Bridgestone Potenza Race 200tw

[ZDan]

Just discovered this option searching on 225/45-17 "Extreme Perf" tires at Tire Rack. Anybody have experience with it, how it compares to usual suspects (A052, RE71RS, RT660)?

I was about to get RT660 for lower-cost practice tires, already have A052s for time trials. But if these are faster over 3-4 laps, I'm interested...

It only comes in 3 sizes other than 225/45-17: 245/40-20 and 305/40-20 for Lamborghini, and also 265/45-20.

[Desertnate]

I don't know anything about it, but your post caught my interest because I'd never heard of this tire before.

By the sounds of things this is a brand new tire to the US. The dateline in the press release is from May 2, 2023. It mentions 13 sizes available, so it might be a while before on-hand inventory grows and people can start testing them out.

https://www.bridgestoneamericas.com/...-potenza-race#

[Ohio Enthusiast]

Interesting that they introduced RE-71RS last year and now this (after the Potenza Sport I figured they'd drop the RE-71R and start a new nomenclature (such as Race)). Based on the press release (the test details at the bottom, track longevity) it might be aimed more at endurance 200TW than the super/cheater 200TW like the RE-71RS. A shame it's so expensive, though; hard to imagine it taking the crown from the RS4 at that price point.

Hopefully TireRack and TyreReviews will test it soon.

[ZDan]

For sure I'm not going to risk +$350 over RT660 for tires that are most likely for my usage slower than A052s, 90% going to stick with original plan.

If the tire is primarily for much heavier and WAY more powerful supercars on 20" wheels, I figure it's probably not the fastest option over 3-4 laps on a 2800 lb. 228hp car...

[foshjowler]

Just looking at the tread design and sizes, it looks a lot like a PZero "whatever the supercars run" fighter. Probably a fair amount of room in that bracket that's faster than a PS4S, but not Cup 2 crazy.



On a similar note, I'm surprised manufacturers haven't caught onto the super 200tw tires. Maybe getting the tire manufacturers to commit to building them for the 8 years or whatever it is that's required of a tire that comes on a new vehicle is a difficult proposition.

[Hailwood]

The Potenza Race will be more comparable to a Pilot Sport Cup 2 than something like a Potenza RE-71RS. The Race should be really great for people that want consistency for lapping at an HPDE on something they can also drive on the streets but aren't worried about competing at autocross or TT.

GRM should be doing some comparison testing in the near future that should provide some more details.

[jflogerzi]

Look at the V730's or RS4 for more a lapping tire. I like the V730's due to consistence performance throughout the session.

[CounterSpace Garage]

Originally Posted by ZDan

For sure I'm not going to risk +$350 over RT660 for tires that are most likely for my usage slower than A052s, 90% going to stick with original plan.

If the tire is primarily for much heavier and WAY more powerful supercars on 20" wheels, I figure it's probably not the fastest option over 3-4 laps on a 2800 lb. 228hp car...

For the price point, the RT660 is quite good for practice. Would be interested to see what the community feedback is on the Potenza Race tires too, but cost benefit probably won't be similar to RT660 or V730.