Bridgestone Potenza RE050A

The Bridgestone Potenza RE050A is a Max Performance Summer tyre designed to be fitted to Passenger Cars.

This tyre replaced the Bridgestone Potenza RE040 and this tyre has been replaced by the Bridgestone Potenza S001.

Dry Grip 83%
Wet Grip 69%
Road Feedback 74%
Handling 72%
Wear 66%
Comfort 59%
Buy again 58%

Tyre review data from 212 tyre reviews averaging 69% over 3,558,940 miles driven.

The Potenza RE050A is ranked 59th of 75 Summer Max Performance tyres.

Latest Tyre Test Results

2015 Australian Motor 235/35 R19 Tyre Test - 3rd of 8 tyres

View Full Test >>

2011 Autoreview Max Performance Summer Tyre Test - 8th of 9 tyres

  • Positive - Quiet, reasonable handling in the dry
  • Negative - Poor wet grip, poor wet handling, low aquaplaning resistance
  • Overall - For a tyre which is fitted to cars like the Ferrari 430, the RE050A has a very poor result. Perhaps Bridgestone use a different compound for the Russian market as it was a full 10 metres behind the best tyre in the wet braking test. Bridgestone have recently release the S001, and there is rumours of the S04 coming to Europe.
View Full Test >>

2010 Autocar Tyre Test - RWD - 6th of 6 tyres

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2015 Tyre Tests

  • 3rd: 2015 Australian Motor 235/35 R19 Tyre Test (235/35 R19)
  • 2011 Tyre Tests

  • 8th: 2011 Autoreview Max Performance Summer Tyre Test (235/35 R19)
  • 2010 Tyre Tests

