Bridgestone Potenza RE050A

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

Tire review data from 212 tire reviews averaging 69% over 3,558,940 miles driven, and 7 tests with an average result of 6th.

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

First On MarketAugust 2009
Wheel Size15 - 20"
Width175 - 345mm
Profile30 - 55
Rolling ResistanceC - E
Wet GripA - C
Noise (dB)69 - 75
Winter RatingNot Winter Rated

The Potenza RE050A is ranked 62nd of 78 Summer Max Performance tires.

This tire replaced the Bridgestone Potenza RE040 and this tire has been replaced by the Bridgestone Potenza S001.

Tests Included

7

Best Result

3rd

Worst Result

10th

Average Result

6th

Latest Tire Test Results

2011 Autoreview Max Performance Summer Tire Test
8th of 9 tires
  • Quiet, reasonable handling in the dry
  • Poor wet grip, poor wet handling, low aquaplaning resistance
  • For a tire 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 tire in the wet braking test. Bridgestone have recently release the S001, and there is rumours of the S04 coming to Europe.
View Full Test >>

2015 Tire Tests

2011 Tire Tests

2010 Tire Tests

SizeFuelWetNoise
18 inch
245/45 R18 100 W XLDC71
245/45 R18 96 WEB70
20 inch
245/35 R20 95 Y XLDB72
245/35 R20 95 Y XLDB72
View All Sizes and EU Label Scores for the Bridgestone Potenza RE050A >>

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 tire, and will offer very little performance in snow or ice.


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

The Bridgestone RE050A is an asymmetric tire.


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

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 tire over the other indicated by faster wear on the left side. Being staggered I cannot swap tires front to rear to balance tire wear. Can you suggest a tire that can be swapped left to right to balance tire wear on the rear of the car. Tire size is 255/35/18 Thanks in advance Gav.

The RE050A is an asymmetric tire so can be swapped left to right. All asymmetric patterned tires 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 tire 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 $253.99 - $254.96 (2 Prices) Compare Prices >>
235/40 R18 $236.97 - $241.99 (2 Prices) Compare Prices >>
Available in 34 tire 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 tires 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 tire. Dry handling is phenomenal, wet grip is good until the tire 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 tire. Tire cost is very pricey but it does everything you want an UHP tire 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 tire.
Helpful 24 - tire 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 tires for occasional spirited driving. These tires were recommended by Bob Jane staff. Previous tires 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 42 - tire 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 26 - tire 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 tire for a average driver. Not the tire 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 tire Bridgestone’s Run Flats are the best it’s true. Quite pricey for a average tire.
Helpful 27 - tire 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 tires, 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 36 - tire reviewed on June 28, 2021
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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 31 - tire 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 tire 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 tire 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 tire 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 tires 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 33 - tire 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 42 - tire 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 33 - tire 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 tires 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 tire.
Helpful 28 - tire 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 36 - tire 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
Tires came as standard on my car. Done about 35k before it got replaced with Michelin PS2, which is quite good for performance tires, 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 tires. In wet, these tires were terrible when compared to other like PS2, PSS and V105 tires 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 tires.
Helpful 45 - tire 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 38 - tire 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 tires 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 tire 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 tires to that chassis as ‘treachery’, I now agree.
Helpful 33 - tire 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 tires there is a huge increase in Road Noise. Ok at speeds under 50mph, but really noticeable after that. Would I buy again..? NO
Helpful 38 - tire reviewed on February 12, 2019