Bridgestone Potenza S007A

Our resident tyre reviewer gives his verdict on Bridgestone’s new high-performance tyre, which succeeds the Potenza S001.

- Dr Andre Lam

THE S007A is the evolution of Bridgestone’s S001 flagship tyre.

Like many of today’s ultra high-performance (UHP) tyres, the S007A has a five-rib, four-channel design. The lateral sipings that help drainage give the S007A a characteristic “Bridgestone look”.

More than that, these sipings have been designed with a degree of block interlocking to increase block stability and resistance to feathering, while still maintaining good drainage.

In fact, all of the tread edges have a gentle rounding that make the tyre appear worn even when it is new. This is a very important factor for tread block optimising to ensure high levels of grip and durability.

The tread belt and sidewalls are very stiff due to the extra Kevlar inserts in its bead seat that extend partway up the sidewall.

Dry Performance: 10/10

Bridgestone claims hugely improved dry performance and it is no exaggeration.

Though we expected performance to be good, the S007A surprised us with how much more it delivers. One needs to try really hard to reach the limits and break its phenomenal grip.

Cornering grip is well into the realm of track-day tyres. For a street tyre, this is indeed very impressive.