It's the test we've all been waiting for, it's the first test of the brand new Bridgestone Potenza Sport, the only new tyre in 2021 that has the chance of taking the fight to the established ultra high performance tyres such as the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, Continental SportContact 6 and Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport.
Naturally, it's the best testers in the business doing it first, the German publication Auto Bild. They've tested nine 265/35 R20 UUHP tyres in the dry and wet using a very un-european Ford Mustang.
Tyre Reviews is due to test the new Potenza Sport, against 14 of its key rivals in an 18" size, so if you're not already subscribed, be sure to head over to the Tyre Reviews YouTube channel and subscribe as that will be published in the coming weeks!
Can the Bridgestone Compete?
The biggest question is, can the new Potenza Sport really take the fight to Michelin, Continental and Goodyear? The answer, at least for this test, is a resounding yes!
The new Bridgestone Potenza Sport wins the test, and has the shortest dry braking, shortest wet braking, and fastest wet handling lap! The only one of the four key tests it was beaten in was dry handling, where it finished just 1.8% behind the Michelin, but the testers still reported it to have excellent handling and precise steering in the dry and wet.
The best of the rest went to the Continental Sport Contact 6. While it didn't win any test, and the testers found it to have a slightly high noise level, it was consistently close in all the tests, and had a dynamic sport driving behavio r in the wet.
The internet's favourite tyre, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S placed third overall, winning dry braking and having the lowest noise on test, but could only manage mid pack during the wet handling lap and was the most expensive set of tyres to buy.
The last of the "big 4" was the Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport. Like the SportContact 6 it was consistent in all conditions, but couldn't quite match the best overall.
Dry
The new Potenza Sport led the way in dry braking, with the Goodyear just 0.1 meters ahead of the Continental and Michelin pairing.
Dry Braking
Spread: 4.50 M (12.8%)|Avg: 36.91 M
Dry braking in meters (100 - 0 km/h) (Lower is better)
Dry Braking: Safety Impact: Best vs Worst Tyre
The Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S posted the fastest lap time by a considerable margin, and led the way subjectively. The Bridgestone could match the subjective handling of the Michelin, but not the time, and the Landsail and Berlin tyres provided little grip or enjoyment.
Dry Handling
Spread: 8.40 Km/H (8.4%)|Avg: 96.52 Km/H
Dry Handling Average Speed (Higher is better)
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
100.00 Km/H
Bridgestone Potenza Sport
98.20 Km/H
Vredestein Ultrac Vorti R
98.10 Km/H
Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport
98.00 Km/H
Continental Sport Contact 6
97.40 Km/H
Hankook Ventus S1 evo 3
97.00 Km/H
Falken Azenis FK510
95.40 Km/H
Landsail LS588 UHP
93.00 Km/H
Berlin Tires Summer UHP 1
91.60 Km/H
Wet
The Bridgestone also led wet braking by a small margin.
Wet Braking
Spread: 41.60 M (101.2%)|Avg: 50.27 M
Wet braking in meters (100 - 0 km/h) (Lower is better)
Wet Braking: Safety Impact: Best vs Worst Tyre
Claiming three wins from the four key tests, the Potenza Sport was both the fastest and best handling tyre on test, with direct steering and first class balance. The Vredestein Ultrac Vorti R and Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport were also reported to be excellent handling tyres in the wet.
Wet Handling
Spread: 15.90 Km/H (18.6%)|Avg: 78.60 Km/H
Wet Handling Average Speed (Higher is better)
Bridgestone Potenza Sport
85.50 Km/H
Vredestein Ultrac Vorti R
82.60 Km/H
Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport
82.10 Km/H
Continental Sport Contact 6
82.00 Km/H
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
79.60 Km/H
Hankook Ventus S1 evo 3
78.30 Km/H
Falken Azenis FK510
78.10 Km/H
Landsail LS588 UHP
69.60 Km/H
Berlin Tires Summer UHP 1
69.60 Km/H
The Goodyear won the aquaplaning test, with a small margin to the second placed Falken.
Straight Aqua
Spread: 5.70 Km/H (7.6%)|Avg: 73.21 Km/H
Float Speed in Km/H (Higher is better)
Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport
75.30 Km/H
Falken Azenis FK510
75.10 Km/H
Vredestein Ultrac Vorti R
74.60 Km/H
Bridgestone Potenza Sport
74.60 Km/H
Hankook Ventus S1 evo 3
73.60 Km/H
Continental Sport Contact 6
72.80 Km/H
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
72.70 Km/H
Berlin Tires Summer UHP 1
70.60 Km/H
Landsail LS588 UHP
69.60 Km/H
Environment
The Michelin Pilot Sport 4S was the quietest tyre on test, matching the budget Landsail LS588.
