Bridgestone’s new Potenza RE-11 recently achieved an overall first place ranking in Tire Rack’s Real World Road Ride and Performance Test Track Drive of Extreme Performance Summer Tires. The event pitted various brands against each other in both track and street environments.
“We are excited about the Potenza RE-11’s excellent performance in this test,” says Phil Pacsi, Bridgestone’s vice president of consumer marketing for the U.S. and Canada. “It’s no surprise to us that the tire earned a top rating in Tire Rack’s testing.”
Tire Rack’s 6.6-mile “Real World Road Ride” course included country roads, expressways and state highways in varying conditions to simulate everyday tire use. The company created the course to allow its team to experience how the various tires compare in ride quality, noise, comfort and handling.
According to Tire Rack, “The Potenza RE-11 is an ‘Extreme Performance’ tire you can live with during day-to-day driving.”
To test the tire under more extreme handling conditions, the track allowed evaluators to push each entry’s limits in both wet and dry conditions. The RE-11 received high marks for its excellent wet performance, posting the fastest average lap time, highest average cornering force (g-force) and shortest wet stopping distance.
“No other tire tested could match the Potenza RE-11’s overall combination,” says Pacsi, noting that it “incorporates many of Bridgestone’s technologies in an impressive package. A unique new sidewall shape and radical new ‘stealth’ block, derived from Bridgestone’s Formula One race tires, promotes the tire’s higher tread stiffness while enhancing water evacuation and wet handling.”
He says the asymmetric cavity shape offers improved handling while the large outer tread blocks improve cornering performance. Grooves around the tire’s circumference help channel water away from the tire’s footprint to decrease hydroplaning, according to Pacsi.
Available in V- and W-speed rated sizes, the tire has a UTQG of 180 A A and will be offered in 31 different sizes ranging from 15 to 19 inches. It is designed specifically for the sports car market segment, including the Honda S2000, Nissan 350Z, the Mini Cooper S and the BMW 3 Series.
For more information, visit www.tirerack.com and www.bridgestonetire.com.
