Bridgestone Potenza RE050A

Great performance tyres that grip the road in any weather – ...when on Potenzas the car will feel like it’s gripping the road with a vengeance - haha. The difference is that tyres like Eco EPs or Michelin XMs are a harder compound i.e. they roll better, last longer - but rely on special tread patterns etc. for grip. The Potenzas on the other hand are performance tyres designed for great grip under a… Read more

variety of circumstances - but because their grip eats up rubber, they wear out faster than Eco EPs or XMs.

Pumping Potenzas 3-4psi higher than usual can help them last longer the Bridgestone chaps’ll tell you exactly how much pressure to use - I’ve seen people pump’em up to 45psi for Holden Commodores. For example for a 3.5L V6 Accord around 40psi should do the trick.

Keep in mind that with tyres, it is always a trade-off between grip/performance and high mileage/long life.

If you drive around gently in the city mostly, then consider Michelin XMs, Primacy 3 STs or Primacy 4s. The Primacys are a good compromise between performance and mileage with the 4s being pretty awesome. So are the Bridgestone Turanzas and Eco EPs.

However, if you tend to swing your Accord V6 or other sporty car around corners, want good performance in rain and expect braking performance, then the Potenzas are amazing - just use a higher tyre pressure than you would for the others.

Happy driving!

Great Grip! Not so great wear – The RE050A's were standard equipment on my car brand new. I bought it second-hand though (and with four different brands of tyres on each corner). After about four months of ownership, I put the Potenza's back on. Man! The performance was indescribable. The grip at each corner meant this car felt like it was travelling on rails. Slow down in wet… Read more

weather? Nope, I don't think so! Easily able to do 110km/h with 110% confidence.

The only time the tyres didn't come good was on the Sturt Highway between Narrandera and Hay, after a massive downpour and a good two inches of water on the road. But then again, the only vehicles doing the signposted limit were super-heavy B-double trucks and proper 4WDs.

I've never taken this car to a track, and my driving style isn't what you'd describe as exuberant - so you can imagine my surprise when I was told last week, I need four new ones. That was only after 22,000kms! The outer walls are completely smooth.

When I bought them in 2014, the RE050's were around $400/tyre. Now my circumstances are different, and $1200 for four tyres is completely unaffordable.

So, the two critical questions are:

1) Would I recommend these tyres to a friend? Yes, absolutely! These tyres are phenomenally good!

2) Would I buy them again, with my own money? If money was no object, then yes. That said money is a major roadblock, so unfortunately, the next set of tyres to go on my car will not be these.

Bridgestone Potenza RE050 – A great tyre with very low road noise levels I found the tyres on the rear did not last longer than 30,000 Klms but, the front lasted a lot longer not sure why.

Great tyres – Great grip wet and dry, much better than the pilot sport 4s my car came with. (MK8 Fiesta ST ) Much quieter more grip and cheaper. Cant comment on life only had them for a few hundred ks Show details

Performance yes everyday use no – Got these on my stock standard bmw 120i makes minimal noise and very grippy. Not that great in rain and mileage isn’t as great as my Kumhos, if you are looking for performance these are great but for A to B driving maybe something with more tread. Show details

Great Customer Service – Had a blow on original Tyre on M1 motorway, so had to replace all 4 with new Bridgestone and totally satisfied with the product and service. Have gone in for third Tyre rotation with no hassles and quick turn around. Show details

Great all-rounder but pricey – These tyres came as OEM spec on a VF Commodore in 245/45R18. They have heaps of grip, good in wet weather (a big priority for me) and road noise is decent. I had to change the rears at 74k due to a flat tyre but they still had at least another 10k of tread left which is excellent. They were maintained at 38-40PSI. Overall a very good tyre. However they are expensive, was quoted $250ea. Show details

Great Tyres for performance Cars – 1. Great performance tyre. Grips very well under all conditions (in Australia) straight line or corners, dry or wet. Even when it starts to lose grip you can feel it gradually sliding and easy to control. Stops well. 2. As mentioned by other reviewers the wear is not so good due to the soft compound. Noise is not an issue. If you wish to get… Read more

more mileage from your tyres and you drive more sedately, then this is not a tyre for you.

3. 19" low profile tyre is expensive compared to other brands. Later in the car life I changed to a 'harder' tyre with slightly lesser grip and 60% of the Bridgestone tyre price.

