Firestone Firehawk Sport vs Michelin Pilot Sport 5
The headline differences show up in wet grip, longevity, and overall balance. Michelin repeatedly stopped shorter in both wet and dry, cornered faster, and lasted far longer. Firestone counters with lower rolling resistance, slightly lower noise, and a much lower purchase price-translating to strong efficiency and upfront value for light-use drivers.
Test Results
Independent comparison tire tests are the best source of data to get tire information from, and the good news is there have been five tests which compare both tires directly!
| Tire | Test Wins | Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Michelin Pilot Sport 5 | five |
While it might look like the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 is better than the Firestone Firehawk Sport purely based on the higher number of test wins, tires are very complicated objects which means where one tire is better than the other can be more important in real world use.
Let's look at how the two tires compare across multiple tire test categories.
Key Strengths
- Lowest rolling resistance in tests, aiding fuel economy
- Lower external noise than PS5
- Significantly lower purchase price
- Decent dry braking/handling with stable feedback
- Consistently shorter wet and dry braking distances
- Stronger wet handling and aquaplaning safety
- Outstanding tread life and low abrasion
- Balanced, precise dynamics with strong overall value
Dry Braking
Looking at data from five tire tests, the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 was better during five dry braking tests. On average the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 stopped the vehicle in 2.5% less distance than the Firestone Firehawk Sport.
Best In Dry Braking: Michelin Pilot Sport 5
See how the Dry Braking winner was calculated >>
Dry Handling [Km/H]
Looking at data from two tire tests, the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 was better during two dry handling [km/h] tests. On average the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 was 1.66% faster around a lap than the Firestone Firehawk Sport.
Best In Dry Handling [Km/H]: Michelin Pilot Sport 5
See how the Dry Handling winner was calculated >>
Wet Braking
Looking at data from five tire tests, the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 was better during five wet braking tests. On average the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 stopped the vehicle in 8.7% less distance than the Firestone Firehawk Sport.
Best In Wet Braking: Michelin Pilot Sport 5
See how the Wet Braking winner was calculated >>
Wet Braking - Concrete
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 was better during one wet braking - concrete tests. On average the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 stopped the vehicle in 7.11% less distance than the Firestone Firehawk Sport.
Best In Wet Braking - Concrete: Michelin Pilot Sport 5
See how the Wet Braking - Concrete winner was calculated >>
Wet Handling [Km/H]
Looking at data from two tire tests, the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 was better during two wet handling [km/h] tests. On average the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 was 3.29% faster around a wet lap than the Firestone Firehawk Sport.
Best In Wet Handling [Km/H]: Michelin Pilot Sport 5
See how the Wet Handling winner was calculated >>
Wet Circle
Looking at data from two tire tests, the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 was better during two wet circle tests. On average the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 was 1.22% faster around a wet circle than the Firestone Firehawk Sport.
Best In Wet Circle: Michelin Pilot Sport 5
See how the Wet Circle winner was calculated >>
Straight Aqua
Looking at data from three tire tests, the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 was better during three straight aqua tests. On average the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 floated at a 2.72% higher speed than the Firestone Firehawk Sport.
Best In Straight Aqua: Michelin Pilot Sport 5
See how the Straight Aqua winner was calculated >>
Curved Aquaplaning
Looking at data from three tire tests, the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 was better during three curved aquaplaning tests. On average the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 slipped out at a 9.45% higher speed than the Firestone Firehawk Sport.
Best In Curved Aquaplaning: Michelin Pilot Sport 5
See how the Curved Aquaplaning winner was calculated >>
Subj. Comfort
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 was better during one subj. comfort tests. On average the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 scored 14% more points than the Firestone Firehawk Sport.
Best In Subj. Comfort: Michelin Pilot Sport 5
See how the Subj. Comfort winner was calculated >>
Noise
Looking at data from three tire tests, the Firestone Firehawk Sport was better during three noise tests. On average the Firestone Firehawk Sport measured 1.29% quieter than the Michelin Pilot Sport 5.
Best In Noise: Firestone Firehawk Sport
See how the Noise winner was calculated >>
Wear
Looking at data from two tire tests, the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 was better during two wear tests. On average the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 is predicted to cover 41.64% miles before reaching 1.6mm than the Firestone Firehawk Sport.