  • 4th: 2010 EVO Tyre Test (205/45 r17)
  • 5th: 2010 European Summer Tyre Test (225/45 r17)
  • 6th: 2010 Autocar Tyre Test - RWD (225/45 r17)
  • 9th: 2010 Auto Express Ultra High Performance Tyre Test (225/45 r18)
  • 10th: 2010 AMS Premium Brand Tyre Test (245/45 R17 )
  • Size Fuel Wet Noise Weight
    175/55 R15 77V   F C 70 7.38kgs
    195/55 R16 87V   E C 69 8.48kgs
    205/40 R17 84W XL         9.68kgs
    205/40 R17 84W XL   F A 71 9.99kgs
    215/40 R17 87V XL   C A 71 8.60kgs
    215/40 R17 87V XL   E C 72 8.99kgs
    215/40 R17 87V XL   F B 72 9.40kgs
    245/40 R17 91W MO F C 74 11.36kgs
    255/40 R17 94Y   E B 72 11.46kgs
    255/40 R17 94W MOEXTENDED F C 73 12.88kgs
    255/40 R17 94W MO E C 72 11.47kgs
    205/45 R17 84V * F B 71 9.45kgs
    205/45 R17 88V XL   E B 72 8.72kgs
    205/45 R17 88W XL   E A 70 8.41kgs
    205/45 R17 88V XL * F B 72 8.50kgs
    205/45 R17 84W   E B 71 9.04kgs
    205/45 R17 88V XL   C C 72 8.66kgs
    205/45 R17 88V XL * E B 71 9.12kgs
    205/45 R17 88V XL   C B 72 9.05kgs
    215/45 R17 87Y   F C 70 9.59kgs
    225/45 R17 91W MO F C 71 10.44kgs
    225/45 R17 94Y XL *       10.16kgs
    225/45 R17 91V * F B 71 12.27kgs
    235/45 R17 94W   F C 71 12.71kgs
    235/45 R17 94W MO F C 71 11.68kgs
    235/45 R17 97W XL   F C 72 11.09kgs
    235/45 R17 94W MOEXTENDED F C 72 12.71kgs
    245/45 R17 95Y AOE G B 71 13.39kgs
    245/45 R17 95Y AO E C 71 11.93kgs
    245/45 R17 95Y AO F C 71 11.94kgs
    245/45 R17 99Y XL AO E C 73 11.97kgs
    205/50 R17 89W * F C 71 12.06kgs
    215/50 R17 91W   E B 71 11.19kgs
    225/50 R17 98Y XL   E C 71 11.94kgs
    225/50 R17 94Y AO F B 71 10.98kgs
    245/35 R18 88Y * G B 71 11.74kgs
    245/35 R18 92Y XL   F C 70 11.73kgs
    265/35 R18 97Y XL MO C B 73 12.38kgs
    275/35 R18 95Y   F C 72 14.49kgs
    275/35 R18 95Y   E B 72 13.62kgs
    285/35 R18 97Y MOEXTENDED E C 73 14.18kgs
    285/35 R18 97W MO F C 74 13.17kgs
    295/35 R18 99Y N-1 F C 74 14.31kgs
    205/40 R18 82W * G B 70 9.65kgs
    215/40 R18 85Y * G C 71 10.84kgs
    215/40 R18 85Y   F C 70 10.90kgs
    225/40 R18 92W XL   F C 72 11.18kgs
    225/40 R18 92Y XL AO F B 72 10.37kgs
    235/40 R18 91Y N-1 F B 72 10.98kgs
    235/40 R18 95Y N-1 E B 72 10.89kgs
    245/40 R18 93Y AO E B 71 11.48kgs
    245/40 R18 97Y XL MO C B 72 11.61kgs
    245/40 R18 93Y AO F B 71 11.71kgs
    245/40 R18 93Y AO F B 71 11.17kgs
    245/40 R18 93Y AOE       13.96kgs
    245/40 R18 93Y * G C 72 14.01kgs
    245/40 R18 93W * G C 72 13.96kgs
    255/40 R18 99Y XL AO F B 72 12.40kgs
    255/40 R18 95Y   F C 72 12.06kgs
    265/40 R18 101Y XL N-1 E B 73 13.21kgs
    275/40 R18 99Y AM8 F C 72 14.42kgs
    275/40 R18 99W *       15.08kgs
    215/45 R18 93Y XL   E C 70 10.47kgs
    225/45 R18 91V   F B 71 11.84kgs
    225/45 R18 91W   E B 69 11.06kgs
    225/45 R18 91W   E C 71 11.38kgs
    235/45 R18 94W   F C 71 11.84kgs
    235/45 R18 94Y AM8 F C 71 11.42kgs
    235/45 R18 98Y XL   E C 72 11.03kgs
    245/45 R18 96W   F B 70 12.87kgs
    245/45 R18 100W XL   E C 71 12.87kgs
    245/45 R18 96W * F C 71 14.27kgs
    245/45 R18 96W   F B 70 12.49kgs
    245/45 R18 96W   E B 71 11.53kgs
    245/45 R18 96Y   F C 71 12.64kgs
    275/45 R18 103Y   E C 72 13.89kgs
    225/50 R18 95W         12.27kgs
    225/50 R18 99W XL   F C 70 13.51kgs
    225/50 R18 95W   F C 71 12.14kgs
    255/30 R19 91Y XL * E B 72 11.97kgs
    285/30 R19 98Y XL MO E B 73 13.48kgs
    285/30 R19 98Y XL MO1 E B 73 13.48kgs
    295/30 R19 100Y XL N-1 E B 73 14.34kgs
    305/30 R19 102Y XL N-1 E B 75 14.21kgs
    225/35 R19 88Y XL * F B 71 10.90kgs
    225/35 R19 84Y   F C 71 9.18kgs
    235/35 R19 87Y N-1 F B 71 10.65kgs
    235/35 R19 91Y XL   F B 72 10.70kgs
    235/35 R19 91Y XL   F B 72 10.70kgs
    235/35 R19 91Y XL   F C 72 10.46kgs
    245/35 R19 89Y   F C 71 10.74kgs
    255/35 R19 96Y XL AO       12.05kgs
    255/35 R19 96Y XL MO E B 71 12.68kgs
    255/35 R19 96Y XL   E C 73 12.20kgs
    255/35 R19 96Y XL MO1 E B 71 12.86kgs
    265/35 R19 94Y   E C 72 12.82kgs
    265/35 R19 94Y   E C 72 13.47kgs
    265/35 R19 94Y   E C 72 12.82kgs
    265/35 R19 94Y N-1 F B 72 12.65kgs
    265/35 R19 98Y XL AO E B 72 12.96kgs
    275/35 R19 96Y AM9 F B 72 13.86kgs
    275/35 R19 100W XL   E C 72 14.40kgs
    275/35 R19 96W * F C 73 14.99kgs
    285/35 R19 99Y A2A E B 72 13.79kgs
    285/35 R19 99Y   E C 73 13.43kgs
    285/35 R19 99Y AM2 E B 72 13.41kgs
    345/35 R19 110Y   E C 73 15.83kgs
    225/40 R19 93Y XL   E C 72 11.38kgs
    235/40 R19 96Y XL   E B 72 11.75kgs
    235/40 R19 92Y AM9 G B 71 11.98kgs
    235/40 R19 96Y XL   E C 72 12.42kgs
    235/40 R19 96Y XL   E C 72 12.42kgs
    235/40 R19 96Y XL   E B 72 12.43kgs
    245/40 R19 94W * F C 72 13.85kgs
    245/40 R19 98W XL   E C 72 12.47kgs
    245/40 R19 98W XL   E C 72 12.47kgs
    245/40 R19 94W   F C 71 13.29kgs
    245/40 R19 94Y A2A E B 71 11.34kgs
    245/40 R19 94Y   F C 71 12.87kgs
    245/40 R19 94W   F B 72 12.47kgs
    245/40 R19 98W XL   E B 70 14.35kgs
    245/40 R19 94Y   F C 71 11.90kgs
    245/40 R19 98Y XL   F B 71 12.83kgs
    285/40 R19 103Y   E C 72 14.71kgs
    285/40 R19 103Y   F C 73 17.05kgs
    285/40 R19 103Y   E B 72 16.98kgs
    285/40 R19 103Y   E B 73 14.11kgs
    225/45 R19 96W XL   E B 71 13.19kgs
    275/30 R20 97Y XL * E C 73 13.92kgs
    245/35 R20 95Y XL * E B 72 12.19kgs
    245/35 R20 91Y   F B 71 11.57kgs
    265/35 R20 99Y XL AO E C 72 12.81kgs
    285/35 R20 100Y   E B 72 14.07kgs
    305/35 R20 104Y   E C 73 16.67kgs
    245/40 R20 95W   E B 70 13.88kgs

    Questions and Answers for the Bridgestone Potenza RE050A

    2016-10-01 - Brigestone potenza RE050A it can work for all season?

    The RE050A is a summer tyre, and will offer very little performance in snow or ice.


    2016-11-24 - Are they directional/handed?

    The Bridgestone RE050A is an asymmetric tyre.


    2016-12-22 - Is the Bridgestone Potenza RE050A a "run-flat" tyre?

    There are both runflat and non-runflat version of the Bridgestone Potenza RE050A


    2019-03-10 - Hi, I have a staggered set up on my MB CLK It has an open diff and appears to favour one tyre over the other indicated by faster wear on the left side. Being staggered I cannot swap tyres front to rear to balance tyre wear. Can you suggest a tyre that can be swapped left to right to balance tyre wear on the rear of the car. Tyre size is 255/35/18 Thanks in advance Gav.

    The RE050A is an asymmetric tyre so can be swapped left to right. All asymmetric patterned tyres can be, as they are mounted in a certain way on the wheel.


    2019-12-28 - Hi I have these on my B7 RS4 but am looking for a replacement can you recommend a summer tyre I’m not looking to do track days. Many thanks.

    Michelin Pilot Sport 4S or Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport.


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    Size Price Range  
    205/45 R17 £111.74 - £138.53 (4 Prices) Compare Prices >>
    225/40 R18 £119.89 - £125.82 (2 Prices) Compare Prices >>
    225/45 R17 £103.00 - £119.39 (2 Prices) Compare Prices >>
    235/40 R18 £130.91 - £143.83 (3 Prices) Compare Prices >>
    245/45 R18 £128.35 - £154.16 (3 Prices) Compare Prices >>
    Available in 28 tyre sizes - View all.

    Top 3 Bridgestone Potenza RE050A Reviews

    Given 87% while driving a Fiat Abarth 124 Spider (205/45 R17) on mostly town for 23,612 spirited miles
    These tyres came on my car from factory when I purchased my 124 Spider brand new. I got 38k kms out of them before I replaced them with the exact same spec of tyre. Dry handling is phenomenal, wet grip is good until the tyre starts to get worn out. Had minimal wet grip and instances of aquaplaning just before I replaced them with a new set of RE050A's. Comfort is not the greatest but that is to be expected with a proper UHP tyre. Tyre cost is very pricey but it does everything you want an UHP tyre to do. I will consider other options next time as i don't believe they live up to their price but they are a good tyre.
    Helpful 18 - tyre reviewed on November 10, 2023
    Given 51% while driving a Holden (275/35 R19) on mostly country roads for 9,700 average miles
    I bought new wider rims to suit my supercharged Commodore 2012 VE SS [640 RWHP] so I could fit wider and more grippy tyres for occasional spirited driving. These tyres were recommended by Bob Jane staff. Previous tyres gave me 32,000kms. Already looking at replacing these at 9,700 km. I knew they were a softer compound but this is crazy. I'm a 60+ year old with responsible stable driving habits. Quite a harsh and noisy ride at 36psi recommended by fitter. Yes they provided significantly more dry grip and reasonable wet traction but durability trade-off just not worth it. Won't be buying again and cannot recommend. 275/35R19 100Y was version fitted.
    Helpful 32 - tyre reviewed on July 25, 2022
    Given 66% while driving a Mazda 3 MPS (215/45 R18) on a combination of roads for 30,000 spirited miles
    Good in the dry but not the best. Very poor in the wet (when pushed quite hard in the wet coming out of corners, lost front wheel traction without warning a few times which could have ended badly!). They're sporty but noisy. Changed to Goodyear as3's which were far superior.
    Helpful 20 - tyre reviewed on February 23, 2023
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    Latest Bridgestone Potenza RE050A Reviews

