Firestone FireHawk run flats
Racer
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 309
Likes: 1
From: Apple Valley Mn
I just replaced the orignal goodyears with the firestone runflats because of what I've read about the noise factor. The goodyears only had 7000 miles on them but they were very noisey. the firestones are much quieter, and I am very happy with them. As far as I'm concerned the handling of the car is pretty much the same. The stones might be a little more grippy, but they are new and softer.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 785
Likes: 0
From: Rocky Mount NC
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 25,025
Likes: 2,716
From: Far NW 'burbs of Chicago
St. Jude Donor '13
A runflat that you can't run flat.
But you can work around that by buying their road hazard warranty at a pretty cheap price, and putting a small compressor that runs off your cig lighter, in the trunk cubby. If you get a slow leak, air it up and drive until it gets down to 18 psi, refill. Repeat as necessary til you get to the tire repair place. If it won't hold air at all, good chance it can't be repaired anyway so just drive it (50 miles/55 mph max, please).
The autocrossers I talk to say that the Michelin PS2 ZP is the best AX runflat, followed by the stock Supercars. They say the Firestones are better than the base runflats but not as good as the Supercars. But for 90% of Corvette drivers, the 'stones are a good compromise.
Moderator
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 39,161
Likes: 18,003
From: DFW Area TX
.............---------- Front ------------ ..... ---------- Rear -------------
............ Section Width ... Tread Width ..... Section Width ... Tread Width
Goodyears ....... 9.8 ............. 7.7 ............. 11.4 ........... 9.2
Firestones ...... 9.4 ............. 8.2 ............. 13.5 .......... 10.4
All dimensions are based on the measured rim widths of 8.5" front, 10.0" rear.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 2,304
Likes: 4
From: foothills of Northern California
I was pleasantly surprised that my experience was the opposite. The original Z51 SC tires pulled 1.1G once on a turn I do often and were normally in the 1.05 range. the Firestones did 1.1 almost out of the box and are now routinely at 1.15G. Seat of the pants says the Firestones are softer going into the turn but the meter says they pull harder in the middle. Coming from the Goodyear F1s, I think the OP is going to be VERY pleasantly surprised.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 21,502
Likes: 465
From: Southern Utah
No. In fact, the Firestone Firehawk Wide Ovals are WIDER than the Goodyear. Per data on Tirerack:
.............---------- Front ------------ ..... ---------- Rear -------------
............ Section Width ... Tread Width ..... Section Width ... Tread Width
Goodyears ....... 9.8 ............. 7.7 ............. 11.4 ........... 9.2
Firestones ...... 9.4 ............. 8.2 ............. 13.5 .......... 10.4
All dimensions are based on the measured rim widths of 8.5" front, 10.0" rear.
.............---------- Front ------------ ..... ---------- Rear -------------
............ Section Width ... Tread Width ..... Section Width ... Tread Width
Goodyears ....... 9.8 ............. 7.7 ............. 11.4 ........... 9.2
Firestones ...... 9.4 ............. 8.2 ............. 13.5 .......... 10.4
All dimensions are based on the measured rim widths of 8.5" front, 10.0" rear.
At 13.5 inches, it would look silly on the rim.
Last edited by cclive; Apr 19, 2010 at 01:09 AM.
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Instructor
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 183
Likes: 3
From: Spartanburg South Carolina
I also just had wide ovals installed on 05,z51. Much less noise and better ride than GY f1super cars. All four, alignment,road hazard, $1070 installed! What pressures are you running on wide ovals! Tire tech said 35psi. Thanks
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 21,502
Likes: 465
From: Southern Utah
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,064
Likes: 0
From: Warwick RI
Pro
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 701
Likes: 2
From: Lewisville TX
Firestone Firehawk Wide Oval RFT - cornering experience.
People keep talking about how quiet and soft they ride. That is fine, no criticism here, but can anybody who likes taking corners fast comment on how good they grip. My GY SC gripped like crazy (when new) and I am SOOOO disappointed with the Hankooks I bought. I read lots of reviews that said Hankooks were good, but my stock C6 can slip these crappy tires with very little effort. How do firestones compare to GY in the grip department? Not just straight line, but in the corners?
**You may take my next thoughts with a grain of salt since it was my first HPDE event and no tires for comparison***
Having definitely learned cold vs warm tires with the HPDE event, once these are warmed up they grip very nicely. They are controllable at the limits and if you push them just beyond they seem to be quite controlable. The last 2 sessions of my weekend i had a few small controlled slides. Far from a giant drift but that point to where the back end isn't exactly in line with the front but your still in control of your car. I haven't ever driven my car with anything like the race/street tires like the Bridgestone Potenza RE-11 (they looked like more of a racing tire), but for a good balance of daily driving and the 3-4 times a year HPDE i think these would be a good balance.
I have heard that Texas Motor speedway does a corvette event and actually switched to these tires for that event.
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 67
Likes: 0
From: Austin TX
Love them
I put @40000 on a set of the Firestones on my 99. Still had at least 10000 left on them when I sold the car. I have 23000+ on the set on my 06. They handle great and look to have another 20000+ in them. Front driver side tire ate one of those concrete form nails at @3000 miles. Drove car at 30-35 mph for 4-5 miles at 0 pressure. I had bought the tires at Discount (matched Tire Rack's price plus $19 per tire to mount + $90 sales tax = $1150-1170). They repaired the tire for free and told me to keep an eye on it. 20000 miles later still same as other 3. 
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 8,022
Likes: 8
From: Stafford VA, home of our wolf den. No house break ins to date.
wait...... "cooler weather"......in South Carolina?................... 
Cooler weather in SC? 
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 4,974
Likes: 148
From: Magnolia Texas
My experience with the FSWO's are similar in that they are much more quiet vs. the GYF-1's but I find that they have less grip and tend to break loose alittle quicker then the F-1's. but then, since I drive like a little ole lady, they fit me very well
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 3,860
Likes: 5
From: Tampa FL
People keep talking about how quiet and soft they ride. That is fine, no criticism here, but can anybody who likes taking corners fast comment on how good they grip. My GY SC gripped like crazy (when new) and I am SOOOO disappointed with the Hankooks I bought. I read lots of reviews that said Hankooks were good, but my stock C6 can slip these crappy tires with very little effort. How do firestones compare to GY in the grip department? Not just straight line, but in the corners?
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 22,693
Likes: 1,697
From: South Carolina
