New Bridgestone Potenza Sport: high performance for sports cars

You can have the best sports car in the world, but if it isn’t “shod” properly, you won’t be able to enjoy its true performance. This is precisely one of the reasons why car manufacturers work in parallel with tyre makers and approve specific tyres for their cars.

Bridgestone brings us an alternative that joins the offer of premium high-performance tyres for sports cars: the new Potenza Sport. They are the tyres chosen as original equipment for cars arriving this same year, such as the new Audi RS 3, the Maserati Levante Hybrid or the future all-electric Porsche Macan. And from 2022 we will see them on some model of Ferrari, on the electric supercar from Maserati or on the BMW 8 Series.

A sports tyre developed and manufactured in Europe

What’s new about these Bridgestone Potenza Sport? Well, what is usually the case when a manufacturer develops a new tyre… at least among what can be told, since you already know that in this world of round and black there is a lot of secrecy. Namely: new tread pattern, new compounds, a greater hybrid reinforcement (textile and metal) in the crown to improve stability at high speed, and an optimised carcass to improve steering response and reduce rolling resistance.

There is not much more technical information, apart from what can be gleaned from the mandatory “fine print” of the legal notices when boasting of the best stability in corners and on straights, the best dry braking and excellent wet performance, which earn it the class A rating on the EU label.

For example, in tests certified by TÜV SÜD, at Bridgestone’s request, using an Audi S4 with 245/40-18 tyres, the Potenza Sport scores 9.3 for straight-line stability, followed by the Continental Premium Contact 6 with a 9, and the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 with 8.7. The same podium is maintained in the cornering stability, lateral wet grip and dry braking tests. Other tyres in this category used as references were the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 and the Pirelli P Zero PZ4.

Responsiveness and control: the Bridgestone Potenza Sport put to the test

Our test day with the Bridgestone Potenza Sport at the Madrid Circuito del Jarama was designed to check the performance and behaviour of these new tyres, with slalom and braking exercises, evasive manoeuvres, a very “twisty” circuit with wet asphalt and laps of the track. Among the test cars, a bit of everything, from Audi S3, RS 4 and RS 5 to SUVs such as the Maserati Levante, passing by the BMW 1 Series and 3 Series or Mercedes CLA AMG.

I always say that drawing conclusions from tyre tests of this kind is very complicated, especially when you have no possibility of a direct comparison. But you do get impressions, and those conveyed by the Bridgestone Potenza Sport are very good.

Outwardly it is a tyre with a design we would highlight for its very pronounced rim protector, something that is very welcome on cars of this type, where very low profiles are usually fitted and the rims are very exposed. To give it a more premium look, the marking on the sidewall has a distinctive embossing. On wet surfaces it shows outstanding grip, both when braking and when the car is cornering, while on dry roads it stands out for its responsiveness and progressiveness even at the limit, conveying very well what happens between the steering wheel and the asphalt.

The Bridgestone Potenza Sport are available for rims from 17 to 21 inches, with widths from 205 to 285, and profiles from 30 to 45. All available sizes carry an A rating for wet grip on the European label, while the fuel efficiency rating can be C or D.

Bridgestone Potenza Sport image gallery