Bridgestone Tyre Sales (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. has officially introduced its new flagship tyre in the Potenza performance tyre range- the Bridgestone Potenza Sport.
The new Ultra-High-Performance tyre that replaces the Bridgestone Potenza S007A inherits and enhances many key performance characteristics through new and innovative technologies in tread pattern design, compound and construction.
The new Bridgestone Potenza Sport, which is in the same segment as Michelin’s Pilot Sport 4S, Goodyear’s Eagle F1 Supersport and Continental’s SportContact 6, now sets a new standard in premium and high-end sport performance with its exceptional cornering and straight-line stability.
Wholly designed and developed in Europe focusing on the European market, the Bridgestone Potenza Sport has its initial engineering evaluation done through the technical centre’s Virtual Tyre Development Technology, accelerating the time-to-market by up to 50% as well as being more environmentally friendly by using fewer resources.
The new Bridgestone Potenza Sport tyre is factory fitted on some of the fastest Italian exotics, such as the Lamborghini Huracan STO and the upcoming Maserati MC20 supercar.
The new Bridgestone Potenza Sport features a new compound containing an optimised formula with innovative mixing technology to improve the tyre’s wet and dry handling performance. A sporty carcass package with sidewall and bead fillers are paired with a new hybrid crown reinforcement maximises the tyre’s high-speed stability and steering response.
As for the Bridgestone Potenza Sport tyre tread and pattern that we can see, 3D sipes are applied to increase shear stiffness with the benefits of improving braking and abrasion resistance. The sidewall features high-contrast labelling for an innovative and impactful look.
An asymmetric wall angle in the Potenza Sport tread also increases the lateral stiffness which reduces block deformation during hard cornering. The overall tread design is also widened to increase the contact area for maximum dry performance as well as steering feel.
In an instrumented test, the new Bridgestone Potenza Sport tyre managed to stop a Subaru WRX STI from the speed of 100 km/h at a distance of 37.76 m, 0.64 m shorter than its Potenza S007A predecessor.
Braking distance under wet conditions is even more impressive, bringing the Subaru WRX STI test vehicle from 80 km/h to standstill in just 25.41 m, reducing the distance by 2.17m!
“Succeeding Bridgestone’s flagship Potenza S007A, the Potenza Sport is designed to meet the wide range of premium sports sedans and SUVs as well as high-performance sports cars’ driver’s needs and expectations by unlocking the performance of their vehicle while keeping them in control,” commented Bridgestone Tyre Sales Malaysia, Managing Director, Michael Chung.
From today’s launch, the new European-made Bridgestone Potenza Sport will be available in 16 sizes in 18- and 19-inch rim sizes, with prices ranging from RM959 to RM1,723. More sizes are planned to be made available at Bridgestone dealerships in the future, as the Potenza Sport comes in a total of 84 sizes!
Popular sizes that are currently available from Bridgestone Malaysia include 225/40R18 fitted on vehicles such as the Toyota GR Yaris, Audi A3 sedan and Mk 7.5 Volkswagen Golf GTI.
Owners of the facelifted Honda Civic 1.5 TC-P can also try out the new Bridgestone Potenza Sport as the 235/40R18 size is available in this new flagship performance tyre.
Meanwhile, 10 sizes in 19-inch diameter cover the majority of the hot hatchbacks such as Mk7.5 Volkswagen Golf R, Renault Megane R.S. 265 (235/35R19) and the Megane R.S. 280 Cup (245/35R19), which was factory-fitted with the Bridgestone Potenza S001 tyres.
Unfortunately, although Bridgestone Malaysia has the sizes of 245/40R19 and 275/35R19 pairing for the front and rear tyres of both the Mercedes-Benz E-Class W213 and G30 BMW 530 range, the Bridgestone Potenza Sport are not made with run-flat tyre (RFT) construction. The company said run-flat tyre technology will still be in the Bridgestone Potenza S001 RFT pattern.
The Bridgestone Potenza Sport is also suited for a range of premium high-performance sedans, luxury cars and SUVs such as the Ferrari Portofino, Maserati Ghibli, Aston Martin DB11, BMW M5, Porsche Macan and Cayenne and the Jaguar F-Type.
Apart from the new Potenza Sport, the Potenza performance tyre series has had a long history and has been well received amongst consumers. The Potenza Adrenalin RE004 is just another example of a performance tyre from the same series that provides excellent handling on dry and wet roads. This was launched in 2020 and is available from 15 to 18 inches.
