tirewheelguide
Head-to-head Updated

Bridgestone Potenza RE001 vs Michelin Pilot Sport 3 PS3 — 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 42 + 308 owner reviews. How we score

Pilot Sport 3 PS3 is ahead, 74–66

Check price on Amazon · Pilot Sport 3 PS3 or Potenza RE001 on Amazon
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.

Michelin Pilot Sport 3 PS3
Tire BMichelin

Pilot Sport 3 PS3

Summer

± 7

Tests 72 · 1 test Owners 77 · 308 reviews

“I used them for my PS3’s last year, got the cash back offer too. Saved a fortune over the other big name tyre suppliers.”

Category by category

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

  1. 69

    Dry

    Pilot Sport 3 PS3 +4
    73
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE001Pilot Sport 3 PS3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 69 (est.)67
    Reviews found online6982

    Potenza RE001: 60% × 68.5 (est.) + 40% × 69.4 = 69

    Pilot Sport 3 PS3: 60% × 67.2 + 40% × 82.2 = 73

    No road tests of dry for Potenza RE001. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 67

    Wet

    Pilot Sport 3 PS3 +12
    79
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE001Pilot Sport 3 PS3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 68 (est.)76
    Reviews found online6584

    Potenza RE001: 60% × 67.8 (est.) + 40% × 65.4 = 67

    Pilot Sport 3 PS3: 60% × 76.2 + 40% × 84.3 = 79

    No road tests of wet for Potenza RE001. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 58

    Comfort

    Pilot Sport 3 PS3 +15
    73
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE001Pilot Sport 3 PS3
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online5375

    Potenza RE001: 40% × 65.6 (est.) + 60% × 53.3 = 58

    Pilot Sport 3 PS3: 40% × 70 (est.) + 60% × 75.4 = 73

    No road tests of comfort for Potenza RE001. 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 Pilot Sport 3 PS3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  4. 61

    Treadwear

    Pilot Sport 3 PS3 +5
    66
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE001Pilot Sport 3 PS3
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 63 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online5766

    Potenza RE001: 60% × 63.2 (est.) + 40% × 57.4 = 61

    Pilot Sport 3 PS3: 60% × 66.2 (est.) + 40% × 65.5 = 66

    No road tests of treadwear for Potenza RE001. 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 Pilot Sport 3 PS3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  5. 68

    Handling (owners)

    Pilot Sport 3 PS3 +13
    81
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE001Pilot Sport 3 PS3
    Reviews found online6881
  6. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    54
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE001Pilot Sport 3 PS3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests–54
Scores at a glance
CategoryBridgestone Potenza RE001Michelin Pilot Sport 3 PS3
Relative Score 66 74
Dry 69 73
Wet 67 79
Comfort 58 73
Treadwear 61 66
Handling (owners) 68 81
Efficiency – 54

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
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 RE001

± 7

Pilot Sport 3 PS3

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 RE001

Pros

  • Exceptional dry grip and steering feedback
  • High value-for-money proposition
  • Progressive handling characteristics

Cons

  • High levels of road noise on coarse surfaces
  • Stiff, harsh ride quality
  • Inconsistent wet-weather performance
All owner themes in the Potenza RE001 review

Tire B Pilot Sport 3 PS3

Pros

  • Exceptional wet and dry grip
  • Outstanding wet-weather performance and hydroplaning resistance
  • Enhanced ride comfort and compliance over road imperfections

Cons

  • Faster-than-expected tread wear, particularly with spirited driving
  • Softer sidewalls can result in a slightly spongy or 'squidgy' feel during aggressive cornering
  • Higher initial purchase price compared to some mid-range alternatives
All owner themes in the Pilot Sport 3 PS3 review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Bridgestone Potenza RE001

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Tire B

Michelin Pilot Sport 3 PS3

Mixed

Community sentiment regarding the Michelin Pilot Sport 3 (PS3) is mixed, with users commending its wet grip, aquaplaning resistance, and daily ride comfort. However, enthusiasts often note soft sidewalls and subdued sportiness compared to the PS2, with many recommending newer iterations like the PS4 and PS4S for sharper handling and reduced road noise.

cliotrophy.co.uk ·2022-12-18

“Has anyone tried these? The name seems to bely the fact this isn't really a touring tyre and is in fact very capable. I've had Michelin PS3's for a while now but might give the Premium Contact 6 a go next time I'm due a change. I'm aware we aren't spoilt for choice in our size when it comes to new high performance tyres and the Continental seems to be about the most recent option with the PS3 and Goodyear Eagle Asymmetric 2 both quite old now. The PS3 was never that highly rated for sportiness when it came out even though they do seem to work well on our cars. I found this video by Jon at Tyrereviews comparing the Continentals with the PS 4 and Asymmetric 5 which is worth a watch- I've no doubt the PS4 and Asymmetric 5 would be better than the PS3 and given he specifically mentions the Premium Contact 6 being the sportiest of the 3 I think it could well be worth a go for us lot. I'll see if I can message him on Pistonheads as it would be interesting if a direct comparison has ever been done with the PS3. The age difference means I haven't been able to find any review comparisons so far.”
mbworld.org

“Michelin Pilot Sport (PS3)for the summer and Conti 's wintercontact TS850 for the winter for me and very content with this the last three years.”
r/tires ·3 upvotes ·2025-08-02

“Michelin PS3 MO1 vs Pirelli Pzero MO About to order 4 new tires for this 2012 Mercedes CLS500 SB (X218), but tire choices are quite limited. Sizes: 255/40R18 99Y front 285/35R18 97Y rear Currently running Pirelli Pzero MO on all corners, which are in desperate need of replacement. Unfortunately, Michelin PS4, PS5 or PS4S are not available in both these sizes in Europe. The PS4 has been quite an improvement over the PS3 iirc, so it feels wrong to go for the PS3. However, the Pirelli Pzero MO isn’t the newest PZ5 iteration nor the previous PZ4 I suppose. So… Should we go for another set of Pirelli Pzero or the Michelin PS3? (PFA) Read more”
Top themes
#Wet grip performance#Aquaplaning resistance#Comparison to PS4#Comfortable daily driving#Soft sidewall feel#Road noise issues#Availability and sizing

Based on 37 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Bridgestone Potenza RE001 B · Michelin Pilot Sport 3 PS3
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover

Which one should you actually buy?

Bridgestone Potenza RE001

Michelin Pilot Sport 3 PS3

Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport 3 PS3 — better comfort, handling and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Pilot Sport 3 PS3 scores 73 vs 58 on comfort.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Pilot Sport 3 PS3 scores 81 vs 68 on handling.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Pilot Sport 3 PS3 scores 79 vs 67 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Pilot Sport 3 PS3 scores 66 vs 61 on treadwear.

Tire A · Bridgestone Potenza RE001
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Michelin Pilot Sport 3 PS3
Check price on Amazon

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

Potenza RE001 or Pilot Sport 3 PS3?

Which is better in the wet, Potenza RE001 or Pilot Sport 3 PS3?

Michelin Pilot Sport 3 PS3, 79 vs 67 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Potenza RE001 or Pilot Sport 3 PS3?

Michelin Pilot Sport 3 PS3, 73 vs 69 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, Potenza RE001 or Pilot Sport 3 PS3?

Michelin Pilot Sport 3 PS3, 73 vs 58 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Potenza RE001 or Pilot Sport 3 PS3?

Michelin Pilot Sport 3 PS3, 66 vs 61 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