Owners of the Bridgestone Potenza S001 RFT most consistently praise long tread life, supported by numerous mid-life and end-of-life accounts. Dry grip divides opinion, with more praise than criticism but little agreement on outright ability. Noise and wet grip are each criticised by roughly two in five owners, while a similar share finds the ride harsh. Some report good wet-road confidence, but they are clearly outnumbered by those describing limited traction in damp or rainy conditions. Steering feedback attracts a smaller group of favourable comments, and the repeat reviews do not establish a consistent change with age.
What owners mention most counted across 57 reviews
I found these tires gave a soft ride, but wore quickly. The dry grip was not fantastic at the end of their lifespan but wet grip should be the talking point here because these are the only tires where I lost control of my car in the wet. After this I have viewed these tires very poorly - sure the accident could have resulted from other factors but its hard to rule out the tires entirely.
57%
Member
BMW
225/45 R17
15,000 miles
Mostly Town
Spirited
Comfort , noise and road feedback , rolling are ok, dry grip is average. Wet grip is the weak side, I use Bmw and Dsc always on with this tyres on wet when accelerate. Otherthan that average tyre.
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Excellent tyre on RFT. Had mixed dimensions 225/40/R19 front and 255/35/R19 rear and running on very hot climate (Dubai). Tyre is perfect as factory fitted choice of this car, super dry grips, comfortable and not noisy. Coming for a long experience of RFT tyres with BMW cars, I wondered initially if this was an RFT tyre, but, big BUT: Make sure you have the exact pressures as recommended. Nothing more, nothing less. Expect to replace the soon though, 25,000KMS is the most you can do with them..
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Researching the Bridgestone Potenza S001 RFT? Rate the tyres you actually drive - and help the next buyer choose.
R56 Mini Cooper S - Australian roads. I'm a spirited driver in this go-kart. All tyres are different on each and any car - so many variables, country you drive in, weight, size, car set up, country of manufacture etc. That said I had put these run flats on to replace the last two the noisy factory tyres (which I happily forget now) after they had worn. I hated run flats - what a scam I use to think. Until now.
I haven't looked back with the Potenza - quieter, nice feedback (no understeer) and they run great in the wet - even the BMW dealer service guy said for the money, these are what you want to run a Mini Cooper S on.
They have also dropped in price in the past 2 years now - 2014 (about 250 AUD), much less expensive from the factory which were about 150 AUD more than the Potenzas.
I love em'.
I won't bother taking the car to the snow - the Mini is too low and has no business in those conditions - so omit that point of view for them. My gut says they would suck anyway. Shop around - some guys will make you think that these are an expensive tyre... they're not for what you get.
No silver bullet tyre out there - I don't expect long life they grip to good and just broke in at 1500K in winter/spring, it's early days yet. fingers crossed.
Previously had Bridgestone ER300s followed by Yokohama ADVAN Sport. The S001s are way better than either of those. Far better grip in both wet and dry conditions (not tried snow yet though). Slightly better feel (though none are particularly brilliant). I'm impressed with the wet weather feel as that seems a lot more confidence inspiring than the previous tyres. only done 3000 miles but wear seems good and they look to be lasting as well as the previous tyres (around 15k each). Would I buy again? They would be top of my list along with any newer models of course.
Comfort and noise aren't too bad though still not quite on par with a conventional tyre.
Dry grip is good but this deteriorates noticeably in the wet with a lack of front end grip in particular. Feedback and steering feel are both pretty average.
Too early to tell on wear yet but they look to be very durable - not sure if thats a good or bad thing.
Overall an improvement on previous generation Bridgestone RFTs but still no match for conventional rubber.
Will be replacing all 4 tyres with non RFT Goodyears or similar when the rears need changing.
Early days yet with a BMW 320d Sportline. Noted comment about the wheel alignment being a critical factor and that it should only be done by BMW as they use a special method to set up. Also noted that Michelin are allowing repair of their ZR RFT (only one repair) so this could be an option to go for in the future
I just installed the S001 RFT in my BMW 330D coupe. I had before Bridgestone RE050A in the front and Dunlop in the rear and it used to be nothing but uncomfortable ride and really bad grip (dry and wet). Now with S001 in 4 wheels it is like night and day. I have the feeling I have a new car. The feeling is like the conventional wheels and the grip is just AWESOME. I can't tell about wear since they have about 300 Kms only.
Generation 3 RFT Tyres fitted to my new BMW 125D - 218bhp & 450nm torque. Very good grip in both dry and wet, the wet grip on these tyres are outstanding allowing me to push much harder on corners. Used on both motorway & country roads. Currently have 6.8mm remaining on the rear with 7250 miles covered indicating around 15-18k before needing to be replaced! Very Impressive tyre and will definately be buying again!
