Head-to-head Updated

Bridgestone Potenza GIII vs Toyo R888 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 0 + 1 road tests and 8 + 38 owner reviews. How we score

Potenza GIII is ahead, 75–62

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Toyo R888
Tire BToyo

R888

Summer

± 7

Tests 67 · 1 test Owners 57 · 38 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 9 in 2018 Sport Auto 19 inch UHP and Track Day Tyre Test (dry braking)

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 77

    Dry

    Level
    77
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza GIIIR888
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 74 (est.)80
    Reviews found online8271

    Potenza GIII: 60% × 73.7 (est.) + 40% × 81.8 = 77

    R888: 60% × 80.5 + 40% × 71.4 = 77

    No road tests of dry for Potenza GIII. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 77

    Wet

    Potenza GIII +23
    54
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza GIIIR888
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 76 (est.)51
    Reviews found online8057

    Potenza GIII: 60% × 75.8 (est.) + 40% × 80 = 77

    R888: 60% × 51.3 + 40% × 57.1 = 54

    No road tests of wet for Potenza GIII. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 67

    Comfort

    Potenza GIII +14
    53
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza GIIIR888
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 64 (est.)
    Reviews found online6745

    Potenza GIII: 40% × 68.3 (est.) + 60% × 66.8 = 67

    R888: 40% × 64 (est.) + 60% × 45.4 = 53

    No road tests of comfort for Potenza GIII. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

    No road tests of comfort for R888. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  4. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    70
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza GIIIR888
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests–72
    Reviews found online–≈ 66 (est.)

    R888: 60% × 72.4 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 70

    No owner ratings of noise for R888. The owner half is the owners’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

  5. 67

    Treadwear

    Potenza GIII +14
    53
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza GIIIR888
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)≈ 58 (est.)
    Reviews found online6844

    Potenza GIII: 60% × 67 (est.) + 40% × 67.9 = 67

    R888: 60% × 58.4 (est.) + 40% × 44 = 53

    No road tests of treadwear for Potenza GIII. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

    No road tests of treadwear for R888. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  6. 81

    Handling (owners)

    Potenza GIII +16
    65
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza GIIIR888
    Reviews found online8165
  7. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    67
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza GIIIR888
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests–67
Scores at a glance
Bridgestone Potenza GIII vs Toyo R888: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryBridgestone Potenza GIIIToyo R888
Relative Score 75 62
Dry 77 77
Wet 77 54
Comfort 67 53
Noise – 70
Treadwear 67 53
Handling (owners) 81 65
Efficiency – 67

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Recomputed
Headline score
± 8

Potenza GIII

± 7

R888

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Potenza GIII

Pros

  • Outstanding dry grip with great road feedback and minimal squealing at the limit
  • Reliable and confident wet-weather performance
  • Good tread longevity and durability over high mileage

Cons

  • Can be noisy during family trips or extended highway driving
  • Performance in wet conditions can occasionally be perceived as average compared to its stellar dry performance
  • Sensitive to precise tire pressure adjustments to achieve optimal comfort and performance
All owner themes in the Potenza GIII review

Tire B R888

Pros

  • Phenomenal dry weather grip and cornering stability
  • Rapid warm-up time to reach optimal operating temperature
  • High value-for-money proposition for track-day enthusiasts

Cons

  • Excessive road noise often described as a 'howling' or 'wheel bearing' sound
  • Poor performance and safety risks in deep standing water
  • Low comfort levels unsuitable for daily driving
All owner themes in the R888 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Bridgestone Potenza GIII B · Toyo R888
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
UTQG180 A A100 AA A

Which one should you actually buy?

Bridgestone Potenza GIII

Toyo R888

Winner: Bridgestone Potenza GIII — better wet, handling and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score. Bridgestone Potenza GIII rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 8 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Bridgestone Potenza GIII scores 77 vs 54 on wet.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Bridgestone Potenza GIII scores 81 vs 65 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Bridgestone Potenza GIII scores 67 vs 53 on comfort.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Bridgestone Potenza GIII scores 67 vs 53 on treadwear.

Tire A · Bridgestone Potenza GIII
Tire B · Toyo R888

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Potenza GIII or R888?

Which is better in the wet, Potenza GIII or R888?

Bridgestone Potenza GIII, 77 vs 54 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Potenza GIII or R888?

Neither, by our numbers: 77 vs 77 on the dry score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, Potenza GIII or R888?

Bridgestone Potenza GIII, 67 vs 53 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Potenza GIII or R888?

Bridgestone Potenza GIII, 67 vs 53 on our treadwear score.

How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology