Tests – · none yet Owners 59 · 27 reviews
Head-to-head
Updated
Continental ContiSportContact 5 vs Bridgestone Potenza S001 — Compared
Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.
Potenza S001 leads, 63–61 Narrow edge
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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.
-
64
Dry
Potenza S001 +872Why this score
Source ContiSportContact 5 Potenza S001 Professional tests (TWG score) – 79 Reviews found online 63 63 -
67
Wet
Potenza S001 +875Why this score
Source ContiSportContact 5 Potenza S001 Professional tests (TWG score) – 84 Reviews found online 67 62 -
66
Snow
ContiSportContact 5 +1551Why this score
Source ContiSportContact 5 Potenza S001 Reviews found online 63 39 -
63
Comfort
ContiSportContact 5 +459Why this score
Source ContiSportContact 5 Potenza S001 Professional tests (TWG score) – 63 Reviews found online 57 51 -
67
Noise
ContiSportContact 5 +1552Why this score
Source ContiSportContact 5 Potenza S001 Professional tests (TWG score) – 48 Reviews found online 68 58 -
53
Treadwear
Potenza S001 +154Why this score
Source ContiSportContact 5 Potenza S001 Professional tests (TWG score) – 58 Reviews found online 45 49 -
52
Handling
Potenza S001 +961Why this score
Source ContiSportContact 5 Potenza S001 Reviews found online 52 61
Scores at a glance
| Category | Continental ContiSportContact 5 | Bridgestone Potenza S001 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 61 | 63 |
| Dry | 64 | 72 |
| Wet | 67 | 75 |
| Snow | 66 | 51 |
| Comfort | 63 | 59 |
| Noise | 67 | 52 |
| Treadwear | 53 | 54 |
| Handling | 52 | 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.
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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score
61
/ 100
ContiSportContact 5
63
/ 100
Potenza S001
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A ContiSportContact 5
Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.
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
Tire A
Continental ContiSportContact 5
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Tire B
Mixed
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.
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.”
r/BMWi3
·1 upvote ·2024-01-09
“I put the Potenza S001 tires on the rear of my i3s with that Tire Rack deal but I didn't think they would fit on the 5.5 inch rims. I think the rears are 6.0".”
f30.bimmerpost.com
“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.”
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
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Continental ContiSportContact 5 | B · Bridgestone Potenza S001 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | — | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 86 | 55 |
| Rim diameters | 17″ – 22″ | 15″ – 21″ |
| Tread depth | 8 - 10/32″ | 8/32″ |
| UTQG | 280 - 420 A - AA A | 280 A A |
| Sidewall | Black Side Wall | Blackwall |
| Max pressure | 50 - 51 psi | 50 psi |
Which one should you actually buy?
61
/ 100
Continental ContiSportContact 5
63
/ 100
Bridgestone Potenza S001
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 A
You drive through snowy winters
Continental ContiSportContact 5 scores 66 vs 51 on snow.
Pick tire A
You want a quieter cabin
Continental ContiSportContact 5 scores 67 vs 52 on noise.
Pick tire B
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Bridgestone Potenza S001 scores 61 vs 52 on handling.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Bridgestone Potenza S001 scores 72 vs 64 on dry.
Tire A · Continental ContiSportContact 5
Tire B · Bridgestone Potenza S001
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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.