Bridgestone Potenza Sport is an Ultra-High Performance asymmetric summer tire, presented by the Japanese tire maker as its new flagship model in 2020. The tire combines Bridgestone’s pioneering spirit and expertise in high performance tires with extensive market research to keep drivers in control while unlocking the performance of their vehicle. The Bridgestone Potenza Sport, which came to replace the Potenza S001 model, represents a new standard in premium, high-end sports performance, providing best-in-class performance in the dry supported by a premium wet package, says Bridgestone. This tire meets the expectations drivers have in high performance tires, while also addressing the everyday challenges they face. The geometry of the Potenza Sport tread pattern with deep circumferential grooves (for better water evacuation), as well as massive ribs and tread blocks, ensures maximum grip on the road. The tire’s tread design applies several new cutting-edge technologies, including innovative 3D sipes to increase shear stiffness, with benefits in braking and abrasion resistance. The compound, thanks to an optimized formula combined with innovative mixing technology, improves wet and dry performances of this new UHP model. Bridgestone also uses a new hybrid crown reinforcement to maximise the tyre’s stability performance at high speed. A sporty carcass package is also applied to increase stability performance and steering response, while optimising rolling resistance. Tests carried out by TÜV SÜD on the request of Bridgestone in July-September 2020 on tire size 245/40 R18, which also involved premium-class rival models, demonstrated that the Bridgestone tire ensured the shortest dry braking distance, also surpassing its competitors in terms of cornering stability and road holding ability. The reference “rival” tire models were Pirelli P Zero PZ4, Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5, Michelin Pilot Sport PS4, and Continental PremiumContact 6. Also, the new summer model 2021 was rated as the best in terms of maintaining vehicle stability when travelling both in a straight line and through a curve on wet pavement. The new model also got a EU label A-grade in wet grip across its full line-up. But then again, let’s not get too far ahead and wait for the full-fledged comparative tests that will be conducted by the independent European industry media. Based on internal tests conducted at Bridgestone Technical Centre Europe with Audi A4 on tire size 245/40R18, Bridgestone Potenza Sport achieved 10% better mileage estimation versus the same size of its predecessor Potenza S001. Fundamental to the design and creation of the Potenza Sport is Bridgestone’s proprietary timesaving, environmentally friendly virtual tire development technology. The technology enables Bridgestone to very accurately predict a tire’s performance at the development stage, without physically producing and driving it. Not only does this bring environmental benefits by saving resources, it also reduces the length of the development process and cuts the project’s time to market.