As the overall performance capabilities of today’s max performance summer tires continue to evolve to higher levels, tire engineers must constantly develop new technologies and manufacturing methods in an effort to expand the performance envelope of their tires. Creating technology that allows tires to perform under the extremes found in the highest levels of racing is one way many tire manufactures develop and test new ways of improving "street" tire performance.
With the introduction of the Potenza S-03 Pole Position (replacing the Potenza S-02 Pole Position), Bridgestone has combined the advancements learned from producing their race-winning Potenza Racing Rain tire used by many of the top Formula One teams with technology already found in some of their other road-going tires. Bridgestone Potenza Racing Rain tires helped carry Michael Schumacher to victory at the inaugural 2000 U.S. Grand Prix held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and to the 2000 Overall Driver’s Championship. The technology that gives Formula One drivers like Michael the confidence to drive in the rain at speeds approaching 200 miles per hour is also designed to improve the tires we drive on everyday.
To get a better understanding of how the Bridgestone Potenza S-03 Pole Position benefits from Formula One tire technology, Tire Rack conducted a Real World Road Ride and Performance Test Track Drive, comparing the Potenza S-03 Pole Position to the Michelin Pilot Sport and the Pirelli P Zero Rosso Assimetrico, two of the latest and most advanced designs in the max performance category. We used 225/45R17 sized tires mounted on 17x8 wheels fitted to three 2000 BMW E46 chassis 328ci coupes. During our evaluation, we were able to compare the three tires’ ride and handling characteristics on the road, as well as in both wet and dry conditions on the test track.
The Potenza S-03 Pole Position tire shares numerous technologies with Bridgestone’s current Formula One Racing Rain tires. They both begin with the Computer Optimized Component System (CO-CS) which is a comprehensive tire design method that combines tread profiles, casing shapes, materials and manufacturing methods to improve handling in dry and wet conditions. CO-CS also includes molding technologies which provide Consistent Surface Contact (CSC) for more uniform tread block contact pressure to help enhance performance while it reduces irregular tread wear. Better tire uniformity and roundness is achieved with Bridgestone’s continuous strand bead wire (O-Bead), intended to provide improved stability and steering response.
The tire’s outwardly simple, directional tread design incorporates several complex elements in its design to enhance wet weather capability. Tread block shapes are optimized to slice through and direct water from under the contact patch into the tire’s circumferential grooves, and Hydro Evacuation Surface (H.E.S.) design on appropriate tread elements helps keep the water moving efficiently to combat hydroplaning in deep water. The Potenza S-03 Pole Position also benefits from Bridgestone’s UNI-T AQII (Ultimate Network of Intelligent Technology Advanced Quality - second generation) and Super Extended Performance Optimization (Super EPO) tread compounds, which help reduce the effect of aging on a tire’s wet grip. Two layers of special tread compounds are molded together, allowing the second, higher wet grip layer to be exposed in the tire’s continuous center rib when new, gradually becoming exposed on the majority of the tire’s tread surface as the tire wears. This unique design helps reduce the impact of aging and reduced tread depth on the tire’s ability to grip the road surface in the wet.
On the road, the Potenza S-03 Pole Position provided a good blend of road comfort and responsive handling, appropriate for the max performance tire category. Although not compared side-by-side, the new tire road noise levels and ride comfort of the S-03 Pole Position seemed to lose a little ground vs. its predecessor, the Potenza S-02 Pole Position.
The sporting nature of the Potenza S-03 Pole Position’s road manners was evident on the test track. In the dry, the S-03 Pole Position offered a good combination of overall grip and responsiveness and was highly praised for its composure and exceptional grip under braking at the threshold of wheel lockup, giving it the slight lead in dry lap times. In the wet, the Potenza S-03 Pole Position really showed its stuff, providing a level of driver confidence under cornering and braking (and quickest lap times) that just wasn’t attainable with the other tires in this test.
The Pilot Sport features a directional tread design that combines a continuous circumferential center rib with a V-shaped directional tread pattern (tires of 275 millimeters of section width and wider feature a slightly different W-shaped tread pattern). The continuous center rib improves steering response and road feel, while the high-angle, lateral grooves reduce tire noise and efficiently evacuate water from under the contact patch to enhance wet traction and resist hydroplaning.
Internally, the tread is supported by two belts reinforced by spirally-wrapped nylon cord utilizing Michelin’s BAZ (Banded At Zero) Technology to improve quick steering response and resist tread distortion while it enhances ride quality and high speed durability. Ultra-reinforced sidewalls promote powerful cornering, while Michelin’s cable beads help maintain the tire’s shape to improve tire and wheel uniformity.
On the road, the Pilot Sport received good marks for real world ride comfort, noise comfort and handling.
On the track in the dry, the Pilot Sport showed crisp response on initial turn-in, but was willing to understeer slightly when pushed to the limit. The Pilot Sport ran lap times equivalent to the other tires. In the wet, the Pilot Sport’s tread design and silica-enhanced compound provided good traction and responsiveness, matching the average lap times of the Pirelli P Zero Rosso Assimetrico, but could not equal the performance of the Bridgestone Potenza S-03 Pole Position.
The P Zero Rosso Asimmetrico tires are designed to combine maximum performance with high-speed capability, good ride qualities and exceptional noise comfort.
Already awarded Original Equipment fitment status on some of the world’s most exotic performance vehicles, the P Zero Rosso Asimmetrico tires use silica and aramid enhanced tread compounds to provide lower rolling resistance in the dry, better grip in the wet and higher performance during extreme driving conditions. Their asymmetric tread design is supported by lightweight three-strand steel belts that are reinforced to provide more high speed stability and durability while reducing tire weight and enhancing ride quality. Single-wire beads are carefully wound into a "diamond" shape to provide a uniform distribution of tension from the wheel to the tire as the vehicle drives, resulting in a comfortable tire that performs.
On the road, the P Zero Rosso Asimmetrico was praised for its ride comfort and low noise level (the best of the three tires) while providing real world handling that’s appropriate for the max performance category.
On the track, the P Zero Rosso Asimmetrico tires also showed why they’ve earned their place in the max performance category. In the dry, they provided predictable handling, but required the driver’s full attention to maximize performance when driven at the limit, running equivalent dry track lap times. In the wet, the P Zero Rosso Asimmetrico’s level of grip and handling generated lap times that were even with the Michelin Pilot Sport, but could not provide the ultimate grip or driver confidence of the Potenza S-03 Pole Position.
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