Tests 74 · 2 tests Owners 67 · 9 reviews
Best test result: #3 of 10 in 2022 Sport Auto UHP, UUHP and Semi Slick Tyre Test (dry handling)
Head-to-head
Updated
Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect vs Bridgestone Potenza Race — 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 2 + 1 road tests and 9 + 11 owner reviews. How we score
Too close to call: Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect 71, Potenza Race 72.
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Tests 75 · 1 test Owners 69 · 11 reviews
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
76
Dry
Potenza Race +278Why this score
Source Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect Potenza Race Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 1 tests 75 76 Reviews found online 76 80 Dry Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 96% 98% Dry Handling (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 98% 100% Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect: 60% × 75.3 + 40% × 76 = 76
Potenza Race: 60% × 75.7 + 40% × 80.4 = 78
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72
Wet
Potenza Race +173Why this score
Source Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect Potenza Race Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 1 tests 74 75 Reviews found online 69 71 Wet Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 100% 91% Wet Handling (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 98% 100% Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect: 60% × 73.9 + 40% × 68.6 = 72
Potenza Race: 60% × 75 + 40% × 70.9 = 73
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67
Comfort
Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect +265Why this score
Source Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect Potenza Race Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 69 (est.) ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 66 64 Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect: 40% × 68.6 (est.) + 60% × 66.4 = 67
Potenza Race: 40% × 68.1 (est.) + 60% × 63.6 = 65
No road tests of comfort for Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect or Potenza Race. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
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69
Noise
No comparison–Why this score
Source Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect Potenza Race Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 70 – Reviews found online ≈ 67 (est.) – Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect: 60% × 70 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 69
No owner ratings of noise for Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect. The owner half is the owners’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.
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58
Treadwear
Level58Why this score
Source Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect Potenza Race Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 62 (est.) ≈ 62 (est.) Reviews found online 53 53 Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect: 60% × 61.7 (est.) + 40% × 53.3 = 58
Potenza Race: 60% × 61.6 (est.) + 40% × 53.2 = 58
No road tests of treadwear for Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
No road tests of treadwear for Potenza Race. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
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75
Handling (owners)
Potenza Race +580Why this score
Source Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect Potenza Race Reviews found online 75 80 -
67
Efficiency
No comparison–Why this score
Source Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect Potenza Race Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 67 –
Scores at a glance
| Category | Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect | Bridgestone Potenza Race |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 71 | 72 |
| Dry | 76 | 78 |
| Wet | 72 | 73 |
| Comfort | 67 | 65 |
| Noise | 69 | – |
| Treadwear | 58 | 58 |
| Handling (owners) | 75 | 80 |
| Efficiency | 67 | – |
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
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
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
71
/ 100
Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect
72
/ 100
Potenza Race
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.
In the overall rankings of 1 tests that ran both, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect finished ahead 0 times and Bridgestone Potenza Race 1 times.
| Discipline | Category | Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect | Potenza Race | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | Dry | 96% | 98% | −1.7 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2022 Track Day Tyre Test · 235/35 R19 |
| Dry Handling | Dry | 98% | 100% | −1.7 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2022 Track Day Tyre Test · 235/35 R19 |
| Wet Braking | Wet | 100% | 91% | +8.7 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2022 Track Day Tyre Test · 235/35 R19 |
| Wet Handling | Wet | 98% | 100% | −2.4 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2022 Track Day Tyre Test · 235/35 R19 |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #3/4 | #1/4 | – | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2022 Track Day Tyre Test · 235/35 R19 |
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect
Pros
- Significant lap time improvements and reliable dry grip
- Enhanced wet performance and aquaplaning resistance compared to predecessor tires
- Surprising daily driving comfort and compliance
Cons
- Initial tread scrubbing and vibration when brand new
- Can struggle under extremely high track temperatures (e.g., 54C)
- Some users reported soft sidewalls or vague feedback near the limit
Tire B Potenza Race
Pros
- Exceptional dry grip comparable to top-tier track-day competitors
- Surprisingly capable and confidence-inspiring performance in wet conditions
- High level of steering precision and road feedback
Cons
- Rapid tread wear, particularly under aggressive track use
- High susceptibility to stone pickup during daily driving
- Inconsistent availability of specific sizes
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect | B · Bridgestone Potenza Race |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | — | 18 |
| Rim diameters | — | 17″ – 22″ |
| Tread depth | — | 7/32″ |
| UTQG | — | 200 A A |
| Sidewall | — | Blackwall |
| Max pressure | — | 50 psi |
Which one should you actually buy?
71
/ 100
Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect
72
/ 100
Bridgestone Potenza Race
Too close to call: Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect and Bridgestone Potenza Race are within 2 points overall. Bridgestone Potenza Race rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 11 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Tire A · Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect
Tire B · Bridgestone Potenza Race
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Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect or Potenza Race?
Which is better in the wet, Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect or Potenza Race?
Neither, by our numbers: 72 vs 73 on the wet score, within 3 points.
Which grips better on dry roads, Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect or Potenza Race?
Neither, by our numbers: 76 vs 78 on the dry score, within 3 points.
Which is more comfortable, Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect or Potenza Race?
Neither, by our numbers: 67 vs 65 on the comfort score, within 3 points.
Which lasts longer, Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect or Potenza Race?
Neither, by our numbers: 58 vs 58 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