Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 vs Mickey Thompson Street Comp tires

The iconic American tire brand, Firestone, is among the oldest tire manufacturers in the world and has earned its reputation in the racing world. A part of the Japanese firm Bridgestone, Firestone rolls out tires under different categories like all-season, all-weather, all-terrain, ultra-high-performance (UHP), UHP summer, rugged terrain, mud-terrain, and winter.

On the other hand, Mickey Thompson is another American tire maker, established in 1963 by the racing legend. Most of its tire lines feature race-inspired bits that provide precise steering response and improved stability at high speeds on paved roads. Similar to Firestone, Mickey, too, has a wide portfolio of tires for passenger cars, SUVs, CUVs, and light trucks.

If you own a performance sports car or an American muscle, UHP summer tires like the Firehawk Indy 500 from Firestone and the Street Comp from Mickey Thompson make for a great option for an enthusiast who doesn’t want to spend too much on its performance thirst. While the Firehawk family of the Firestone is dedicated to tires that offer high performance with sharp steering response, the Street Comp is also the same for Mickey Thompson, what Firehawk is to Firestone.

Both are designed strictly to deliver solid performance in warmer weather conditions and should not be used in snowy conditions. The Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 focuses on returning short braking distances along with high-speed hydroplaning resistance, while the Mickey Thompson Street Comp utilizes a sticky, heat-resistant rubber compound to manage high-horsepower load under hard acceleration.

So, which one is the best? Let’s compare Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 vs Mickey Thompson Street Comp tires based on their performance in SimpleScore. It’s our in-house scoring mechanism that rates each tire’s traction, handling, and longevity on a scale of 0 to 10. Read on.

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 tires

Designed to unlock the full potential of sports cars, coupes, and muscle cars, the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 is an ultra-high-performance summer tire that features a specialized, silica-rich rubber compound and rigid, wide shoulder blocks that maximize dry grip and cornering stability.

To conquer unpredictable summer downpours, the Firestone tire utilizes proprietary Pulse Groove technology, a unique water-channeling design that optimizes water evacuation to drastically reduce hydroplaning and boost wet performance. Drawing from Firestone’s extensive racing heritage, it ensures razor-sharp steering responsiveness and enhanced handling confidence for spirited driving enthusiasts.

With an 8.2 overall SimpleScore, the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 assures consistent grip, handling, traction, braking, and durability on tracks and streets alike.

Get Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 tires at the best deals for your vehicle here

Mickey Thompson Street Comp tires

Launched in 2012, the Mickey Thompson Street Comp is a UHP summer tire purpose-built for modern muscle cars. The UHP tire features a lightweight construction that improves acceleration and shortens braking distances, while its asymmetric tread design utilizes a high-silica compound and large outer shoulder blocks to deliver fantastic dry and wet traction alongside enhanced cornering stability.

Designed to provide crisp steering responsiveness and confident handling at high speeds, the Mickey Thompson tire ensures superb driver control. Despite its aggressive performance capabilities, the Street Comp is optimized for a relatively comfortable and quiet ride, making it an excellent choice for both spirited track driving and everyday highway cruising with consistent tread wear.

Boasting a solid 8.4 overall score, the Mickey Thompson Street Comp returns great grip, traction, and handling, along with a decent tread life.

Get Mickey Thompson Street Comp tires at the best deals for your vehicle here

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 vs Mickey Thompson Street Comp tires on traction

For faster acceleration and quicker braking, you need the tire to hold the ground well. Both the performance tires offer good grip and traction, but one scores better and wins the opening round.

Scoring an 8.1 in traction, the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 delivers effective grip and optimum adhesion to warm asphalt. Thanks to its silica-rich rubber compound and wide footprint, the Firestone tire returns improved dry traction, while the Pulse Groove technology improves wet performance as it evacuates water quickly from the surface to reduce the risk of hydroplaning.

On the other hand, the Mickey Thompson Street Comp is straight off the mark with a great 8.5 in traction. It delivers solid street traction by utilizing a specialized, high-silica summer compound that maximizes adhesion on warm asphalt. Its asymmetric tread pattern utilizes wide circumferential grooves to rapidly channel water away from the contact patch to mitigate the risk of hydroplaning.

