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I've been running Bridgestone Potenza S007's on my OEM 19" wheels for about 15k miles. They perform very well as long as you avoid the snow. In fact the tires were so much better than the stockers that I posted about it a while back. Not available in a 235/45/19 but fit great in a 245/45/19. Two big thumbs up. I'd buy another set.
But I wanted something stickier for the summer and Bridgestone doesn't make the Potenza RE-71R for our OEM 19" (or the OEM 20"). Then I stumbled onto the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 in a comparison. I don't believe the Indy 500 is up to the quality of the RE-71R but they're available in a 245/45/19 (and a 245/40/20) so I decided to give it a try. The first thing I noticed was the smell. Garage smells like a tire shop. My wife hates it. I love it. It's been a week and it's not going away. The second thing I've noticed is how much more glued to the road I am once the tires have warmed up. It's been in the mid 90's so they heat up quickly. It'll be months before I have to worry about colder temps and flat spots too. Based on what I've read about tread life, they may need replacing before then. We'll have to see. Has anybody else put these tires on a GLA45?
Just rotated these yesterday. I've put about 2000 miles on them so far. Very happy with the performance but they're wearing fast up front. If you're in a relatively dry, warm weather environment like the west coast or southwest then I'd encourage you to check these tires out. Some of the better summer performance tires I've ever owned. For those of you unexcited by the Firestone brand name remember this tire is just a rebadged Bridgestone RE003.
06-19-2020, 07:47 PM