Noise
Spread: 2.10 dB (2.9%)|Avg: 72.72 dB
External noise in dB (Lower is better)
Landsail LS588 UHP
72.00 dB
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
72.00 dB
Berlin Tires Summer UHP 1
72.10 dB
Vredestein Ultrac Vorti R
72.20 dB
Falken Azenis FK510
72.30 dB
Bridgestone Potenza Sport
72.90 dB
Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport
73.30 dB
Continental Sport Contact 6
73.60 dB
Hankook Ventus S1 evo 3
74.10 dB
The budge tyre also had the lowest rolling resistance, a test the Goodyear and Vredestein struggled in.
Rolling Resistance
Spread: 2.24 kg / t (29.4%)|Avg: 8.99 kg / t
Rolling resistance in kg t (Lower is better)
Landsail LS588 UHP
7.62 kg / t
Continental Sport Contact 6
8.57 kg / t
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
8.88 kg / t
Falken Azenis FK510
8.92 kg / t
Hankook Ventus S1 evo 3
9.11 kg / t
Bridgestone Potenza Sport
9.15 kg / t
Berlin Tires Summer UHP 1
9.19 kg / t
Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport
9.60 kg / t
Vredestein Ultrac Vorti R
9.86 kg / t
19,000 km
£1.45/L
8.0 L/100km
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Annual Difference
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Lifetime Savings
--
Extra Fuel/Energy
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Extra CO2
Estimates based on typical driving conditions. Rolling resistance accounts for approximately 20% of IC vehicle fuel consumption and 25% of EV energy consumption. Actual savings vary based on driving style, vehicle weight, road conditions, and tyre age. For comparative purposes only. Lifetime savings based on a 40,000km / 25,000 mile tread life.
Michelin wasn't the only expensive tyre on test, with the Goodyear matching its price for four. The new Bridgestone was also expensive, but a full 75 euros cheaper for a set of four.
The Potenza Sport is a new top class sports tyre with excellent handling in the dry and wet, precise steering response, good balance, shortest wet and dry braking distances and good aquaplaning properties.
The Sport Contact 6 is an excellent tyre with dynamic driving behaviour in the wet, short wet and dry braking distances, good comfort and low rolling resistance.
The Pilot Sport 4S is a premium summer tyre with sporty dynamic handling in the dry, precise steering, short wet and dry braking distances and low rolling resistance.
I have always mounted Bridgestone Potenza S001 on my Alfa Romeo Giulietta because of their rigidy of the structure of the tyre than can counterbalance the rolling behaviour of my car; so is this new Potenza sport still rigid in confront to the old S001?
Hi, I will be buying new summer tires for next year spring because my all season tires are almost finished also I already have dedicated wheels for winter. Since my car has staggered wheel setup (18 inch AMG) there will be a bit of issue to find exact size that my car needs in my country (Finland). This Bridgestone tires looks enticing for me to try if the price is around the same with Continental Premium Contact 6. Is there anyone who already tried both tires (Potenza Sport and Premium Contact 6) ? Can someone share their experience please ? I'm not an aggressive driver (quick acceleration and late braking) type but here in Finland the street is mostly empty so sometimes we can drive quite fast (not that fast to lose your license though).
Hello TyreReviews, I checked all of available tests, but don't see any concrete review for the most comfort and quite tires. I'm driving now with 275/35/20 and 245/40/20 Pirello PZero RF and I'm very dissapointed with comfort and noise driving. I'm driving mostly on country roads and highways in a very easy way (60-70kkm per year) occasional sporty driving. I decided to go with new PS4S and have some concerns if this is a right choice if I'm not a Max Verstappen and mostly enjoy the easy and peacefull driving. Have you any suggestions ?
I think you'll be happy with your choice. Moving away from runflats to normal tyres will bring a huge improvement in comfort. Let me know how you find them :)
Finally a UUHP tire very close to my size. (I'm using 205/40/R17 and the BPS is available at 215/40/R17). Prices are reasonable too. I currently run PS4s (non-s version) and I'm somewhat disappointed with them regarding sidewall stiffness.
If you make the swap please report back! Sadly I can't test every size of a tyre, so it's really good to hear real world experiences, especially from people with a similar view of the PS4 to me :) If you don't go Bridgestone, go PC6 for some added stiffness!
