Tests – · none yet Owners 51 · 2,182 reviews
“Got my Camelot rims mounted with Bridgestone Potenza Re050a tires!”
Head-to-head
Updated
Bridgestone Potenza RE050A vs Michelin Pilot Super 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 0 + 1 road tests and 2,182 + 1,506 owner reviews. How we score
Pilot Super Sport is ahead, 78–57
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Tests 75 · 1 test Owners 82 · 1,506 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 9 in 2017 Motor Mag UHP Tyre Test (dry handling)
“Damn. 295s on Style 359Ms? That's pushing it a bit, isn't it? I so desperately wish Michelin would make a 285/30 PSS. I'm running 275/35s now, and while I like the extra rubber on the road, I don't like the increased sidewall height over the OEM 265/35.”
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
61
Dry
Pilot Super Sport +2283Why this score
Source Potenza RE050A Pilot Super Sport Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests ≈ 64 (est.) 77 Reviews found online 58 90 Potenza RE050A: 60% × 63.8 (est.) + 40% × 57.9 = 61
Pilot Super Sport: 60% × 77.4 + 40% × 90.2 = 83
No road tests of dry for Potenza RE050A. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
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59
Wet
Pilot Super Sport +1877Why this score
Source Potenza RE050A Pilot Super Sport Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests ≈ 62 (est.) 73 Reviews found online 55 84 Potenza RE050A: 60% × 61.9 (est.) + 40% × 54.7 = 59
Pilot Super Sport: 60% × 73.1 + 40% × 84 = 77
No road tests of wet for Potenza RE050A. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
-
57
Snow
No comparison–Why this score
Source Potenza RE050A Pilot Super Sport Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 63 (est.) – Reviews found online 49 – Potenza RE050A: 60% × 62.6 (est.) + 40% × 49 = 57
No road tests of snow for Potenza RE050A. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).
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49
Comfort
Pilot Super Sport +2574Why this score
Source Potenza RE050A Pilot Super Sport Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 64 (est.) ≈ 71 (est.) Reviews found online 39 77 Potenza RE050A: 40% × 63.6 (est.) + 60% × 38.9 = 49
Pilot Super Sport: 40% × 70.6 (est.) + 60% × 76.9 = 74
No road tests of comfort for Potenza RE050A or Pilot Super Sport. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
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62
Noise
No comparison–Why this score
Source Potenza RE050A Pilot Super Sport Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 67 (est.) – Reviews found online 56 – Potenza RE050A: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 55.8 = 62
No road tests of noise for Potenza RE050A. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
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51
Treadwear
Pilot Super Sport +1970Why this score
Source Potenza RE050A Pilot Super Sport Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 57 (est.) ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 41 73 Potenza RE050A: 60% × 57.4 (est.) + 40% × 41 = 51
Pilot Super Sport: 60% × 68.4 (est.) + 40% × 72.8 = 70
No road tests of treadwear for Potenza RE050A. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
No road tests of treadwear for Pilot Super Sport. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
-
55
Handling (owners)
Pilot Super Sport +2883Why this score
Source Potenza RE050A Pilot Super Sport Reviews found online 55 83
Scores at a glance
| Category | Bridgestone Potenza RE050A | Michelin Pilot Super Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 57 | 78 |
| Dry | 61 | 83 |
| Wet | 59 | 77 |
| Snow | 57 | – |
| Comfort | 49 | 74 |
| Noise | 62 | – |
| Treadwear | 51 | 70 |
| Handling (owners) | 55 | 83 |
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
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
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
Recomputed
Headline score
57
/ 100
Potenza RE050A
78
/ 100
Pilot Super 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.
In the overall rankings of 1 tests that ran both, Bridgestone Potenza RE050A finished ahead 0 times and Michelin Pilot Super Sport 1 times.
| Discipline | Category | Potenza RE050A | Pilot Super Sport | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #8/9 | #6/9 | – | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2011 Autoreview Max Performance Summer Tyre Test · 235/35 R19 |
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A Potenza RE050A
Pros
- Phenomenal dry grip and cornering stability
- Precise steering response and sharp turn-in feedback
- Stiff sidewalls that enhance sporty handling and provide rim protection
Cons
- Harsh ride quality and stiff impact absorption, especially over rough roads and potholes
- Noticeable and escalating road noise as the tires wear
- Mediocre performance and reduced traction in cold temperatures or wintry conditions
Tire B Pilot Super Sport
Pros
- Phenomenal dry grip and cornering stability
- Precise steering response and excellent road feedback
- Better-than-expected tread wear and mileage for a performance tire
Cons
- Reduced grip and traction in cold weather (below 15°C)
- Mediocre performance and tendency to aquaplane when tread wears down in heavy rain
- High price point compared to some alternatives
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Tire A
Mixed
Bridgestone Potenza RE050A
Community sentiment regarding the Bridgestone Potenza RE050A is largely mixed, with drivers acknowledging solid dry grip, responsive handling, and decent wet traction when warm. However, many owners criticize the tire's harsh ride quality, high road noise, fast treadwear, high replacement cost, and complete lack of traction in cold or snowy conditions. Run-flat variants are particularly disliked for their stiff ride and difficulty of repair.