    Given 63% while driving a BMW 320D (225/45 R17) on mostly town for 15,000 spirited miles
    A great tyre for a average driver. Not the tyre for a person looking for max grip or max wear. Its soft but it doesn’t provide as much grip... rather go for the RE003 RFT But overall a great tyre Bridgestone’s Run Flats are the best it’s true. Quite pricey for a average tyre.
    Helpful 21 - tyre reviewed on April 22, 2022
    Given 21% while driving a BMW Z4 3.0 (225/45 R17) on a combination of roads for 10,000 average miles
    Shocking! Utterly shocking! Bought a little two seater and was shocked by the poor handling performance, the crashyness over the smallest of bumps, the dangerous cornering ability when the road was not perfect, that sound of crashing coming into the cabin was horrendous. My car had the M sport suspension and I thought it was down to that. Then someone stated I should change over to non rub flats. . . the difference is extortionary! There is no crashyness, no loud crashes into the cabin - going round corners with slightly scared road surfaces is now normal and I dont fly have to drop to very low speeds or get jolted across the other side of the road. It should be illegal to sell these tyres, they are so very dangerous in what should be a drivers car. I opted for some Michelin Primacy 4's simply for the comfort and the difference is uneblievable I cannot stress how much better these are - its like driving a completely different car
    Helpful 30 - tyre reviewed on June 28, 2021
    What to know the BEST All Season Tyres for 2024? Click to find out!
    Given 38% while driving a BMW 535d M Sport (225/45 R17) on mostly motorways for 15,000 average miles
    This was the WORST tire i have ever experienced in one of my cars! A BMW 5 series in 245/40r18 RFT If you never had better tires you may think it is good in dry, but no it isn't. In mildly wet surfaces it's MURDEROUS to say the least! I have driven cars with chinese tires that had more longitudinal and lateral grip than this tires!!! In comparison to other "medium/cheap" tires like Michelin PS3 or PS4, ContiSportContacts and Goodyear F1s, it's a ridiculously BAD tire. NEVER again
    Helpful 22 - tyre reviewed on December 11, 2020
    Given 83% while driving a Subaru Legacy 2.0GT Spec B (215/45 R18 W) on a combination of roads for 3,000 spirited miles
    The car came as a fresh import with four Bridgestone Potenza S001, for which I'll leave a separate review. However, for the purposes of comparison, I would say they had the sharpest turn-in of any tyre I've ever driven, very "sporty" and with excellent grip in both the dry & wet, although all at the exense of comfort, with a very "crashy" ride. Unfortunately, the S001 were no longer available in my slightly unusual tyre size and so I plumped for the older RE050A, which seemed a bit of a retrograde step, given the RE050A was launched in 2004 and replaced by the S001 in 2011. I'd also heard it performed better in hotter climates. Nevertheless, the S001 were so good and these RE050A would have been the OEM fitment on my Subaru, when the car was built in 2006. I needn't have worried, turn-in isn't quite as sharp, but it is still very good, with excellent dry (and more importantly) wet grip, even on cold wet UK back roads I failed to find the limit, giving me the confidence to push on regardless. And what's more, they are noticeably more compliant than the S001, giving a noticeably smoother ride, which for a performance family estate, makes for a better compromise. I don't really notice tyre noise, as I'm either cruising with the stereo on or pressing on, when the engine note takes centre stage. As for fuel consumption, I wouldn't expect my 301ps / 278lbft AWD estate to sip at the cup of economy, while I'm giving it the beans and I doubt whether a set of eco tyres would make much of a difference. My only concern at this stage is wear, as I've heard bad things and the Treadwear Rating of only 140 is half that of the S001, but so far so good. One final point, is that I've noticed most of the poor reviews seem to relate to the Run-flats.
    Helpful 25 - tyre reviewed on November 14, 2020
    Given 77% while driving a Ford Focus 2.0 S TDCi (225/45 R17) on mostly motorways for 7,000 average miles
    Bought them used with the wheels, have done one summer and no sign of wear. They are heavy and they do feel like it but when you start driving enthusiastically there is excellent communication and feedback. Traction is near excellent in tarmac and offroad. The tries (runflat version) feel very stiff and I would not recommend if you were driving constantly on bad roads. Wet grip is decent but can catch you off guard sometimes, fairly unpredictable in the rain - better take caution-. Would I buy them again? No, not that they are bad, they are very neutral, id have some other high performance summer tires from Conti or Michelin.
    Helpful 31 - tyre reviewed on May 18, 2020
    Given 74% while driving a Mazda MX5 MK3 2011 (205/45 R17 W) on a combination of roads for 20,000 spirited miles
    Had them fitted from factory, a good all rounder withnwer as the weak spot on them. I live in Cyprus so wet conditions are not a big problem.
    Helpful 27 - tyre reviewed on May 13, 2020
    Given 38% while driving a BMW 335d (225/45 R17) on a combination of roads for 4,000 average miles
    These came with my BMW 335d E92 and with them being RFT's, they ride extremely harshly. Hitting a pothole on these tyres with a 19-inch rim feels like you've just written the car off. They are very skitty over even after the smallest of bumps in corners. My 335d makes 600nm and 340hp and it wheelspins at 80mph in the wet with these on the rear. Definitely not a confidence-inspiring tyre.
    Helpful 19 - tyre reviewed on April 11, 2020
    Given 83% while driving a MG ZS (205/45 R17 V) on mostly motorways for 40,000 spirited miles
    Driven for more than 5 years all i can say is one of the best sport summer tire u can fit
    Dry/wet almost same grip very high limits and handling specially when they are pushed on the limit
    A bit hard compound but its a performance tire not comfy for everyday use.
    They lasted about 35000-40k with good grip,last 10k a bit more slippery but ok
    Would buy them again if not so expensive ..
    Helpful 26 - tyre reviewed on December 7, 2019
    Given 67% while driving a Nissan 370Z (275/35 R19) on a combination of roads for 21,700 spirited miles
    Tyres came as standard on my car. Done about 35k before it got replaced with Michelin PS2, which is quite good for performance tyres, in fact they were the longest lasting set for the car. Dry grip was there but I found I had to drive it hard to extract the grip from these tyres. In wet, these tyres were terrible when compared to other like PS2, PSS and V105 tyres I had, there was no confidence in cornering in wet and often ended in massive understeer. The RE050A were quiet though, they were less harsh than the Michelins I had probably because the Michelins had 98 and 100 loadings instead of the bridgestone's 96. They were not cheap hence I would recommend other tyres.
    Helpful 35 - tyre reviewed on October 2, 2019
    Given 77% while driving a Subaru Levorg 1.6 gt s (225/45 R18 V) on a combination of roads for 6,000 spirited miles
    Comes standard with the car and provide superb feel and handling in both dry and wet. Tire is harsh and transmit all bumps and road irregularity into the cabin, likely due to the low profile ratio. Tire wears off very fast, and less than 10K km it is at 50% or less.