Expensive - low wear – Drive same as any other tyre on any other car..we just drive highways etc..not hard in a 2010 BMW waggon Durable - that is not a word I'd use for the 255/40r17 94w bs re050a rear wheel tyres we have to use. They wear out before 30K, even with a wheel alignment as recommended after 10K use. That cost $65. Made no difference..at $345 a tyre and two need to be replaced each time. This lot lasted 27K. that's expensive driving.  Show details

Disappointing OEM tyres – This is my second set of BS RE050A as standard factory fitted tyres. Yes they are grippy on the road but that’s about it. They wear quicker than every tyre I’ve tried except the Kuhmo KU36. They pick up fatal screws, nails and bolts more frequently and are just not worth the price tag. There are much better performing, wearing and more bulletproof quality tyres available on the market than the RE050A, sorry Bridgestone.  Show details

Great for Mountain runs! – Absolutely love this tyre in all conditions and have given them a good/ hard run. Car hugs tight corners, even in the wet or loose ground. Long lasting, have had mine for over a year and they wear evenly with proper upkeep. Great pricing at Bob Jane (Buy 3 and 1 free)!  Show details

Good quality tyre for a fast four passenger vehicle – This tyre may not have the tightest traction off the mark, but it handles beautifully in wet weather and around corners. Highway travel is smooth and it is well matched for a 150-200kW performance vehicle. These are modestly durable tyres but they do show some signs of wear after only 5,000km of mostly gentle driving.  Show details

Very happy with this brand and model – I've got a Q60 Infiniti car and these tyres came with the car originally but 3 years ago I've changed it to another Bridgestone model which wasn't as good so a few months ago I've purchased this model again and it's wearing and handling very well, my experience shows that it's better to stick what came with your car in the first place as an original part of the car.  Show details

delaminating – 10000ks rear tyres worn out front tyres delaminating bridgestone says must be my fault never had problems with tyres before I'm 73 yrs old don't think I'm hooning,now looking for new tyres need help as if you read the reviews TODAYS tyres are all bad oh for the old days had a set of klebers on v8 ute did 160000 klms  Show details

Second Set for the Mazda 6 – Just replaced original set of 215/50R17 RE050A at 67000Km and just on the tread wear limit. I must admit though I don't drive them too hard and kept the pressures all at 36psi. Would have managed longer life if increased tyre pressure a bit more as wear is mostly on the outside of all tyres. An absolute amazing tyre in the wet and very quiet.… Read more

Would have to be the best I've ever owned. My new RE050A are currently pumped to 45psi as that is the pressure Bridgestone has put in them. So far I'm finding the ride and handling better again with the extra pressure.

Great tyre – These tyres are both grippy and have excellent wet weather capability. Sydney roads after a hot spell turn to ice levels of slippery after the first rain. The times I see people sitting on slopes wheels spinning! With the Bridgestone Potenzas I don't get any slip even with a fair amount of power I have in my V8 Commodore. Having had some… Read more

cheaper tyres on previously I would not choose any other tyre than this now. Its standard spec on a new Commodore and provides excellent traction.

As one of the most critical pieces of the car (i.e. the bit that touches the ground) it does not pay to be cheap and these tyres are in my opinion the ones to go for full stop.

Outstanding – The potenza is very durable it's a smooth ride it's excellent on taking corners especially on the race track it with handles bigspeeds stops on a dime grips very well on the road the racetrack surface is very good as well holds pressure in the tires the sidewalls are very strong outstanding stability  Show details

30,000km travelled and many more kilometres left – I fitted a set of VF SV6 wheels with Bridgestone RE050A tyres, with delivery kilometres travelled only, onto my VE in May last year. 30,000km later and I am very satisfied with their performance. I do a lot of driving for my work commute, about 40,000km a year - a lot of it is highway and 100km/h B roads. I neither been let down yet, nor have I… Read more

encountered or exceeded the limitations of these tyres. I've only noted minor wear to the middle area of one pair so far, and I generally keep them at 40psi.

I project that I will see at least 50,000km out of these tyres, and if that eventuates, I will be happy with that. Its not the most that I have seen out of a set (I did get 65,000km out of a set of Federal Formoza FD2s I bought for my old TJ Magna) but I'll consider that I got my money's worth out of them.

Great tyres with plenty of grip – I recently purchased a second-hand '15 Redline from a dealership, and the car came with the RE050A's. The car is nearly at 60,000 kilometres and the tyres were replace 10,000 kilometres ago, so the tread is nearly at 100%. The grip is monumental around corners, I feel as if I could push the car a lot harder if I wanted/needed to. Obviously in the… Read more

wet it's more fun to be sideways but when driving in the rain I still feel safe and comfortable. Judging by the tread wear, the tyres are going to have a long life on the car, and so far they have been doing extremely well.

Great Tyres – These tires grip and last well considering the performance. I have these on 2 cars at the moment. I have bought other brands by mistake or if I am selling a car, but always come back to Bridgestone. Some say these are noisy but I disagree, I enjoy driving and like to know what is going on around me. I find these quiet enough, some of the worst tyres I have had have been very quiet but given no grip or feedback.  Show details

They work well – Have them on a Holden Redline V8 in 19 inch and they suit the car. Went from RE050 to Toyo and now back to RE050. They cost more but the rear end holds on much better. They are quite sticky and soft in the rubber compound so don't have a long life but they do stick to the road which is the most important thing for me with a big bore rear wheel drive V8.  Show details

Great performer, good value when on sale – I purchased a set for my SS Commodore Wagon, price-beating at Kmart Tyre & Auto while Bridgestone had their buy-3-get-4th-free promotion. These are factory fitted to the MY17 and I like sticking with stock tyres when they're decent value - they seem to be pretty long-wearing if I behave myself when driving, and the wet & dry grip, straight-line or cornering, is excellent!  Show details