5series.net
“30,001 on all 4 when I changed to exact same tires. Rear tread was driver as fronts probably had 5k left in them but did not want to do this in two phases. Had tires drop shipped from Tire Rack to BMW dealer for install. Worked well. Mine are staggered (275 rear, 245 front, in 19" size ) so no rotation ever done. Probably 30-40 1/4 runs so expect my rears wore a little sooner than normal. OTOH I do live where the roads are smooth so may gain compared to others there.”
g35driver.com
“Quote: Originally Posted by EWG35 I looked at these but did not buy for two reasons. 1) the tread rating was pretty low. Although I found them on ebay in 245/35 20 and 275/30 20 for something like $650-680 I just felt they'd wear too fast. 2) The tread pattern. I don't understand how they can shed water properly. Since the tread pattern is only molded in one direction (not a right and a left) which is just flip flopped. One appears it would shed water while the other would force water under the tire. How does this work? The side wall looks pretty nice. If you think 280 tread rating is low you should look again at the RE050A's 140. It one of the hightest tread rating in ultra high performance tires. Michelin PS2 is 220, Bridgestone RE050A is just 140 and Toyo T1R is 280. The only tires i can think of that has higher tread rating is Falken 452's 300 and Kumho Ecsta SPT's 320. Tread rating 280 isn't low.”
r/FiestaST
·1 upvote ·2018-05-14
“My invoice says I travelled 71500km (just under 45K miles) on the RE050A .. but I do a lot of highway. I dialled out the toe front/rear to be toe neutral instead of toe in and rotated every 15K. Switch them out when the tread is near the wear indicators.”
Top themes
#tread life and wear#cold and snow performance#ride comfort and stiffness#dry and wet grip#high replacement cost#run flat complaints#road noise
Based on 76 community posts
Tire B
Positive
Michelin Pilot Super Sport
The Michelin Pilot Super Sport is widely praised by the community as a benchmark high-performance street tire offering outstanding dry grip, sharp cornering capability, and decent ride comfort for daily driving. Many drivers note that its successor, the Pilot Sport 4S, improves upon it—especially in cold and wet conditions—while several users highlight downsides such as poor winter/snow capability, premium pricing, and eventual rubber degradation or tread cracking as the tires age.
r/MiataNC
·21 upvotes ·2026-07-15
“Swapped out the 6+ year old Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires for some Kumho Ecsta Sports… Bought my NC2 in April 2025. It came with Michelin Pilot Super Sports made in late 2018/early 2019. Previous owner didn't drive much, so they had plenty of tread. Figured I'd run them for another year before I replaced them. They handled great and I put ~6,000 miles on them in the 13 months I've owned the car. I could tell they rode a little bit hard and recently, the tread blocks on the outside edge of the tires started cracking. So, I replaced them with the new Kumho Ecsta Sport tires in the factory 205/45/17 size. I don't track or autocross the car, so OEM size is good for me… I only drove it straight home from Discount Tire, so I haven't really put these thru their paces. So far, they ride a lot better and seem to have better grip than the old Super Sports that were on the car (not sure if that's because they're so new and the Michelin's were old or what…). They seem quieter than the Michelins and the steering feel is different, but I can't really quantify how it feels it with words, sorry! I should wash my car this weekend and shine these new shoes up :-)”
r/Miata
·11 upvotes ·2026-10-07
“Worth bearing in mind the Sam Vimes "Boots" Theory of Socioeconomic Unfairness. The tires I got on my new '17 RF GT didn't last very long, the two sets of cheap tires I replaced them with didn't either, then I put Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires on it and they're great performers as well as outlasting the earlier sets combined.”
bimmerfest.com
·2026-03-23
“All four of my Michelin PSSs had cracks in the inner circumferential channels after prolonged exposure to temperatures below +20F (while the car was parked in a u-stor-it garage). All four of my Michelin PS 4Ss were never exposed to temperatures below +32F and did not develop similar cracks.”
Top themes
#Dry grip and cornering#Comparison to PS4S#Poor snow performance#Tread life and wear#High purchase price#Age and cracking issues#Daily driving comfort
Based on 364 community posts
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Bridgestone Potenza RE050A | B · Michelin Pilot Super Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 37 | 50 |
| Rim diameters | 15″ – 20″ | 17″ – 23″ |
| Tread depth | 10/32″ | — |
| UTQG | 140 A A | — |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | — |
| Max pressure | 50 psi | — |
| Sizes in common | 18 | 18 |
Which one should you actually buy?
57
/ 100
Bridgestone Potenza RE050A
78
/ 100
Michelin Pilot Super Sport
Winner: Michelin Pilot Super Sport — better handling, comfort and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Pick tire B
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Michelin Pilot Super Sport scores 83 vs 55 on handling.
Pick tire B
You want the most comfortable ride
Michelin Pilot Super Sport scores 74 vs 49 on comfort.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Michelin Pilot Super Sport scores 83 vs 61 on dry.
Pick tire B
You want the longest tread life
Michelin Pilot Super Sport scores 70 vs 51 on treadwear.
Tire A · Bridgestone Potenza RE050A
Tire B · Michelin Pilot Super Sport
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Potenza RE050A or Pilot Super Sport?
Which is better in the wet, Potenza RE050A or Pilot Super Sport?
Michelin Pilot Super Sport, 77 vs 59 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Potenza RE050A or Pilot Super Sport?
Michelin Pilot Super Sport, 83 vs 61 on our dry score.
Which is more comfortable, Potenza RE050A or Pilot Super Sport?
Michelin Pilot Super Sport, 74 vs 49 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Potenza RE050A or Pilot Super Sport?
Michelin Pilot Super Sport, 70 vs 51 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