    LIkely buy again, as the tires matches the car performance - almost no drama (read: boring) drive across mountainous winding road... no screeching, no sign of losing grip...
    Helpful 27 - tyre reviewed on June 6, 2019
    Given 33% while driving a BMW Z4 35i (225/45 R17) on mostly country roads for 20,000 spirited miles
    I purchased a BMW Z4 from a family relative and it was fitted with the Bridgestone Potenza RA050A run flats. The first thing I noticed was the disturbing tendency to tram line, the car was constantly fidgeting on the road. The second issue was very serious, the car would effectively slalom when pulling in after an overtake. It was terrifying! The Potenza’s fitted to the rear were new (1400 miles use) on the front they were worn with the front offside down to the legal limit.
    I took the decision to fit Goodyear F1 Asymmetric 5 tyres all round and at the same time I had a 4 wheel alignment performed. Whilst some settings were out of spec the maximum was 0.21 degrees too little camber on the left rear tyre so I don’t think this had any impact on the handling.
    The car on F1s has, quite simply, transformed. It is calming, smooth and predictable. One Z4 owner described the fitting of Bridgestone Potenza RA050A tyres to that chassis as ‘treachery’, I now agree.
    Helpful 21 - tyre reviewed on June 5, 2019
    Given 49% while driving a Citroën DS3 THP 150 (225/45 R17 W) on for 1,000 miles
    Since changing to these tyres there is a huge increase in Road Noise. Ok at speeds under 50mph, but really noticeable after that. Would I buy again..? NO
    Helpful 29 - tyre reviewed on February 12, 2019