Bridgestone Potenza S-02 Sizes & review

6
634

Bridgestone S-02 and Potenza S-02 tires are Max Performance Summer tires developed for high performance sports cars, coupes and sedans. Developed for Original Equipment use on selected Aston Martin, BMW, Ferrari, Honda, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche vehicles, they were designed to combine responsive and predictable handling with exceptional levels of traction. Bridgestone S-02 and Potenza S-02 tires are tuned for dry and wet conditions, but like all summer tires are not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice.

Bridgestone S-02 and Potenza S-02 tires feature Bridgestone’s UNI-T (Ultimate Network of Intelligent Tire Technology) that uses design, construction and tread compound features to enhance tire performance.

Bridgestone S-02 and Potenza S-02 tires feature a directional tread design with high-angle, lateral tread grooves aligned to effectively pump water from under the tire’s footprint to the sides to minimize hydroplaning. The resulting long tread blocks and continuous center rib molded of a high-grip tread compound provide responsive handling, high-speed stability and traction.

Their internal structures include twin steel belts reinforced by a spirally wrapped cap ply combined with spirally wrapped belt edge strips to minimize weight while stabilizing the tread area to enhancing handling and high-speed capability. The polyester or rayon cord body incorporates a wire reinforced hard rubber sidewall filler to help blend ride quality with handling stability.

SIZEUTQGMAX.
LOAD
Max. Inflation PressureTread DepthTire WeightRim Width RangeMeas. Rim WidthSect. WidthTread WidthOverall Diam.Revs. Per Mile
205/55ZR16
91W
140 A A1,279 lbs44 psi10/32"21 lbs5.5-7.5"6"7.8"6.5"25"833
225/50ZR16
92W
140 A A1,389 lbs44 psi10/32"25 lbs6-8"7"8.7"8.1"24.7"843

6 COMMENTS

  1. I was in a bind and had to get a set while traveling and these turned out to be the best I’ve had so far. The rears lasted 20K before wearing out, I failed to watch the front end and let the alignment slip and ruined the fronts. I’m beting I could have gotten another 10-20 on the fronts. They are very squirelly in the rain so you drive slower. On dry roads I’ve pushed corners at very high speeds with no problems.

  2. The S-02 is my choice for the ultimate dry weather weekend tire on (early) AP1 S2000s – These tires really show their stuff on tight, down hill, off camber corners where other Max Performance tires succumb to G forces and the S-02s will still turn in! Their mostly closed tread pattern is great for dry traction but quite poor for wet surfaces, changing to treacherous once the the tread is half worn or more (don’t even think about snow)- The soft tread compound (UTQG 140) provides confidence inspiring controllable slip even on slightly sandy or soiled pavement edges typically found on canyon roads – Regarding wear, I got around 11,000 miles out of my first set, which makes these very expensive tires for commuting or running errands so if your S2000 isn’t a dedicated week end tuner, you probably don’t want this tire! Fast wear is only partially the fault of the S-02s tires as the large amounts of rear toe specified for this car contribute significantly – The unusually wide tread of the 225/50WR16 OEM rears and fairly narrow tread of the 205/55WR16 OEM fronts makes substitution of other tire brands / models difficult without upsetting the S2K handling balance unless the (late) AP2 S2000 rear sway bar is substituted as well – The 17 inch RE-050 tires used on later S2000s are probably a better compromise between wear and performance, but provide slightly less performance – If you can allot your AP1 S2000 to weekend use only, the S-02 tires offer great performance while not costing (over the life of the car) much more than upgrading tires, wheels and sway bars to the AP2 configuration!

  3. I am going on my third set, get 10,000 – 11,000 miles, then you notice the rear end starting go loose grip. There is no rotation, different sizes and tread design is only one way. I figure Honda put them on the S2000 for a reason.I only drive the car in summers, 2001, 21,000K miles. Could not be a daily driver tire though, so if your putting those on this car, your taking the car down a level or two on performance, unless you change them out for a weekend on the track which people actually burn a pair in a weekend. Price has seem to come down over the years, thought they were around a grand for four, maybe with mounting, balancing landfill charges, it will come out to that. Could barely make it up what I call a somewhat flat driveway in a wet snow. It does what it is designed to do!

  4. These tires replaced a set of Pirelli P Zero Nero’s that I had on my ’91 Carrera 4 Cabriolet for 200 miles. The car once again rides and handles the way it should. I have not driven in the rain so I’ll reserve comment on that until I do.

  5. Great tire for handling and traction, balanced well and have had many good comments on appearance. This tire does very well for what it was designed for. Probably not good on wet ice or snow but, hey, you aren’t going to use them for that. I don’t drive in ice or snow.

  6. A waste of money for a “max performance tire”. The tires give me terrible traction in wet or dry conditions. The rear end of my car constantly slides out, and just an overall unstable tire.

Leave a Reply to 2002 Honda S2000 Cancel reply

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here