Firestone is in some respects a budget-focused brand, so when evaluating a tire like this it’s critical to note that it makes some compromises in outright performance. However, you do also pay less overall.
Developed for everything from sports cars to crossovers, the Firehawk AS delivers improved grip over most all-season or touring tires, giving your vehicle better handling and braking performance, as well as increased steering feel and responsiveness.
It does this thanks to a grippier tread surface as well as a tread construction that has unique and purpose-built features.
In terms of handling response, the center tread rib, while slotted on either side, is fully connected around the length of the tire. This gives a stable ride at speed and also offers good initial turn-in response. The outside shoulder blocks are also fully connected and offer plenty of surface area, increasing the tire’s contact patch while withstanding lateral forces very well. Even the next tread row in is connected, further reinforcing the grip this tire has and delivering predictable handling at the same time.
The tire’s rubber compound gets a 480 UTQG rating meaning its quite soft. This also helps with grip, although, surprisingly, tread life isn’t impacted too much. While there are some user reviews online complaining about premature wear, for every one of them there’s another happy customer seeing 10,000 miles or more beyond the factory warranty.
Another benefit of these tires is excellent wet weather grip. The four circumferential grooves do their part to easily evacuate water and prevent hydroplaning in most situations. The silica-enhanced tread helps in this area, while full-depth grooves and sipes mean the tire maintains this level of traction over the life of the tire. (This tire’s predecessor didn’t do this and suffered from a real drop-off in wet weather grip once worn).
With plenty of edges and sipes, the Firehawk AS offers 20% more biting edges for improved grip in snow. Regardless, we’d still recommend proper winer tires.
If there’s any real drawback to these tires, it’s noise. While comfort is very good, noise levels increase quite a lot once the tires get into the bottom 25 percent of their tread wear and noise is a common complaint amongst owners.
Is the Firestone Firehawk AS Any Good?
Overall, the Firehawk AS is quite impressive, especially for the price. It provides a high level of grip and driving dynamics at an affordable price point. It comes with a decent tread life and it delivers on wet weather grip too!
Who Should Buy These Tires?
We’d recommend this tire to anyone looking to improve driving dynamics in their vehicle by upgrading away from a conventional all-season tire to something with more grip, but without spending a lot of extra money. There are alternatives from brands like Michelin of Bridgestone that offer higher performance, but these deliver excellent value for the money.
Firestone Firehawk AS Price
Pricing for the Firestone Firehawk AS ranges broadly from around $120 per tire for the smaller 15-inch sizes and gong up to $230 for the largest 20-inch sizes.
Firestone Firehawk AS Warranty
Firestone backs the Firehawk AS with a mileage warranty that varies depending on the speed rating of the tire. Both H- and V-Speed rated tires are built to last roughly 50,000 miles while W-speed rated tires come with a 40,000 mile warranty.
In addition, Firestone backs this tire with its 90-Day Buy and Try Guarantee. If you’re not completely satisfied with the tires hey can be returned in that first 90 days for a complete refund or exchange.
Firestone Firehawk AS Sizes
15-inch sizes
185/55R15
195/55R15
195/60R15
195/65R15
205/65R15
16-inch sizes
195/50R16
195/55R16
205/55R16
205/60R16
215/55R16
215/60R16
215/65R16
225/60R16
17-inch sizes
205/50R17
215/45R17
215/50R17
215/55R17
215/60R17
215/65R17
225/45R17
225/50R17
225/55R17
225/60R17
235/45R17
235/50R17
235/55R17
245/45R17
18-inch sizes
215/55R18
225/45R18
225/50R18
225/60R18
235/40R18
235/40R18
235/45R18
235/50R18
235/55R18
245/40R18
245/45R18
19-inch sizes
245/40R19
245/50R19
20-inch sizes
245/45R20
275/40R20
Is the Firestone Firehawk AS Good in Snow?
Like most all-season tires, the Firehawk AS isn’t a great winter option. It has some added siping and extra tread edges for grip, though it generally hardens up quickly when the temperature drops and loses grip. We’d recommend proper winter tires if you live somewhere with snow.