Review: Firestone Firehawk GT Best Toyota Matrix All-Season Tire

My 2003 Toyota Matrix XR (with automatic transmission) needed a new set of all-season tires the month before I was to make a 1,100-mile round trip from central Kentucky to central Wisconsin. After doing some research online, I selected a couple of tire products to consider and headed to the local tire store. Firestones were not on my list, but the service representative I talked to, Theron, told me that his experience with recent-vintage Firestone tires had been quite favorable. He suggested I try a set of Firestone Firehawk GTs for my Matrix because another customer had tried putting Firehawks on a Matrix and really liked them.

Firehawks are not usually recommended as replacement tires for a Matrix. TireRack.com (http://www.tirerack.com/) describes the Firehawk GT as "Firestone's high performance all-season tire developed for sporty performance sedans and coupes." Now, I love my Matrix, but I wouldn't describe it as either high-performance or "sporty." A Matrix looks a little like a humpback whale on wheels. But I soon learned that Theron knew what he was talking about; the Firehawk tire performs well on my Matrix.

On the trip to Wisconsin, I kept a log of my gas mileage. My Matrix had previously averaged about 36 mpg on long trips that involved mostly interstate or four-lane highway driving. On the Kentucky-to-Wisconsin trip with the new Firehawk tires, the fuel economy of my five-year-old Matrix was almost exactly 37 mpg! I was pleased, of course.

On dry roads, the handling and grip of the Firehawks is terrific. Their traction remains secure in heavy rain. The Toyota Matrix does not have a reputation for being a quiet car, but the noise level with these tires seems slightly less than with the other two sets of tires that have been on the car. The ride is comfortable.

Firehawk GTs come with a 50,000 mile limited treadwear warranty. The Firehawk GT's Uniform Tire Quality Grade (UTQG) traction rating is A, its temperature rating is A, and its treadwear rating is 460, according to a chart on the Tire Rack web site. On a National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) web site (http://www.safercar.gov/), the ratings when I checked there were lower than those listed by Tire Rack; in response to an email query about the discrepancy , however, I was told the most recent data for the Firehawk GT indicates that its UTQG rating should indeed be "A, A, 460." The ratings on the government website are updated continuously as data is made available by the tire manufacturers, a NHTSA engineer explained to me by email, and the "A, A, 460" rating should be included in the next website update.

After putting about 5,000 miles on the tires, I remain pleased with my purchase. I have not had the opportunity to try these tires in snow yet, but other reviews of the Firehawk GT indicate that the tire is suitable for use in light snow although it will be overmatched in heavy snow. Winters in my area of the country are usually not severe although we may have heavy snows for a couple of weeks in January. I expect the Firehawks to be adequate for driving near my home at least 50 weeks of the year. For an "all-season" radial tire, that sounds good to me.

Both the Matrix and Pontiac Vibe wagons are built on a Toyota Corolla platform because the cars were developed as part of a joint venture between Toyota and General Motors. For this reason, the Firehawk GT tires will probably work as well on the Vibe as on the Matrix.

My cost in June of 2008 for four Firestone Firehawk GT tires (Size: P205/55HR16) plus labor, sales tax, old tire disposal fee and road hazard warranty, came to $530.74.

Resources:

http://www.bridgestone-firestone.com/

http://www.nhtsa.dothttp.gov/

http://www.safercar.gov/portal/site/safercar/menuitem

http://www.tirerack.com/