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Head-to-head Updated

Bridgestone Potenza S001 vs Dunlop SP Sport Maxx — 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 6 + 0 road tests and 5,811 + 173 owner reviews. How we score

Potenza S001 is ahead, 63–55

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Bridgestone Potenza S001
Tire ABridgestone

Potenza S001

Summer

± 7

Tests 72 · 6 tests Owners 52 · 5,811 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2020 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test (wet braking)

“Had a set of run flats for a brief period, heavy tires, very stiff sidewalls, wouldn't run them again.. .”

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 +14
    58
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza S001SP Sport Maxx
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / – tests79≈ 62 (est.)
    Reviews found online6053

    Potenza S001: 60% × 79.4 + 40% × 60 = 72

    SP Sport Maxx: 60% × 61.6 (est.) + 40% × 52.7 = 58

    No road tests of dry for SP Sport Maxx. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 75

    Wet

    Potenza S001 +18
    57
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza S001SP Sport Maxx
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / – tests86≈ 60 (est.)
    Reviews found online6052

    Potenza S001: 60% × 85.5 + 40% × 60 = 75

    SP Sport Maxx: 60% × 60.3 (est.) + 40% × 51.8 = 57

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

  3. 50

    Snow

    SP Sport Maxx +2
    52
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza S001SP Sport Maxx
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 58 (est.)≈ 60 (est.)
    Reviews found online3841

    Potenza S001: 60% × 58.4 (est.) + 40% × 37.6 = 50

    SP Sport Maxx: 60% × 59.7 (est.) + 40% × 41.2 = 52

    No road tests of snow for Potenza S001. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

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

  4. 54

    Comfort

    Potenza S001 +1
    53
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza S001SP Sport Maxx
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests63≈ 65 (est.)
    Reviews found online4745

    Potenza S001: 40% × 63.3 + 60% × 47.2 = 54

    SP Sport Maxx: 40% × 64.8 (est.) + 60% × 45.3 = 53

    No road tests of comfort for SP Sport Maxx. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 56

    Noise

    SP Sport Maxx +4
    60
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza S001SP Sport Maxx
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests56≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online5650

    Potenza S001: 60% × 55.7 + 40% × 55.8 = 56

    SP Sport Maxx: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 50.1 = 60

    No road tests of noise for SP Sport Maxx. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 52

    Treadwear

    Potenza S001 +1
    51
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza S001SP Sport Maxx
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests58≈ 57 (est.)
    Reviews found online4341

    Potenza S001: 60% × 58 + 40% × 42.7 = 52

    SP Sport Maxx: 60% × 57.3 (est.) + 40% × 41.1 = 51

    No road tests of treadwear for SP Sport Maxx. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 60

    Handling (owners)

    Potenza S001 +10
    50
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza S001SP Sport Maxx
    Reviews found online6050
  8. 41

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza S001SP Sport Maxx
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests41–
Scores at a glance
CategoryBridgestone Potenza S001Dunlop SP Sport Maxx
Relative Score 63 55
Dry 72 58
Wet 75 57
Snow 50 52
Comfort 54 53
Noise 56 60
Treadwear 52 51
Handling (owners) 60 50
Efficiency 41 –

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

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Recomputed
Headline score
± 7

Potenza S001

± 8

SP Sport Maxx

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 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 SP Sport Maxx

Pros

  • Strong dry and wet grip when brand new
  • Responsive handling and sharp cornering precision
  • Low initial road noise and good ride comfort on smooth surfaces

Cons

  • Rapid and uneven tread wear (often wearing out in under 10,000–15,000 miles)
  • High road noise and 'sawtoothing' issues as the tires age
  • Noticeable drop in wet-weather traction and sudden loss of grip near the end of their lifespan
All owner themes in the SP Sport Maxx review

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.

mybmwi3.com ·2026-03-31

“I run the Bridgestone Potenza S001 Ultra-High Summer Peformance Tire 215/45R/20s on the rear and 195s on the front. They ride softer than stock tires. Not cheap tho.​”
f30.bimmerpost.com

“Quote: Originally Posted by ProjectBoost Yeah and the Bridgestone's should be replaced too. +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.”
r/tires ·1 upvote ·2025-10-01

“Bridgestone Potenza S001 all year in Portland Oregon? As a second car in the family, do you think I can get away with running Bridgestone Potenza S001, with good tread depth, all year in Portland Oregon? I've lived here my whole life so I know the climate well. As long as I don't drive during the 1-3 snow days, do you think I'm good? My other car is a Honda Pilot AWD that we do summer/winter tire swap and take skiing ~20 times a year. For a car I never plan on taking in the snow, doing summer/winter swap or summer/all-season seems like overkill.”
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

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx

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

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Bridgestone Potenza S001 B · Dunlop SP Sport Maxx
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available558
Rim diameters15″ – 21″16″ – 21″
Tread depth8/32″10/32″
UTQG280 A A—
SidewallBlackwallBlackwall
Max pressure50 psi—
Sizes in common33

Which one should you actually buy?

Bridgestone Potenza S001

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx

Winner: Bridgestone Potenza S001 — better wet, dry and handling. Pick the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx if noise matters most to you.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Bridgestone Potenza S001 scores 75 vs 57 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Bridgestone Potenza S001 scores 72 vs 58 on dry.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Bridgestone Potenza S001 scores 60 vs 50 on handling.

Pick tire B You want a quieter cabin

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx scores 60 vs 56 on noise.

Tire A · Bridgestone Potenza S001
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Tire B · Dunlop SP Sport Maxx
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Potenza S001 or SP Sport Maxx?

Which is better in the wet, Potenza S001 or SP Sport Maxx?

Bridgestone Potenza S001, 75 vs 57 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Potenza S001 or SP Sport Maxx?

Bridgestone Potenza S001, 72 vs 58 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Potenza S001 or SP Sport Maxx?

Neither, by our numbers: 50 vs 52 on the snow score, within 3 points.

Which is quieter, Potenza S001 or SP Sport Maxx?

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx, 60 vs 56 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Potenza S001 or SP Sport Maxx?

Neither, by our numbers: 54 vs 53 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, Potenza S001 or SP Sport Maxx?

Neither, by our numbers: 52 vs 51 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.

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