Here's my impressions of the Firehawks (known as Bridgestone RE003 in the rest of the world) after running them for about 1300km. The car they went on is a 2016 Scion FR-S. I also got some new wheels, 2 Enkei Raijin's and 2 TFR's. I like the mismatched drift car look, but the specs are the same on both sets. That means the tire size went from the stock 215/45R17 to 235/40R18. I kept the tire pressure at 35psi, just like with the stock sized tires. The reason I chose these tires was because they seemed like an excellent value. Way cheaper than the Primacy's, offer more grip, have good wet weather characteristics compared to lower treadwear performance tires, and aren't too noisy. As a bonus the tread pattern looks pretty cool and they're non-directional.
The biggest difference between the Firehawks and the old Michelins is grip. There's more of it in every situation, dry or wet. Not sure how much is down to the slightly wider tire width, but surely it must have contributed in some way. I actually didn't want that much more grip to begin with, because I still wanted to be able to slide the car around easily. Thankfully I can still do that, I just have to be a bit more aggressive about it. One thing I didn't expect was that the ride is softer despite going up to 18s. It does look like the Primacy's had more of a stretched sidewall fitment, so it's probably down to that. I don't feel a detriment in turn-in or steering sharpness so I don't mind at all.
In terms of noise, well, I've got an aftermarket exhaust, but I'm pretty sure there's a bit more rolling noise at highway speeds. Putting around town I hear no difference. If the car had a stock exhaust I'm sure there would be more of a difference to hear.
I bought the tires from blackcircles and had them installed at a local shop. Prices are good if you're in Canada, but keep on mind that if you have them shipped to your home, they'll just appear one day randomly without any shipping or tracking info. Mine where just dumped in front of my garage and was surprised at the sudden pile of tires laying around.
Overall I'm quite pleased with them for now.
The biggest difference between the Firehawks and the old Michelins is grip. There's more of it in every situation, dry or wet. Not sure how much is down to the slightly wider tire width, but surely it must have contributed in some way. I actually didn't want that much more grip to begin with, because I still wanted to be able to slide the car around easily. Thankfully I can still do that, I just have to be a bit more aggressive about it. One thing I didn't expect was that the ride is softer despite going up to 18s. It does look like the Primacy's had more of a stretched sidewall fitment, so it's probably down to that. I don't feel a detriment in turn-in or steering sharpness so I don't mind at all.
In terms of noise, well, I've got an aftermarket exhaust, but I'm pretty sure there's a bit more rolling noise at highway speeds. Putting around town I hear no difference. If the car had a stock exhaust I'm sure there would be more of a difference to hear.
I bought the tires from blackcircles and had them installed at a local shop. Prices are good if you're in Canada, but keep on mind that if you have them shipped to your home, they'll just appear one day randomly without any shipping or tracking info. Mine where just dumped in front of my garage and was surprised at the sudden pile of tires laying around.
Overall I'm quite pleased with them for now.