Bridgestone refreshing Firehawk lines

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Bridgestone Americas is replacing its Firestone Firehawk Wide Oval Indy 500 and Wide Oval AS lines with the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 ultra-high-performance and Firehawk AS all-season high-performance lines.

Bridgestone describes the new Firehawk designs as “consumer tire extensions” of the Firehawk race tires used in the Verizon IndyCar Series.

“Racing is an integral part of the Firestone brand's heritage and the ultimate proof point for our tire technology,” said Philip Dobbs, chief marketing officer, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations.

The Firehawk Indy 500 summer UHP tire offers a new tread compound and wide shoulder blocks for enhanced cornering and handling in dry conditions. It also includes “Pulse Groove” technology for improved hydroplaning resistance and 20 percent shorter stopping distance in the wet, Bridgestone said.

The Firehawk AS is tuned for grip in wet, dry and even moderate snowy conditions, Bridgestone said, with additional water evacuation channels to reduce the risk of hydroplaning.

Firestone resurrected the Wide Oval name for the Firestone performance line in 2004, evoking the competitive spirit of the original tire line from the 1960s.

The original Wide Oval was the industry's first low-profile, bias-ply performance tire, Bridgestone said at that time, incorporating design features of Firestone's Indy 500 race-tire technology and fitted as OE on the Chevrolet Corvette of that era.

The Firehawk Indy 500 tire is available in 48 sizes in 16- to 20-inch rim diameters, while the Firehawk AS tire is available in 30 sizes in 15- to 20-inch rim diameters.

Bridgestone is offering a 50,000-mile limited treadwear warranty on H- and V-speed-rated versions of the Firehawk AS and a 40,000-mile warranty on W-speed-rated versions.