Firestone FR740 Performance Radial Tire Review

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‍About the Firestone FR740 Performance Radial

When it’s time to replace the tires on your sports car, you have two options. You can either equip it with a set of all-season tires or go for high-performance tires.

While ordinary all-season tires can deliver admirable performances in almost all conditions, they may not extract maximum performance for your vehicle.

Therefore, it will be highly advisable to outfit your sports car with a set of high-performance tires. And the Firestone FR740 Performance Radial is one of such tires.

This tire is engineered to deliver exceptional levels of grip, traction, steering responsiveness and solid braking power, combined with a comfortable ride.

According to Firestone, this tire is engineered for use on sporty coupes, sports cars, and performance sedans.

Simply put, the FR740 Performance Radial is designed for car enthusiasts looking to achieve maximum cornering speeds.

Design Features and Technologies

As noted above, the Firestone FR740 Performance Radial is built to deliver high levels of grip, top-notch steering response, high-speed cornering and solid braking power.

To meet these goals, Firestone has provisioned the FR740 Performance Radial with several great features and technologies like:

All-Season Tread Compound

Firestone has equipped this tire with an all-season tread compound, featuring the company’s exclusive UNI-T technology.

This combination helps to deliver enhanced steering response, reliable handling as well as reduced wear.

The FR740 Performance Radial also comes with a wider footprint, which delivers enhanced traction and grip, even in slippery conditions.

Wide Circumferential Grooves

The FR740 Performance Radial also comes with four wide and deep circumferential grooves, designed to reduce the risk of aquaplaning.

Firestone has also outfitted this tire with wide flow-thru grooves, which work together with circumferential grooves, to channel water away from the tire’s surface.

Robust Internal Construction

Inside the FR740 Performance Radial are two steel belts, which have been reinforced with a polyester cord body.

This robust internal construction helps to enhance the tire’s load capacity while enhancing its durability.

Also, this sturdy internal construction helps to boost its handling response while enhancing high-speed stability.

Performance in Different Conditions

As earlier mentioned, the FR740 Performance Radial is a high-performance all-season tire. And as an all-season high-performance tire, you expect it to deliver great performances in almost all conditions. So, is this the case?

We mounted a set of this tire on a Honda Accord 2020 and gave it a test ride in different conditions. During the test ride, we made the following observations:

Dry Performance

The Firestone FR740 Performance Radial performs outstandingly well when it comes to dry tarmac. In fact, it surpassed our expectations.

It was extremely responsive, even when we were driving on twisty and tight roads. Its steering response was one of the fastest that we’ve recorded in this category. It felt as if you were riding a go-kart.

As for the traction, it didn’t disappoint. Also, the braking distances remained short, almost at the same level as some of its premium counterparts.

Overall, the FR740 Performance Radial delivered a great performance on dry tarmac. While some of the other tires in its class may deliver better performance, they come with premium prices.

For this price range, you will struggle to come across a high-performance all-season tire that will outperform the FR740 Performance Radial.

Wet Performance

Is the Firestone FR740 Performance Radial a reliable performance over wet and slippery roads?

Without a doubt, the FR740 Performance Radial is one of the best high-performance all-season tires on wet and slippery surfaces.

When performing our tests, we drove with this tire over varying levels of wetness and slipperiness.

And it perform exceptionally well, even when the conditions were extremely slippery, it performed exceptionally well.

Its outstanding performance in wet and slippery conditions can be attributed to its top-notch hydroplaning resistance.

The acceleration was great and the braking distances remained short. Furthermore, there were no issues of oversteer or understeer even when we were driving in extremely wet conditions.

Hence, if happen to encounter rainy conditions with this tire, you are assured of a safe driving experience behind the wheel.

Performance in Snowy Conditions

Similar to other high-performance all-season tires, the FR740 Performance Radial is not designed to be used in snowy conditions.

Driving with this tire in such conditions will be completely unsafe. So, if your area experiences heavy snowing during the winter months, you should instead replace it with a set of high-performance winter tires.

Off-roading Performance

The Firestone FR740 Performance Radial is not built to be used for off-roading. It lacks adequate tread depth to handle extreme off-road conditions.

Furthermore, it’s not sturdy enough to handle such conditions, meaning it may become severely damaged.

Also, using the FR740 Performance Radial for off-road driving may void its warranty. So, if you frequently go for off-roading excursions with your car, you should always replace this tire with a dedicated set of all-terrain or off-road tires.

Ride Quality

The majority of the high-performance all-season tires that I have tested tend to have a firm ride.

But, this wasn’t the case with the Firestone FR740 Performance Radial. It was comfortable, quiet and smooth, even when we driving the Accord at higher than average speeds.

Again, some of the others in its category may outperform it when it comes to ride quality. However, they also come with a higher price tag.

Warranties and Guarantees

The Firestone FR740 Performance Radial comes with a five-year workmanship and materials warranty and a 90-day buy and try guarantee.

Materials and Workmanship Warranty

Under this warranty, Firestone promises to replace this tire, if it becomes unserviceable due to workmanship or materials defects.

The replacement is either free of charge or done on a prorated basis, depending on when the tire is removed from service.

If your tire becomes unserviceable within the first three years after its purchase, Firestone will replace it with a comparable new one, free of charge.

Also, Firestone will handle the tire’s mounting and balancing costs while you will be responsible for applicable taxes and miscellaneous charges.

If your Firestone FR740 Performance Radial tire is removed from service outside the free replacement window, Firestone will replace it with a comparable new one on a prorated basis.

For the prorated basis, you will share the tire’s replacement costs with the manufacturer.

An authorized Firestone tire dealer will determine the replacement amount that you will pay depending on the percentage of the original usable worn off the tire at its time of removal from service.

Buy and Try Guarantee

Similar to other tires from this brand, the Firestone FR740 Performance Radial is also backed by Firestone’s 90-day buy and try guarantee.

Under this guarantee, you have up to 90 days after buying a set of four or more Firestone FR740 Performance Radial tires to examine their performance.

And if you are not fully satisfied with their performance, you are free to replace them to their original place of purchase.

Once you return them, the dealer will offer a full refund or exchange, depending on your preferences.

It’s important to note that Firestone FR740 Performance Radial tires sold as original equipment don’t qualify for this guarantee. Also, you will need to return a set of four tires to get a refund or replacement.

FR740 Performance Radial Pros

• Outstanding all-season traction
• Decent cornering and stability
• Comfortable and smooth ride

FR740 Performance Radial Cons

• Poor performance in snowy conditions

Should You Buy the Firestone FR740 Performance Radial?

Overall, the Firestone FR740 will be more than capable of handling your daily commutes. It will provide good dry and wet traction, decent cornering stability, and top-notch steering response, to go with a comfortable and smooth ride. Furthermore, it comes with a lower price tag, compared to most of the others in its class. Ultimately, the decision to purchase this tire or not will come down to personal preferences.