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Last updated 12/04/2024 - Originally published 12/04/2024
Written by SimpleTire
Most drivers of sedans, minivans, coupes, and CUVs prefer to fit their vehicles with all-season tires as these can deliver year-round performance and traction while ensuring a refined and quiet ride, long tread life, stable road manners, and more. Though fine for many, drivers of sporty sedans, sports cars, coupes, and some sporty CUVs may not agree. Such drivers try to push the envelope every now and then in a bid to test the limits of their vehicles' performance. Instead of all-season tires, customers are better off purchasing Ultra-high performance (UHP) tires. UHP-summer tires are meant to deliver sharp steering responses, decisive tractions, and highly accurate braking and cornering responses. Based on the above, the tires we wish to compare here are the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 and Nexen N Fera RU1.
During the course of this head-to-head comparison, you'll see us make frequent references to SimpleScore ratings. SimpleScore is the name of our system that enables you to get a quick glance at a tire's strengths and weaknesses by way of parameters such as longevity, handling, traction, and even an average score.
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 tires
Before we start with the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, it is important to note that UHP summer tires are built for performance, traction, and handling at temperatures above 45 degrees Fahrenheit. You can expect light and responsive steering and handling from the Firehawk Indy 500. While a special rubber compound boosts traction and performance further, extra features such as wide shoulders and an asymmetric tread pattern improve rigidity. You'll feel supremely confident on wet roads due to Firestone's innovative Pulse Groove tread design.
Though designed as a UHP summer tire, the Firehawk Indy 500 is more versatile than others in its category. Apart from the above, an innovative lightning bolt-shaped groove near the shoulder enhances the appearance of every vehicle fitted with it. Based on its features, we feel this tire suitable for an average SimpleScore of 8.1.
The Firehawk Indy 500 gets an overall average SimpleScore of 8.1, with SimpleScores of 8.7 for handling, 7.6 for longevity, and 8.0 for traction, so let's break that down a bit. The Firehawk Indy 500 is designed for steering and handling that are very light and responsive, with a high-tech rubber formulation, wide shoulders for added rigidity, and an asymmetric tread with Firestone's innovative Pulse Groove tread design that means better control and resistance to hydroplaning on wet roads. The Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 is designed as a UHP summer tire but is a bit more versatile in its performance than many tires in that category. It's also worth noting that the innovative lightning bolt-shaped groove toward the shoulder looks great on all kinds of vehicles. SimpleTire's price on the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 starts at $142.99 per tire.
Nexen N Fera RU1 tires
Nexen N Fera RU1 is built to provide a comfortable ride and a tremendous in-car experience for performance SUVs. This premium sport truck tire features an asymmetric tread pattern for superior traction and different types of grooves for ensuring drainage, preventing hydroplaning, better wet grip, and great handling performance. While silent sipes help minimize pattern noise, an in/out balanced rib provides optimum stability at high speeds. From a brand that is not very well known, this sport tire or UHP summer tire offers a plethora of features, resulting in an average SimpleScore of 7.5.
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 vs Nexen N Fera RU1 tires on traction
Let's begin the comparison by checking how these two tires stack up with respect to traction. Both have unique systems to provide great wet traction; the Firestone gets a Pulse Groove channel in its tread, and the Nexen features a 3+1 groove for better drainage and preventing hydroplaning. There are sipes, a race-inspired tread compound, and a higher tread depth on the Nexen tire to boost dry traction. As per the above, we found the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 and the Nexen N Fera RU1 to be suitable for scores of 8.5 and 8.6, respectively.
ADVANTAGE: Nexen N Fera RU1
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 vs Nexen N Fera RU1 tires on handling
Both companies have had a fair amount of experience in motorsports teams — Firestone Racing for the Firehawk Indy 500 and events such as Formula Drift and King of the Hammers for Nexen N Fera RU1. If you're looking at speed ratings, there's a pretty good difference between the two tires; Firehawk Indy 500 gets an H and the N Fera RU1 receives a Y. Though both tires can brake quickly, the optimized tread pattern and improved tread compound allow the Firehawk Indy 500 to stop up to 20% faster than its earlier generation Firestone Wide Oval Indy 500.
While the Pulse Groove Channel on the Firehawk Indy 500 improves wet handling, wider shoulders here increase tire stiffness for better cornering performance. A wider footprint also leads to better handling for the Firehawk Indy 500. On the other hand, there is a narrow outside groove for better steering stability and an in/out balanced rib for high-speed stability on the N Fera RU1. With all that on the table, it's no surprise that the Firestone and the Nexen emerge with the same handling SimpleScores of 8.7.
ADVANTAGE: Tie
Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 vs Nexen N Fera RU1 tires on longevity
Longevity is somewhat arbitrary when discussing UHP summer tires, considering that they're built for aggressive performance and not for extended tread life. However, you would be glad to know that the Firestone features a tough rubber compound and a wider footprint for minimizing wear. In comparison, the Nexen has a higher tread depth and sipes that decrease wear. While the Firestone gets a longevity score of 7.6, the Nexen is rated at 6.1.
ADVANTAGE: Firestone Firehawk Indy 500
When to use each
Before choosing one of these tires, you must ask yourself what kind of car you're driving, your expectations from the tire, and your driving style. UHP summer tires like the Firestone and Nexen aren't suitable if you aim to extract year-round performance, a long tread life, and experience a quiet, comfortable ride. Instead of considering them for family sedans, CUVs, and minivans, you should recognize the above as specialty tires for sporty cars. These tires would come into their own when used for aggressive driving, sharp cornering, short braking distances, and rapid steering responses. Don't forget, that these tires are not suitable for use when the temperature drops below 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
In terms of technology features, the Firehawy Indy 500 seems to be ahead of the N Fera RU1.
However, the N Fera RU1 seems to be ahead in terms of the total number of features. While the Firehawk Indy 500 is suitable for muscle cars, sports cars, and even compact cars and regular sedans, the N Fera RU1, with a higher speed rating, is meant for performance SUVs and sports trucks. For better wet handling and braking, the Firehawk Indy 500 is a better bet.
Which one should you choose?
Given below are the prices for the two tires in question. While the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 starts at $142.99 ($563.96 for 4), the Nexen N Fera RU1 is good from $258 ($563.88 for 4). As the price of one tire is nearly double that of the other, let's look at the reasons to choose one over the other:
Here's why you should consider the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500:
- You don't plan to drive on tracks
- You are looking for better wet handling
- You want more technology
In contrast, you can select the Nexen N Fera RU1 for the following reasons:
- You want a specialized sport truck or performance SUV tire
- You want a quieter tire
- You want better traction and more features
Still not sure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help, and our helpful agents will be more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.