Bridgestone Potenza RE-71RS vs Yokohama Advan A052: We have covered the semi-slick track day tires segment quite a bit with the introduction of Bridgestone Potenza Race & also the Bridgestone Potenza RE-71RS. We made a comparison between the newly launched Potenza RE-71RS and its predecessor to show the improvement gains of the new product. Now the real test begins as we will put the Potenza RE-71RS against its strongest segment competitor, Yokohama Advan A052. We will go through both wet & dry surfaces with various objective & subjective tests while also including the comfort test. Advan A052 was launched in 2016 and has been an ever present competitor in the track day segment. In the meantime Potenza RE-71RS was recently launched in North America this year 2022 replacing the highly popular Potenza RE-71R.
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Results
Results below were taken from the tire rack’s “Testing Extreme Performance Summer Tires 2022” test. A total of 4 tires were tested this time around in Tire Rack’s own proving ground. The graph below shows the comparison between Bridgestone Potenza RE-71RS vs Yokohama Advan A052 based on the relevant performance category. The Potenza RE-71RS was set as a reference hence at the 100% mark. Note that for subjective comfort evaluation, we equate 1 point as 5%. Hence for example if tire A is graded 7 while tire B is graded 6, A is better than B by 5%.
As both tires are mainly focused on track performances, the dry performance naturally takes dominance over the wet. However as this is a street legal tire, it is also crucial to know how your wet performance is as you never know when you need it. The tire size of interest is a 225/45R17 which is a common size for Audi A3 and Hyundai Elantra. You can check out our latest tire size table for more information. The testing vehicle of choice was the 2022 Subaru BRZ Limited
Dry
When it comes down to track day performance tires, you immediately connect to a picture of a “racing car” driving at the limit on a race track. This is exactly what these tires are all about, they are trying to optimize their dry track performances while balancing the wet legal trade off. Advan A052 has an advantage in dry baking as it managed to out brake Potenza RE-71RS by 1.8 feet (0.54m). This distance is huge as every braking point in the lap accumulates over a race not to mention it will also enable better overtaking opportunities.
Similar trend transcended in the dry handling area as Advan A052 was delivering a much faster lap time (-0.44 seconds) compared to Potenza RE-71RS. Both tires scored almost the same in subjective with a rating 8.8/10 but as usual when you look closer the devil is in the detail. Based on the driver’s feedback Advan A052 was “easy to drive and its lateral grip was outstanding which allowed the driver to concentrate more on accelerating. This was proven subsequently as Advan A052 achieved the best lap times among the competition. Potenza RE-71RS feedback was slightly worse than Advan A052 with the driver commenting “The steering was precise, linear, and had a great feel, though it didn’t have the immediate response that helps when trying to set ultra-low lap times around our track”
Overall coupled with good dry braking & subjective handling results, Advan A052 has a clear advantage on a dry track in comparison with Potenza RE-71RS.
Advan A052 :
- +2.5% in dry braking
- +0.2% in dry handling (subj)
- +1.5% in dry handling (lap time)
Wet
The friction of coefficient of the tire/road dramatically decreases in wet roads compared to dry roads. Hence it is more likely to get into a road accident during wet conditions rather than on a sunny day. It was so important that the EU label has wet braking as one of its three criteria. With regards to our comparison, Potenza RE-71RS had the lead in wet braking by stopping 1.5 feet (0.45m) earlier than Advan A052.
While in wet handling, things were a bit closer as Potenza RE-71RS was 0.33 faster compared to Advan A052. For the subjective rating, Potenza RE-71RS was rated with a 8.5/10 points compared to a 8.35/10 of Advan A052. Overall in the wet category, Potenza RE-71RS has a slight advantage in wet performances.
Advan A052 :
- -1.5% in wet braking
- -0.7% in wet handling (subj)
- -1% in wet handling (lap time)
Noise/Comfort/Ride Quality
Ride comfort, noise & comfort was tested and both the tires were quite equally matched. Advan A052 came out slightly ahead at 6.92/10 rating compared to the 6.81/10 rating of Potenza RE-71RS.
Advan A052 :
- +0.6% in average of Noise, Comfort & Ride Quality.
Price
Both tires were priced relatively close to each other with Advan A052 costing only 7 dollars more than Potenza RE-71RS
Tire size: 225/45R17
Potenza RE-71RS: $231
Advan A052: $238
Difference: +3% more expensive for Advan A052.
Summary
Looking into the overall package, Advan A052 excels clearly in dry performances as it was the best in dry braking & dry handling. Potenza RE-71RS on the other hand had a slight edge in wet performances against the Advan A052. If you are looking for an all out track day tire with absolute dry performance, Advan A052 is clearly your best choice !