Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position vs Falken Azenis FK510 — 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 + 31 road tests and 3 + 907 owner reviews. How we score

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Falken Azenis FK510
Tire BFalken

Azenis FK510

Summer

± 5

Tests 74 · 31 tests Owners 66 · 907 reviews

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

“I have Fallen FK510s and live where it rains 300 days a year, they perform great and I'm sure the 520 is even better”

Category by category

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

  1. –

    Dry

    No comparison
    74
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza S-04 Pole PositionAzenis FK510
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 28 tests–73
    Reviews found online–75

    Azenis FK510: 60% × 72.9 + 40% × 75.4 = 74

  2. –

    Wet

    No comparison
    85
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza S-04 Pole PositionAzenis FK510
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 29 tests–89
    Reviews found online–78

    Azenis FK510: 60% × 89 + 40% × 78.2 = 85

  3. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    55
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza S-04 Pole PositionAzenis FK510
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 61 (est.)
    Reviews found online–46

    Azenis FK510: 60% × 61.3 (est.) + 40% × 45.5 = 55

    No road tests of snow for Azenis FK510. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

  4. –

    Comfort

    No comparison
    57
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza S-04 Pole PositionAzenis FK510
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests–42
    Reviews found online–68

    Azenis FK510: 40% × 41.7 + 60% × 67.6 = 57

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    66
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza S-04 Pole PositionAzenis FK510
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 18 tests–66
    Reviews found online–67

    Azenis FK510: 60% × 66 + 40% × 67.2 = 66

  6. –

    Treadwear

    No comparison
    65
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza S-04 Pole PositionAzenis FK510
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 5 tests–73
    Reviews found online–54

    Azenis FK510: 60% × 73.1 + 40% × 54.1 = 65

  7. –

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    72
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza S-04 Pole PositionAzenis FK510
    Reviews found online–72
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    51
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza S-04 Pole PositionAzenis FK510
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 19 tests–51
Scores at a glance
Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position vs Falken Azenis FK510: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryBridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole PositionFalken Azenis FK510
Relative Score – 71
Dry – 74
Wet – 85
Snow – 55
Comfort – 57
Noise – 66
Treadwear – 65
Handling (owners) – 72
Efficiency – 51

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
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score

Potenza S-04 Pole Position

± 5

Azenis FK510

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.

DisciplineCategoryPotenza S-04 Pole PositionAzenis FK510ΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #2/4 2011 Tirerack Max Performance Summer Tyre Test #7/10 2025 Tire Rack UUHP Summer Tyre Test – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Potenza S-04 Pole Position

Pros

  • Excellent dry handling and cornering stability
  • Competent performance in wet conditions
  • Unexpectedly high levels of ride comfort for a performance-oriented tire

Cons

  • Rapid tread wear rate
  • Audible road noise or humming on certain surfaces
  • Wet-weather performance is good but outperformed by some direct competitors
All owner themes in the Potenza S-04 Pole Position review

Tire B Azenis FK510

Pros

  • Outstanding grip in both wet and dry conditions
  • Exceptional value and lower price point compared to premium brands
  • Smooth and comfortable ride quality that absorbs road imperfections well

Cons

  • Accelerated tread wear and shorter overall lifespan
  • Softer sidewalls can result in slightly delayed initial steering response or a feeling of looseness during aggressive high-speed maneuvers
  • Occasional reports of increased tire noise or harshness on specific rough or concrete road surfaces
All owner themes in the Azenis FK510 review

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position

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

Tire B

Falken Azenis FK510

Mixed

Community members frequently view the Falken Azenis FK510 as an affordable, budget-friendly alternative to premium tires like Michelin Pilot Sports, offering strong wet weather grip and good everyday road comfort. However, opinions are mixed due to rapid treadwear, with multiple drivers reporting bald tires in 10,000 to 15,000 miles or poor durability during track and autocross sessions. Furthermore, some users note compromises in steering response, road noise, and overall performance compared to top-tier max performance tires.

r/TeslaModelS ·1 upvote ·2025-11-28

“2022 MS Plaid on 21" archnids. Factory Michelins replaced at 7,500 miles (at wear markers). FK510's after 9,000 miles on the rubber are at 7/32. Expecting another 5,000 miles or so. They're comparable treadwear rating but last longer. Heavy car with lots of torque will inevitably go through tires sooner than the rated mileage. I'm fortunate to have decent alignment from the factory as the wear was even. Good luck on the next set of tires.”

corvetteforum.com

“I purchased a full set of Falken Azenis FK510 tires in January of last year. Ride, quietness, and wet/dry handling were all right on the money with the Tire Rack and other reviews that I looked over when deciding which tires to buy. Now I'm wishing I'd gone ahead and spent the extra money to get another set of Michelins. The rear tires are completely worn down now after only daily driving the car and putting maybe 15k miles on the tires. The same driving conditions with the previous Michelin PSIII tires resulted in the tires lasting for 5 years and 50k miles. Tread wear is the only complaint I have with these tires, but it is one massive issue with tires only lasting 15k miles with tame daily driving. My advice is to spend the extra money and get the Michelin tires. That's what I'll be doing this weekend.”

r/Mustang ·1 upvote ·2025-12-28

“Accidentally bought a Falken FK510 at discount tire when my other rear tire is a FK460A/S I have a brand new 460A/S on my driver rear a week ago and I went to discount yesterday and accidentally bought the 510 for my passenger rear. My biggest concerns is the difference in grip and wear and for the torsen limited slip on my GT PP1. I just daily my car to work and floor it at lights and don’t do canyon or track runs. I saw discount tire has a return / exchange policy, has anyone gone this route?”

Top themes
#budget friendly pricing#wet weather traction#fast treadwear#track durability concerns#ride comfort#cabin road noise#daily street driving

Based on 63 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position B · Falken Azenis FK510
CategorySummer tireSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—93
Rim diameters—17″ – 22″
Tread depth—10/32″
UTQG—300 A A
Sidewall—Blackwall
Max pressure—50 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position

Falken Azenis FK510

Only Falken Azenis FK510 has enough test and review data for a Relative Score, so there is no head-to-head winner yet.

Tire A · Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position
Tire B · Falken Azenis FK510

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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.

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