Tests 75 · 1 test Owners 68 · 12 reviews
Head-to-head
Updated
Bridgestone Potenza Race vs Bridgestone Potenza Sport — 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 1 + 28 road tests and 12 + 731 owner reviews. How we score
Potenza Sport is ahead, 78–71
Add your size for an exact match
/R
Both Amazon links then search this exact size.
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
Tests 80 · 28 tests Owners 63 · 731 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 52 in 2025 Summer Tyre Test Shootout (dry braking)
“Replacement tires. Bridgestone Potenza Sport. 8k miles. Fronts/Rears. WTF Bridgestone? Or is it me? No burnouts!”
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
77
Dry
Potenza Sport +1087Why this score
Source Potenza Race Potenza Sport Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 27 tests 76 96 Reviews found online 80 74 Potenza Race: 60% × 75.5 + 40% × 79.7 = 77
Potenza Sport: 60% × 96.3 + 40% × 74.3 = 87
-
73
Wet
Potenza Sport +1386Why this score
Source Potenza Race Potenza Sport Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 27 tests 75 95 Reviews found online 71 72 Potenza Race: 60% × 74.9 + 40% × 70.8 = 73
Potenza Sport: 60% × 94.7 + 40% × 72.4 = 86
-
65
Comfort
Potenza Race +758Why this score
Source Potenza Race Potenza Sport Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests ≈ 68 (est.) 54 Reviews found online 64 61 Potenza Race: 40% × 67.6 (est.) + 60% × 63.6 = 65
Potenza Sport: 40% × 53.9 + 60% × 60.8 = 58
No road tests of comfort for Potenza Race. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
-
–
Noise
No comparison43Why this score
Source Potenza Race Potenza Sport Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 23 tests – 30 Reviews found online – 63 Potenza Sport: 60% × 30 + 40% × 63.1 = 43
-
57
Treadwear
Potenza Sport +259Why this score
Source Potenza Race Potenza Sport Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests ≈ 61 (est.) 71 Reviews found online 50 40 Potenza Race: 60% × 60.7 (est.) + 40% × 50.4 = 57
Potenza Sport: 60% × 71.3 + 40% × 39.7 = 59
No road tests of treadwear for Potenza Race. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
-
80
Handling (owners)
Potenza Race +773Why this score
Source Potenza Race Potenza Sport Reviews found online 80 73 -
–
Efficiency
No comparison10Why this score
Source Potenza Race Potenza Sport Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 26 tests – 10
Scores at a glance
| Category | Bridgestone Potenza Race | Bridgestone Potenza Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 71 | 78 |
| Dry | 77 | 87 |
| Wet | 73 | 86 |
| Comfort | 65 | 58 |
| Noise | – | 43 |
| Treadwear | 57 | 59 |
| Handling (owners) | 80 | 73 |
| Efficiency | – | 10 |
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
71
/ 100
Potenza Race
78
/ 100
Potenza Sport
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
The professional test results behind the scores
Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.
| Discipline | Category | Potenza Race | Potenza Sport | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | Dry | 98% #2/4 · 2022 Track Day Tyre Test | 98% #2/7 · Top Tire Review 2026 UHP Tyre Test: Big Brands vs Challengers | – | Different tests |
| Dry Handling | Dry | 100% #2/4 · 2022 Track Day Tyre Test | 96% #5/7 · Top Tire Review 2026 UHP Tyre Test: Big Brands vs Challengers | – | Different tests |
| Wet Braking | Wet | 91% #2/4 · 2022 Track Day Tyre Test | 95% #3/7 · Top Tire Review 2026 UHP Tyre Test: Big Brands vs Challengers | – | Different tests |
| Wet Handling | Wet | 100% #1/4 · 2022 Track Day Tyre Test | 100% #1/7 · Top Tire Review 2026 UHP Tyre Test: Big Brands vs Challengers | – | Different tests |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #1/4 2022 Track Day Tyre Test | #6/7 Top Tire Review 2026 UHP Tyre Test: Big Brands vs Challengers | – | Different tests |
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A Potenza Race
Pros
- Phenomenal dry grip and cornering performance that rivals or beats direct competitors like Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2
- Surprisingly good wet weather traction and safety for a track-focused compound
- Precise steering response, hard sidewalls, and excellent road feedback
Cons
- Extremely fast tread wear and short lifespan under track or aggressive driving conditions
- Tendency to pick up stones during street driving
- Steering feel can initially start out slightly numb until the tire is pushed harder
Tire B Potenza Sport
Pros
- Outstanding dry and wet grip
- Precise, telepathic steering response and feedback
- Excellent braking performance
Cons
- Fast tread wear and short lifespan
- High road noise
- Firm, sometimes harsh ride quality over bumps
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Tire A
Bridgestone Potenza Race
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Tire B
Mixed
Bridgestone Potenza Sport
The community praises the Bridgestone Potenza Sport for its exceptional dry and wet grip, sharp steering response, and value pricing compared to competitors. However, users frequently highlight drawbacks such as fast tread wear and poor durability when used for track days, along with some complaints regarding lower fuel economy and narrower physical dimensions.