With better grip and traction, the Mickey Thompson Street Comp wins the first round comfortably.

ADVANTAGE: Mickey Thompson Street Comp

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 vs Mickey Thompson Street Comp tires on handling

UHP tires are preferred for their superior handling and control, and their quick lane-changing ability. The Firestone and Mickey Thompson tires offer fantastic steering response and stability. Both hold their nerves till the end, let’s see who has better steering precision.

Boasting a great 8.8 in handling, the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 features racing-inspired architecture, which reflects in its accurate steering response and immediate feedback. It features high-rigidity, massive outer shoulder blocks that resist deformation under extreme lateral forces, keeping the tread flat against the road during hard cornering. The reinforced internal construction and stiff sidewalls further aid in returning high-speed stability.

Contrarily, the Mickey Thompson Street Comp, too, is right on its trail, securing the same 8.8 in handling. Featuring a twin, continuous center rib that provides proactive steering response, improved stability, and superb control in different driving conditions, including dry and wet. Additionally, the lightweight construction and asymmetric tread pattern further ensure correct steering response, improved cornering, and better controllability at high speeds.

The competition is neck-and-neck as neither bogs down, ending the handling tussle in a tie.

ADVANTAGE: Tie

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 vs Mickey Thompson Street Comp tires on longevity

You don’t expect UHP summer tires to last long, as they are subjected to extreme acceleration and rapid steering movements. Punishing use takes its toll on the tire, drastically reducing its life. The Firehawk and Street Comp offer adequate durability and tread life, in line with other UHP summer tires.

As a UHP summer tire, the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 prioritizes grip over mileage, which reflects in its modest 8.0 longevity SimpleScore. The advanced rubber compound is formulated to resist heat buildup and shoulder chipping during spirited driving, promoting uniform treadwear across its lifespan. The softer rubber compound grips the surface well, but at the same time, it wears faster, leading to a limited service life.

Achieving an 8.0 longevity score, the Mickey Thompson Street Comp balances high-performance grip with consistent, uniform wearability. The advanced tread architecture of the Mickey distributes pressure evenly across the contact patch, preventing irregular wear. The lightweight construction and high-strength sidewall design ensure that tire integrity is maintained even during hard cornering.

On the longevity front, too, both tires lock horns and end it in a tie.

ADVANTAGE: Tie

When to use each

UHP summer tires are designed to deliver superior grip, traction, and handling on dry and wet roads in warmer conditions. These tires do not perform in mild wintry conditions as they lack the necessary sipes to provide extra biting edges and an advanced rubber compound to maintain flexibility in snow.

You can pick the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 if you want a UHP summer tire that offers superb handling, great traction, and decent tread life, while buyers wanting an affordable alternative with lesser stability and handling can pick the Mickey Thompson Street Comp. The former is more track-oriented, while the latter is more into refined ride quality.

Which one should you choose?

To sum it up, the Mickey Thompson Street Comp wins the battle 1-0 and turns out to be the better tire of the two. However, do keep in mind your priorities, needs, and driving habits to make a well-informed decision. With their traction, handling, and longevity scores being competitive, it seems these are equally matched tires, and you can’t go wrong with either.

Let’s also check out the price of these tires to know which one makes more sense. For the 285/35R19 99Y tire size, the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 tire costs around $320, which brings the price of four such tires to about $1280. On the other hand, the price of each Mickey Thompson Street Comp is $337, which means four such tires would cost you approximately $1348 (a difference of $68).

Based on SimpleScore, you should buy the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 if you:

• Drive vehicles like the Dodge Challenger, Audi S4, or the Ford Mustang
• Prefer a set of UHP summer tires that’s more affordable overall

On the other hand, you may consider buying the Mickey Thompson Street Comp if you:

• Drive vehicles like the Dodge Charger, Chevrolet Corvette, and Audi S3
• Want improved grip and traction (8.5 vs 8.1)
• Need a capable UHP summer tire for strong track performance
• Are ready to pay more for a more track-focused tire

Still not sure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help, as our helpful agents are more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.