I also agree about the PS4, great tyre but very dull. My work car will be getting PC6 when it's due some tyres, but I've actually ordered a set of Potenza Sport's for the front of my soon to be 360hp Leon Cupra.
I've been waiting for so long for Bridgestone to bring a new competitive UHP tyre and what a tyre they have made! Two tests so far and two great results. Going toe to toe and also beating PS4S in areas is great, the only question mark now is how long they will last. We shall see, and I'll be sure to leave a review after a few thousand miles of driving.
I'm excited about the potential for a new track focused road tyre under the Potenza Sport branding, initially from the collaboration with Lamborghini and their new STO. Hopefully they offer them in a board range of sizes and also bring the fight to Michelin in this segment as well.
I always had my cars on UUHP tires from Michelin, GY, Conti and Bridgestone over past 20+ years. This year I opted for Potenza Sport and I really love them. I can see that I made the right choice - the grip is simply relentless and fantastic feedback from the tires. Mine are 235/35 R20
Igor, we currently don't have any reviews of the Potenza Sport - https://www.tyrereviews.com... it would be really great if you could leave one, you're the first person I know to have run them in the real world! ?
NIce to see Bridgestone Potenza Sport doing so well. I am due to buy new summer tyres next spring 2022 and I am looking into Bridgestone Potenza Sport. As I am buying in 225/45 R 17 dimensions than I guess Bridgestone advantage should be even bigger as this tyre does exist in this dimensions while Michelin/GoodYear/Continental in such dimensions only have "lower" models (PS4 instead PS4S, PC6 instead SC6, F1 Asym5 instead od F1 SuperSport).
Theoretically if it's as good as PS4S, F1SS and SC6, it should be winning easily against PS4, Asym 5 and PC6. Isn't it. (At least dry performance wise)
Yes and no. I understand your theory, however there's always the chance that Bridgestone have made the smaller sizes a different construction to the bigger, like the PS4 / PS4S, but just kept the same name for halo effect.
Fortunately I will be testing it against the PS4, PS4S, F1 A5 and F1 SuperSport + others ??
That's true too. That's why I normally only read tests that use my size or at least the same total wheel size. (I have 225/45R17 so 225/40R18 tests are fine for me too) I so realize some tyres work better in certain sizes, or car weight. So yeah I would have to wait for a test in one of these 2 sizes if I want a more accurate comparison for me.
I fully agree . I think sidewall height matters as well. I have on my car 225 45 R17 Asymmetric 5 which has sidewall made from 1 layer of polyester whereas same Asymmetric 5 225 40R18 ( and guess lower profiles) has double layer of polyester which may indicate better steering feel/performance . From my experience It looks like 17inch tyres don't offer much steering feel.
Looking forward to see the test you mentioned since it includes both latest UUHP and UHP tyres.
Potenza S007A (Asian & NA market, made in Japan) has excellent steering feel in 17", hopefully the Potenza Sport (EU market, made in EU) is just as good!
Hi
I have always mounted Bridgestone Potenza S001 on my Alfa Romeo Giulietta because of their rigidy of the structure of the tyre than can counterbalance the rolling behaviour of my car; so is this new Potenza sport still rigid in confront to the old S001?
Thanks.
Yes it is
So they will be my next tyres :)
Can you include a Pirelli option?
This wasn't my test, I always try to include pirelli
Hi,
I will be buying new summer tires for next year spring because my all season tires are almost finished also I already have dedicated wheels for winter. Since my car has staggered wheel setup (18 inch AMG) there will be a bit of issue to find exact size that my car needs in my country (Finland). This Bridgestone tires looks enticing for me to try if the price is around the same with Continental Premium Contact 6.
Is there anyone who already tried both tires (Potenza Sport and Premium Contact 6) ? Can someone share their experience please ?
I'm not an aggressive driver (quick acceleration and late braking) type but here in Finland the street is mostly empty so sometimes we can drive quite fast (not that fast to lose your license though).
I have, the video will be out in around a week :)
Hello TyreReviews, I checked all of available tests, but don't see any concrete review for the most comfort and quite tires. I'm driving now with 275/35/20 and 245/40/20 Pirello PZero RF and I'm very dissapointed with comfort and noise driving. I'm driving mostly on country roads and highways in a very easy way (60-70kkm per year) occasional sporty driving. I decided to go with new PS4S and have some concerns if this is a right choice if I'm not a Max Verstappen and mostly enjoy the easy and peacefull driving. Have you any suggestions ?