r/fordfusion
·2 upvotes ·2026-09-16
“Just replaced my set of Potenza Sport AS. 2 side wall failures with 70% tread left. Replaced them with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 4s. Michelin's are a much better riding tire than the Bridgestones. A little more road noise though.”
r/mazda6
·29 upvotes ·2023-04-08
“Trying Bridgestone Potenza Sports for summers with simple Spirt Edition A19 wheels Last fall I put Blizzaks WS90s on the stock rims, and had a confident time this winter. I love the stock Mazda rims and intended to swap on a set of performance summer tires. However decide to go with aftermarket wheels that match the stock as much as I could afford, so here they are. 19X8 SPORT EDITION A19 DARK GREY 225/45R-19 BRIDGESTONE POTENZA SPORT I love the look of the new rims maybe even more than the stock now that they are on simple as they are. Will have to see how the tires behave. I may decide to go back to a set of Conti DwS HiPer All-Seasons next year. Read more”
r/ft86
·16 upvotes ·2025-09-11
“Bridgestone Potenza Sport Anybody running potenza sports? My rear right tire inside sidewall got shredded suddenly at highway speed (85+ mph). Fortunately I did not lose control and was able to move the car to a nearby school parking lot with a spare. Ordered a set of DWS06+ and they should be delivered tomorrow. The tires are a little more than 4 years old and had about 12k miles on them. Kind of bummed at the situation, but this could’ve been much worse. Are potenza sports generally that bad? Read more”
Top themes
#Steering response and feel#Dry and wet grip#Tread wear and longevity#Track performance limitations#Price and value
Based on 93 community posts
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Bridgestone Potenza Race | B · Bridgestone Potenza Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 18 | 128 |
| Rim diameters | 17″ – 22″ | 16″ – 24″ |
| Tread depth | 7/32″ | 7 - 10/32″ |
| UTQG | 200 A A | 200 - 320 A - AA A |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | Black Side Wall - Raised Black Lettering |
| Max pressure | 50 psi | 50 - 51 psi |
| Sizes in common | 17 | 17 |
Which one should you actually buy?
71
/ 100
Bridgestone Potenza Race
78
/ 100
Bridgestone Potenza Sport
Winner: Bridgestone Potenza Sport — better wet and dry. Pick the Bridgestone Potenza Race if comfort and handling matter most to you. Bridgestone Potenza Race rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 12 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Bridgestone Potenza Sport scores 86 vs 73 on wet.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Bridgestone Potenza Sport scores 87 vs 77 on dry.
Pick tire A
You want the most comfortable ride
Bridgestone Potenza Race scores 65 vs 58 on comfort.
Pick tire A
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Bridgestone Potenza Race scores 80 vs 73 on handling.
Tire A · Bridgestone Potenza Race
Tire B · Bridgestone Potenza Sport
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
Potenza Race or Potenza Sport?
Which is better in the wet, Potenza Race or Potenza Sport?
Bridgestone Potenza Sport, 86 vs 73 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Potenza Race or Potenza Sport?
Bridgestone Potenza Sport, 87 vs 77 on our dry score.
Which is more comfortable, Potenza Race or Potenza Sport?
Bridgestone Potenza Race, 65 vs 58 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Potenza Race or Potenza Sport?
Neither, by our numbers: 57 vs 59 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.
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