GSman

iTrader: (2)

It looks like the Firehawk SZ50 EP by Firestone got very good all around survey marks and I wanted to know if anyone has any experience with these tires? If you can get over the Firestone name the survey says it is a very good tire. Any comments?

RealMarty

Sorry, can't get over the Firestone name. They've put too many POS tires on the road with their name on it over the years.

There are too many good tires and tire companies out there to bother with a company that will put the kind of tire on the road that they will -- and do it with a straight face.

This may be a great tire but I'll spend my money elsewhere.

Johnny Mo

I can't get over the Firestone name either. I'll stick with my Pirelli's. Makers of the more exotic vehicles in the world can't afford to be wrong (Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche)

SCV8

If you look at what company owns Firestone,it's Bridgstone,the company that's currently making the best F1 tires.There are no"Firestone" tires anymore;everything that's sold in their stores is developed by Bridgestone.
Every Pirelli I've owned has de-laminated eventually,and we even had to throw a new set away once on a brand new BMW that wouldn't hook-up in the wet.
Could just be circumstance,but I doubt it.
The cheap new cars(Exploder SUV)get the cheap tires,and when under-inflated,any tires will tend to heat up and fall apart.
The SZ50 is an awsome tire for the money,but the new s03 has come out,driving the price of the s02 down quite a bit,and these two(SZ50,s02) would be my pick for replacements on my car.I now have Dunlops,and they're pretty noisy,they came on the car when I bought it.
Look for specials at places like the Tire Rack.
I once had a Firestone bicycle and it sucked though.

RushGS

I think the Bridgestone S-02 and S-03 are made in Japan. Not sure about the Firehawk SZ50. I love my S-02s, but I heard the RE730 are pretty good too.

RealMarty

I'm not a big fan of Bridgestone's either. Never have been.

And since I don't drive an F1 car it doesn't matter to me that they put the shoes on F1 winners. Just because they CAN make a competitive tire doesn't mean they DO make good consumer tires or that they are a good corporate citizen.

Granted, in the final analysis, the S-02 and 03 may be great tires. But look at the POS 030 Potenzas that come on the GS4s.

I just choose not to purchase Firestone or Bridgestone products.

BezerkeleyLex

Like you, I was concerned about the Firestone name and record, but after reading the reviews at TireRack, and the fact they come with a 30 day no risk money back guarantee, I bought a set. They replace the original 215/60-16 Bridgestone Turanza ER30s that came on my 2001 GS300 (less than 1000 mi of use). The 225/55-16 SZ50 EPs are terrific so far. Great stick on dry surfaces, quick turn in, but soft and quiet most of the time. On the highway they are much better touring tires than the Turanzas and really pushed in the twisties they never hinted at breaking away. Haven't tried them in the wet yet, but the other reviewers rated wet handling almost equal to dry.

If you think these tires might fit your needs, try them. You've got 30 days to change your mind. Not a bad deal.

Mr Johnson

I had a set on my Firehawk and they were awesome. Really good in the wet, really good in the dry and not very loud. They won't do squat in the snow but hey, either you don't need to worry about snow or you can always get snow tires.

Take the advice of folks with first-hand experience, weed out the opinions stated as "fact" and if need be use the money-back offer.

Good luck,

Peter