Bridgestone tyres – Have found these Bridgestone Potenza tyres to be good wearing with a good looking tread pattern. Previous Goodyear tyres seemed to be less satisfactory. Seemed to wear a little unevenly. Will keep buying Bridgestone tyres for the present. Have used Yokohamas and Michelins and found them good also even though they are more expensive.  Show details

Good honest tyre – Had Yokohamas on previously, which were quite loud. We drive fairly sedately, so can't give absolute review on wet or dry performance, but seems to be good handling in all areas, much quieter than Yokohamas and beautiful balance and ride on freeway, steering wheel shows no vibration or movement at any speed. Run tyres at 39 psi. Only real… Read more

criticism, considering the way we drive, 40,000 km seems a bit early to wear out for an reasonably expensive tyre

Try another Manufacturer – 32000km and was told after the service new tyres were needed as just on the legal tread limit. I drive the car very sedately. I the dry excellent, Wet easily looses traction with minimal acceleration. I would have expected greater longevity after reading some of the other reviews??????????. These are the brand and type as fitted new. Thinking a bit or research before I replace these. From what I have read so far Michellin look promising.  Show details

i currently have these tyres on my 2016 Mazda 3 2.0L sedan – I like these tyres. I think they grip well in the wet and they look quite stylish. I would have to say though that the only downside I will have to say, is they are somewhat noisy on less than ideal road surfaces (I do a lot of country driving) I have been driving now in my new car for almost a year and the tyres are still in excellent condition,… Read more

so I am hoping to get at least another year or two out of them. I haven't had to replace them yet, so I will wait to see how long they last. Overall I am satisfied with their performance level.

Disappointed Dissatisfied – My VE SV6 came with Bridgestone Potenza 245/45 R18 tyres after only 27k kms all four tyres needed replacing, wouldn't buy these tyres again, low durability. I found these tyres ok to drive on but economically they wore down alot quicker than other tyres in the same quality & price range.  Show details

Shop at easter – Just bought a replacement set of Potenza RE050a awz 245/45/18 for our VE SV6. Original set did 72000ks, great handling wet or dry, long wearing, reasonably quiet tyre so I could recommend these for a similar vehicle. Bridgestone Easter special was $239ea and if you buy 4 you get 1 free, absolute bargain if you ask me for a quality tyre. Hope this helps.  Show details

Pay a little extra – These are great all weather tires. I replaced a cheap set of of Dayton with these and the difference in grip particularly in the wet. No more under-steering or spinning wheel when on an incline of the lights. Well worth the extra odd $70 per tire. I have had one flat on them, but it was an obvious puncture. So far wear seems even, but can't comment on mileage as we don't do huge KM's per year.  Show details

Great Tyres - I have them on 2 cars – Very happy with them. They came with both my cars from new and have replaced with these again as the tyres have worn and wife and I have wrecked tyres etc. Great in dry and wet - can't understand comments on noise, these are a more performance based tyre and would be expected to be a little more aggressive. I would rate the RE003 as slightly… Read more

better at this price point but I have replaced 2 at a time so want to match the tyres around the cars. Have used other brands but keep coming back to the Bridgestone Potenza range, as they are the best for Australia and my style of driving. These were a revelation after the Dunlop Direzzas DZ102 which I put on another car and were memorably the absolute worst of all I have tried for many years - almost nil grip anywhere (lethally bad) but lasted forever (nil wear from nil grip). Worse than the BlueStreak Chinese items I had on my Adventra a few years ago. I have reviewed these tyres seperately.

High wear – I have had these tyres size 235/45 R18 for just under 2 years and have done 28,000 Km. Tread is now worn down to legal level. I drive a family wagon not a race car. Expected better wear than that for $255 each tyre, current price at Tempe Tyres in Sydney.  Show details

Purchased my third set for my VF SS Redline Ute – I purchased my VF-SSVR Ute from the factory with RE050A fitted 245/40/19 front 275/35/19 rear. First set travelled 60,000 km. Second set still going at 45,000 km. My mechanic told me last week my rears will need replacing next service (10,000 km). Fronts at least 15,000 km to go. So 60,000 km again. Today I purchased my third full set because… Read more

they're on special for $1,200.00. That's $300 each incl. Gst. I haven't fitted them yet but I feel like going to a secluded spot and smoking up the rears just because I don't wish to wait any longer. I'm no Sunday driver either. Have taken her up to Red-line many times. The G-forces experienced when taking corners are intense. These tyres are so good for high speed cornering in the dry, unbelievable in the wet, Holden even installed a G-Force reader as standard. This has to be telling you something about these tyres??? All i can say to those 1 star rating folk is learn how to drive properly or look for a new tyre service centre that can balance and align you tyres correctly. If you want to drive over pot holes, then buy a 4 wheel drive. Noise??? The only noise I ever hear is when I'm stopped and open the car door to get out. You would swear it was a limousine when driving along. Not one puncture to talk about either..

Efficient friendly service. Tyres as expected. Would highly recommend. Thank you Show details