I think you'll be happy with your choice. Moving away from runflats to normal tyres will bring a huge improvement in comfort. Let me know how you find them :)
More comfortable and still allowing occasional sporty driving should be Conti PC6.
Finally a UUHP tire very close to my size. (I'm using 205/40/R17 and the BPS is available at 215/40/R17). Prices are reasonable too. I currently run PS4s (non-s version) and I'm somewhat disappointed with them regarding sidewall stiffness.
If you make the swap please report back! Sadly I can't test every size of a tyre, so it's really good to hear real world experiences, especially from people with a similar view of the PS4 to me :) If you don't go Bridgestone, go PC6 for some added stiffness!
I also agree about the PS4, great tyre but very dull. My work car will be getting PC6 when it's due some tyres, but I've actually ordered a set of Potenza Sport's for the front of my soon to be 360hp Leon Cupra.
I've been waiting for so long for Bridgestone to bring a new competitive UHP tyre and what a tyre they have made! Two tests so far and two great results. Going toe to toe and also beating PS4S in areas is great, the only question mark now is how long they will last. We shall see, and I'll be sure to leave a review after a few thousand miles of driving.
I'm excited about the potential for a new track focused road tyre under the Potenza Sport branding, initially from the collaboration with Lamborghini and their new STO. Hopefully they offer them in a board range of sizes and also bring the fight to Michelin in this segment as well.
Exciting, let me know how you find them as soon as they're on! The size range is vast, you can see it here: https://www.tyrereviews.com...
I can't wait to test them in 18"
I always had my cars on UUHP tires from Michelin, GY, Conti and Bridgestone over past 20+ years. This year I opted for Potenza Sport and I really love them. I can see that I made the right choice - the grip is simply relentless and fantastic feedback from the tires. Mine are 235/35 R20
Igor, we currently don't have any reviews of the Potenza Sport - https://www.tyrereviews.com... it would be really great if you could leave one, you're the first person I know to have run them in the real world! ?
OK will do and here they are "live" :)
https://www.facebook.com/gr...
https://www.facebook.com/gr...
Good read! Mind putting them on this site too? Here's the direct link!
https://www.tyrereviews.com...
NIce to see Bridgestone Potenza Sport doing so well.
I am due to buy new summer tyres next spring 2022 and I am looking into Bridgestone Potenza Sport.
As I am buying in 225/45 R 17 dimensions than I guess Bridgestone advantage should be even bigger as this tyre does exist in this dimensions while Michelin/GoodYear/Continental in such dimensions only have "lower" models (PS4 instead PS4S, PC6 instead SC6, F1 Asym5 instead od F1 SuperSport).
I'm testing it against those in my UHP test this year (18")
Looking forward to see it, specially video :)
I'm looking forward to doing it! IT was meant to be next week but delayed due to obvious reasons :(
Theoretically if it's as good as PS4S, F1SS and SC6, it should be winning easily against PS4, Asym 5 and PC6. Isn't it. (At least dry performance wise)
Yes and no. I understand your theory, however there's always the chance that Bridgestone have made the smaller sizes a different construction to the bigger, like the PS4 / PS4S, but just kept the same name for halo effect.
Fortunately I will be testing it against the PS4, PS4S, F1 A5 and F1 SuperSport + others ??
That's true too. That's why I normally only read tests that use my size or at least the same total wheel size. (I have 225/45R17 so 225/40R18 tests are fine for me too) I so realize some tyres work better in certain sizes, or car weight. So yeah I would have to wait for a test in one of these 2 sizes if I want a more accurate comparison for me.
All things going well my test / video should be up first week of May :)
I fully agree . I think sidewall height matters as well. I have on my car 225 45 R17 Asymmetric 5 which has sidewall made from 1 layer of polyester whereas same Asymmetric 5 225 40R18 ( and guess lower profiles) has double layer of polyester which may indicate better steering feel/performance .
From my experience It looks like 17inch tyres don't offer much steering feel.
Looking forward to see the test you mentioned since it includes both latest UUHP and UHP tyres.
Potenza S007A (Asian & NA market, made in Japan) has excellent steering feel in 17", hopefully the Potenza Sport (EU market, made in EU) is just as good!
It's very possible 19 inch and up are made with different compound, just like Pirelli did with P Zero.
Exactly! There is almost no competitor in 225 45 R17.