Head-to-head Updated

Bridgestone Potenza S001 vs Continental ContiSportContact 5 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

Potenza S001 leads, 63–61 Narrow edge

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Potenza S001

Summer

Tests 71 · 6 tests Owners 56 · 5,804 reviews

“Potenza S001 cracking Has anyone had issues with their OEM Bridgestone Potenza S001 tires cracking? I have OEM tires on my 2018 CLub with 17k miles with cracking in the treads for all 4 tires and because they are 4 years + 3 months past manufacture date, Bridgestone told me to Beat It. These are $185 tires that don't last 4 seasons....why would I ever buy them if they are PoS?”

Category by category

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

  1. 72

    Dry

    Potenza S001 +8
    64
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza S001ContiSportContact 5
    Professional tests (TWG score)79–
    Reviews found online6363
  2. 75

    Wet

    Potenza S001 +8
    67
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza S001ContiSportContact 5
    Professional tests (TWG score)84–
    Reviews found online6267
  3. 51

    Snow

    ContiSportContact 5 +15
    66
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza S001ContiSportContact 5
    Reviews found online3963
  4. 59

    Comfort

    ContiSportContact 5 +4
    63
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza S001ContiSportContact 5
    Professional tests (TWG score)63–
    Reviews found online5157
  5. 52

    Noise

    ContiSportContact 5 +15
    67
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza S001ContiSportContact 5
    Professional tests (TWG score)48–
    Reviews found online5868
  6. 54

    Treadwear

    Potenza S001 +1
    53
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza S001ContiSportContact 5
    Professional tests (TWG score)58–
    Reviews found online4945
  7. 61

    Handling

    Potenza S001 +9
    52
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza S001ContiSportContact 5
    Reviews found online6152
Scores at a glance
Bridgestone Potenza S001 vs Continental ContiSportContact 5: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryBridgestone Potenza S001Continental ContiSportContact 5
Relative Score 63 61
Dry 72 64
Wet 75 67
Snow 51 66
Comfort 59 63
Noise 52 67
Treadwear 54 53
Handling 61 52

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.

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Recomputed
Headline score

Potenza S001

ContiSportContact 5

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A 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
All owner themes in the Potenza S001 review

Tire B ContiSportContact 5

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

Bridgestone Potenza S001

Mixed

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.

Top themes
#run-flat stiffness and harshness#premature tread wear#tread cracking issues#wet and dry grip#switching to non-run-flats#road noise generation#OEM tire replacement

Based on 43 community posts

Tire B

Continental ContiSportContact 5

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

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Bridgestone Potenza S001 B · Continental ContiSportContact 5
CategorySummer—
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available5586
Rim diameters15″ – 21″17″ – 22″
Tread depth8/32″8 - 10/32″
UTQG280 A A280 - 420 A - AA A
SidewallBlackwallBlack Side Wall
Max pressure50 psi50 - 51 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Bridgestone Potenza S001

Continental ContiSportContact 5

Winner: Bridgestone Potenza S001 — better handling, dry and wet. Pick the Continental ContiSportContact 5 if snow, noise and comfort matter most to you.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Continental ContiSportContact 5 scores 66 vs 51 on snow.

Pick tire B You want a quieter cabin

Continental ContiSportContact 5 scores 67 vs 52 on noise.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Bridgestone Potenza S001 scores 61 vs 52 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Bridgestone Potenza S001 scores 72 vs 64 on dry.

Tire A · Bridgestone Potenza S001
Tire B · Continental ContiSportContact 5

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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.

63

Narrow edge

Potenza S001

Amazon