Best In Wear: Michelin Pilot Sport 5
See how the Wear winner was calculated >>
Value
Looking at data from two tire tests, the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 was better during two value tests. On average the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 proved to have a 21.72% better value based on price/1000km than the Firestone Firehawk Sport.
Best In Value: Michelin Pilot Sport 5
See how the Value winner was calculated >>
Price
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Firestone Firehawk Sport was better during one price tests. On average the Firestone Firehawk Sport cost 27% less than the Michelin Pilot Sport 5.
Best In Price: Firestone Firehawk Sport
See how the Price winner was calculated >>
Rolling Resistance
Looking at data from two tire tests, the Firestone Firehawk Sport was better during two rolling resistance tests. On average the Firestone Firehawk Sport had a 16.4% lower rolling resistance than the Michelin Pilot Sport 5.
Best In Rolling Resistance: Firestone Firehawk Sport
See how the Rolling Resistance winner was calculated >>
Fuel Consumption
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Firestone Firehawk Sport was better during one fuel consumption tests. On average the Firestone Firehawk Sport used 1.79% less fuel than the Michelin Pilot Sport 5.
Best In Fuel Consumption: Firestone Firehawk Sport
See how the Fuel Consumption winner was calculated >>
Abrasion
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 was better during one abrasion tests. On average the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 emitted 30.83% less particle wear matter than the Firestone Firehawk Sport.
Best In Abrasion: Michelin Pilot Sport 5
See how the Abrasion winner was calculated >>
Real World Driver Reviews
Tire Reviews also collects real world driver reviews for the Firestone Firehawk Sport and Michelin Pilot Sport 5.
In total the Firestone Firehawk Sport has been reviewed 6 times and drivers have given the tire 76% overall.
The Michelin Pilot Sport 5 has been reviewed 101 times and drivers have given the tire 85% overall.
This means in real world driving, people prefer the Michelin Pilot Sport 5.
Conclusion
Firestone's Firehawk Sport makes sense for budget-conscious buyers prioritizing quietness, fuel efficiency, and acceptable dry manners. But its weaker wet grip and shorter tread life cap its appeal. If you drive in varied weather, value safety margins, or keep tires for several seasons, choose the PS5. If you want lower upfront cost and efficiency for mainly dry, urban use, the Firehawk Sport can fit the brief.
Key Differences
- Overall ranking: PS5 wins all four shared tests (1/21, 3/18, 2/52, 3/13) vs. Firehawk (20/21, 7/18, 15/52, 9/13)
- Wet braking gap is meaningful: often 7-11% shorter for PS5 (e.g., 48.7m vs. 43.2m; 31.1m vs. 27.7m)
- Aquaplaning safety: PS5 leads in straight and curved tests across multiple rounds
- Longevity: PS5 ~52-56k km vs. Firehawk ~29-35k km (≈60-80% advantage)
- Economy/noise: Firehawk has lower rolling resistance (≈15-18% better) and slightly less noise
- Value over life: Despite higher price, PS5's cost per 1,000 km is lower in tests
Overall Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport 5
Based on the tire test data and user reviews we have in our database, the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 has demonstrated better overall performance in this comparison. However, as you can see from the spider diagram above, each tire has its own strengths which should be considered in your final tire buying choice.Similar Comparisons
Looking for more tire comparisons? Here are other direct comparisons involving these tires:
Firestone Firehawk Sport Top Comparisons
No other comparisons available for this tire.
Michelin Pilot Sport 5 Top Comparisons
No other comparisons available for this tire.
Footnote
This page has been developed using tire industry testing best practices. This means we are only comparing tests which have had both tires in the same test.
Why is this important? Tire testing is heavily affected by things like surface grip levels and surface temperature, which means you can only compare values from the same day. During a tire test external condition changes are calculated into the overall results, but it is not possible to calculate this between tire tests performed on different days or at different locations.
As a result you will see other tests on Tire Reviews which feature both the %s and %s, but as they weren't conducted on the same day, the results are not comparable.
Lots of other websites do this sort of tire comparison, Tire Reviews doesn't.