General GMax-RS vs Firestone Firehawk Indy 500.

[Dave TBG]

I mentioned this in another thread but i think it might be worthy of a thread of it's own. I'd originally planned to put a set of Indy 500s, 285/35-19 on my new 19x10's. I think they were ~$175 when I looked at them in the fall. I went on tirerack to order them yesterday and was shocked to see they'd gone up $60. I decided to review my options and, while comparing specs, I noticed that they were heavier than some others at 30 lbs. From tirerack's ratings and reviews, it looks like the nearest competitor is the GMax-RS. A little shopping around has turned up almost identical pricing on these two tires within a half mile of me. Tirerack's ratings and reviews are a fantastic resource, but so is this forum. Does anyone here have experience with both of these tires? My use is daily/commuter only, with a nice little stretch of twisties on the way home. My current wheels will be my winter setup. Car details are in my signature.

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[Dave TBG]

Baby needs a new pair of shoes...

 

[spaz mk will]

I too looked at these both and ended up with the Falken FK510, same size etc. They were 209 per at the time of purchase earlier this month, made the choice even easier. Of the three, Indys are a little older design that test behind in wet performance. For your use case though, any of the three in this category should do everything you want; you can probably purchase based on price and you’ll be happy. My use is similar but also includes autocross, where I just wanted a “real” tire to learn on vs OEM A/S.

A few other of my thoughts and photos a few posts earlier - https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/th...termarket-wheels-and-tires.15709/post-3192122

 

[WildHorse]

Indy for the win. And despite those BMW drivers writing the reviews, wet traction is very, very good. Dry traction, other than hard straight line acceleration from the dig, is fricken fantastic.

 

[NTXChris]

Don't write the Indy 500 off because of Tire Rack's price. I was looking at them the other day, and my local Firestone store had them listed for something like $30 less.

I usually have Tire Rack ship to my local Firestone to install, and I've had no issues with their tire installation (about all I let them do).

Check your local store first, the Indys are some of the best tires at their price point.

 

[rcald]

Just purchased a second set of the Indy 500's for my wife's 2015 Land Rover Discovery HSE LUX after 25k miles. They are super sticky especially in the summer rain here South Fl and handle very well. Once my 20 Bullitt is ready for new set of tires, I'll have to decide to stay with the stock Michelin's or go with the 500's and save a boatload of money. My driving is all daily regular city/hwy no track but spirited, not sure if the difference in cost is justified.

 

[Dave TBG]

I too looked at these both and ended up with the Falken FK510, same size etc. They were 209 per at the time of purchase earlier this month, made the choice even easier. Of the three, Indys are a little older design that test behind in wet performance. For your use case though, any of the three in this category should do everything you want; you can probably purchase based on price and you’ll be happy. My use is similar but also includes autocross, where I just wanted a “real” tire to learn on vs OEM A/S.

A few other of my thoughts and photos a few posts earlier - https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/th...termarket-wheels-and-tires.15709/post-3192122

I did notice the Falkens, they do seem to be a possible third choice but I've found better prices on the other two so my goal is to pick from those two choices.

 

[Dave TBG]

Don't write the Indy 500 off because of Tire Rack's price. I was looking at them the other day, and my local Firestone store had them listed for something like $30 less.

I usually have Tire Rack ship to my local Firestone to install, and I've had no issues with their tire installation (about all I let them do).

Check your local store first, the Indys are some of the best tires at their price point.

My Firestone dealer has them for $190, not far from the $170 they were 6 months ago and a whole lot better than tirerack's current $242.
The Mavis across the street from there has the Generals for $208 with a $70 rebate on a set. The prices work out within a buck or so and the reviews are pretty equal. The biggest difference is the weight, 30lbs vs 27 lbs, if all else is really equal I'll save the 3 lbs. I'm just hoping to find someone who has tried them both for a first hand comparison.

 

[schmeky]

I have been more than satisfied with my Indy 500's. I can only compare them to the stock Pirelli's that came on my 2018 GT Premium.

I would buy them again w/o hesitation. Indy 500's are really rebadged Bridgestone RE033's.

 

[shogun32]

you really should look at TR''s spider charts. The Indy's wet performance is downright pathetic. I would pick the General or FKS510.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/spiderChart.jsp?ttid=247
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/spiderChart.jsp?ttid=235

 

[spectreman]

I mentioned to someone earlier that my Firehawks got very loud after 10k miles. I enjoyed their overall performance but that tire drone got to me so much that I couldn't wait to swap them out.

Re: General- they are a subdivision of Michelin and are known for making really good tires at far more reasonable prices to the Mich. Performance may drop a bit from the Mich but when my Bullitt is due for replacements, I'm going to give the General Gmax AS-05 tires a shot.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...utoModel=Mustang Fastback&autoModClar=Bullitt

 

[shogun32]

I'm going to give the General Gmax AS-05 tires a shot.

I have a set on my F150 and they work quite well. I can't hustle the truck as fast as the GT thru some of my test corners but they behave nicely.

 

[Roadway 5.0]

I’m considering the Generals for my next set...my MPS4S have to be the loudest tires I’ve had (granted, I have 305s) — pricey too

 

[NTXChris]

I ran a few sets of the AS-05 on my previous BMW 335i, and was very pleased with them. Great traction for an all season tire, and excellent treadwear for the performance level. They also remained quiet throughout their tread life, which was shorter than the warranty period but that was due to my driving style, not faults with the tire.

 

[WildHorse]

So Firestone go up in price and generals are the new flavor if the week ? BTW.. On the 1 MILLION Ford GT I seen at the dealership today.... Off the shelf anyone can buy Pirelli P-Zero.

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