Tests – · none yet Owners 62 · 20 reviews
Bridgestone Potenza S-02 vs Bridgestone Potenza S001 — Compared
Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.
Potenza S-02 leads, 65–63 Narrow edge
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Tests 71 · 6 tests Owners 56 · 5,807 reviews
“Mount all 4 tires Bridgestone Potenza S001 215/45R20 on i3s stock rims 5.5” front 15mm spacers and 6.5” rear After much convincing I have mounted all four tires of the same size purchased on TireRack for $83 each on i3s stock staggered rims. Smooth and stable. Looking gooddddddd!”
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
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70
Dry
Potenza S001 +272Why this score
Source Potenza S-02 Potenza S001 Professional tests (TWG score) – 79 Reviews found online 71 63 -
66
Wet
Potenza S001 +975Why this score
Source Potenza S-02 Potenza S001 Professional tests (TWG score) – 84 Reviews found online 65 62 -
61
Snow
Potenza S-02 +1051Why this score
Source Potenza S-02 Potenza S001 Reviews found online 55 39 -
63
Comfort
Potenza S-02 +459Why this score
Source Potenza S-02 Potenza S001 Professional tests (TWG score) – 63 Reviews found online 57 52 -
63
Noise
Potenza S-02 +1152Why this score
Source Potenza S-02 Potenza S001 Professional tests (TWG score) – 48 Reviews found online 57 58 -
57
Treadwear
Potenza S-02 +354Why this score
Source Potenza S-02 Potenza S001 Professional tests (TWG score) – 58 Reviews found online 51 49 -
72
Handling
Potenza S-02 +1161Why this score
Source Potenza S-02 Potenza S001 Reviews found online 72 61
Scores at a glance
| Category | Bridgestone Potenza S-02 | Bridgestone Potenza S001 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 65 | 63 |
| Dry | 70 | 72 |
| Wet | 66 | 75 |
| Snow | 61 | 51 |
| Comfort | 63 | 59 |
| Noise | 63 | 52 |
| Treadwear | 57 | 54 |
| Handling | 72 | 61 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
Weight the categories that matter to you
Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.
Potenza S-02
Potenza S001
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A Potenza S-02
Pros
- Exceptional dry grip and superior cornering performance
- Outstanding steering feedback, communication, and progressiveness
- Faithful reproduction of original equipment (OE) handling characteristics for sports cars like the Honda S2000
Cons
- Very rapid and sometimes extreme tread wear
- Poor performance and loss of traction in cold weather or below certain temperatures
- High noise levels and stiff ride compromising comfort
Tire B Potenza S001
Pros
- Precise and sharp steering response
- Strong dry-pavement cornering grip
- Stiff sidewalls providing robust rim protection and high-speed stability
Cons
- High levels of road noise and cabin drone
- Stiff, harsh ride quality (particularly noticeable on run-flat versions)
- Poor or unpredictable wet-weather grip and sudden loss of traction
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Bridgestone Potenza S-02
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Bridgestone Potenza S001
Community sentiment regarding the Bridgestone Potenza S001 is predominantly mixed to negative, particularly concerning the run-flat variants. Drivers frequently report stiff sidewalls, harsh ride quality, road noise, premature wear, and tread cracking, leading many to switch to non-run-flat alternatives like Michelin. However, several owners find them adequate for spirited driving, citing satisfactory dry and wet grip as well as acceptable ride comfort on specific vehicle setups.
“I’ve had the Bridgestone run flats on my ‘15 SL550 for the two yrs and 10k miles since I bought it and I like them just fine. They wear well and handle my spirited driving very smoothly, wet or dry. I’ve had lots of different high performance tires on several different high performance cars and I wouldn’t hesitate to buy these again.”
“Replacing Bridgestone Potenza s001 RunFlats with Primacy 5 vs. PS5. Suggestions? I drive a VW Jetta which only has 160 Hp. I do occasionally really enjoy some spirited driving or taking aggressive turns. My considerations are that I do really care about Comfort and road noise and so that leads me towards the Primacy 5. At the same time, I don't think the power of my car justifies the PS5. My question is basically, I've online that for runflats to be runflats they have really stiff sidewalls, which might be contributing to the current feel of my car and I wonder if, even though everything else about the Potenza s001 is quite worse compared to the Primacy 5, I wonder if I will miss the stiff sidewall? And just because of that should I consider the PS5?”
“Quote: Originally Posted by Josspeed Quote: Originally Posted by cfm56d7b +1 Bridgestone Potenza S001 are near the bottom of all run flat tires. If you prefer run flat tires, Pirelli P Zero are much better. GREAT! Thanks... so Pzero much better than B S001 To caveat the "much better" statement ... - All run flat tires generate more noise - Some run flat tires produce a harsher ride. In this case, S001 tires are harsher than P Zero tires. I've owned both - As the mileage increases, run flat tires generate more noise as the tread wears off. It's normal. The only question is whether the driver is willing to tolerate it - In average driving, P Zero tires will probably last 25K to 28K miles. Or less. I am replacing the OEM set at 24K miles. Yet the convenience of run flat tires is attractive. For me, P Zero tires represent a good compromise and a much better option than S001 which were exorbitantly harsh even when new.”
Based on 43 community posts
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Bridgestone Potenza S-02 | B · Bridgestone Potenza S001 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | — | 55 |
| Rim diameters | — | 15″ – 21″ |
| Tread depth | 10/32″ | 8/32″ |
| UTQG | 140 A A | 280 A A |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | Blackwall |
| Max pressure | — | 50 psi |
Which one should you actually buy?
Bridgestone Potenza S-02
Bridgestone Potenza S001
Winner: Bridgestone Potenza S-02 — better noise, handling and snow. Pick the Bridgestone Potenza S001 if wet matters most to you.
Bridgestone Potenza S-02 scores 63 vs 52 on noise.
Bridgestone Potenza S-02 scores 72 vs 61 on handling.
Bridgestone Potenza S-02 scores 61 vs 51 on snow.
Bridgestone Potenza S001 scores 75 vs 66 on wet.
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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.
Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.