Bridgestone Potenza RE 71RS vs Yokohama Advan A052
Across AutoView's BMW M3 (275/35R19) shootout and Tire Rack's Extreme Performance track test (275/35R18), the RE-71RS repeatedly lands on top for measurable performance-especially braking, and particularly in the wet. The A052 fights back with standout steering communication and “qualifier-lap” character, but it tends to ask you to accept more compromise once conditions change or laps stack up.
Test Results
Independent comparison tire tests are the best source of data to get tire information from, and the good news is there have been two tests which compare both tires directly!
| Tire | Test Wins | Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Bridgestone Potenza RE 71RS | two |
While it might look like the Bridgestone Potenza RE 71RS is better than the Yokohama Advan A052 purely based on the higher number of test wins, tires are very complicated objects which means where one tire is better than the other can be more important in real world use.
Let's look at how the two tires compare across multiple tire test categories.
Key Strengths
- Class-leading braking performance in both dry and wet (e.g., wet braking 27.6 m vs 30.7 m; 47.5 m vs 52.8 m)
- Consistently quicker overall across tests, including long-run pace (99.78 s vs 100.88 s)
- More balanced corner-exit behavior with earlier throttle pickup and reduced understeer tendency in pro feedback
- Better compliance over kerbs/bumps and progressive, trustworthy behavior when driven cleanly
- Exceptional steering feedback and directness; requires smaller steering angles and responds strongly to small inputs
- Very strong “one-flying-lap” capability-best lap essentially tied with RE-71RS in AutoView (85.16 s vs 85.15 s)
- More forgiving at higher slip angles, allowing recovery from overcooked entries with less time loss (per AutoView)
- Slightly better subjective comfort and noticeably lower subjective noise in Tire Rack scoring (6.0 vs 5.75 comfort; 6.25 vs 5.25 noise)
Dry Braking
Looking at data from two tire tests, the Bridgestone Potenza RE 71RS was better during two dry braking tests. On average the Bridgestone Potenza RE 71RS stopped the vehicle in 2.78% less distance than the Yokohama Advan A052.
Best In Dry Braking: Bridgestone Potenza RE 71RS
See how the Dry Braking winner was calculated >>
Dry Handling [s]
Looking at data from two tire tests, the Bridgestone Potenza RE 71RS was better during two dry handling [s] tests. On average the Bridgestone Potenza RE 71RS was 0.44% faster around a lap than the Yokohama Advan A052.
Best In Dry Handling [s]: Bridgestone Potenza RE 71RS
See how the Dry Handling winner was calculated >>
Dry Handling Long Run [s]
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Bridgestone Potenza RE 71RS was better during one dry handling long run [s] tests. On average the Bridgestone Potenza RE 71RS was on average 1.09% faster than the Yokohama Advan A052.
Best In Dry Handling Long Run [s]: Bridgestone Potenza RE 71RS
See how the Dry Handling Long Run winner was calculated >>
Subj. Dry Handling
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Bridgestone Potenza RE 71RS and Yokohama Advan A052 performed equally well in subj. dry handling tests.
Best In Subj. Dry Handling: Both tires performed equally well
See how the Subj. Dry Handling winner was calculated >>
Wet Braking
Looking at data from two tire tests, the Bridgestone Potenza RE 71RS was better during two wet braking tests. On average the Bridgestone Potenza RE 71RS stopped the vehicle in 10.06% less distance than the Yokohama Advan A052.
Best In Wet Braking: Bridgestone Potenza RE 71RS
See how the Wet Braking winner was calculated >>
Wet Handling [s]
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Bridgestone Potenza RE 71RS was better during one wet handling [s] tests. On average the Bridgestone Potenza RE 71RS was 0.32% faster around a wet lap than the Yokohama Advan A052.
Best In Wet Handling [s]: Bridgestone Potenza RE 71RS
See how the Wet Handling winner was calculated >>
Subj. Wet Handling
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Bridgestone Potenza RE 71RS was better during one subj. wet handling tests. On average the Bridgestone Potenza RE 71RS scored 9.38% more points than the Yokohama Advan A052.
Best In Subj. Wet Handling: Bridgestone Potenza RE 71RS
See how the Subj. Wet Handling winner was calculated >>
Subj. Comfort
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Yokohama Advan A052 was better during one subj. comfort tests. On average the Yokohama Advan A052 scored 4.17% more points than the Bridgestone Potenza RE 71RS.
Best In Subj. Comfort: Yokohama Advan A052
See how the Subj. Comfort winner was calculated >>
Subj. Noise
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Yokohama Advan A052 was better during one subj. noise tests. On average the Yokohama Advan A052 scored 16% more points than the Bridgestone Potenza RE 71RS.
Best In Subj. Noise: Yokohama Advan A052
See how the Subj. Noise winner was calculated >>
Real World Driver Reviews
Bridgestone Potenza RE 71RS Driver Reviews
Drivers report the Bridgestone Potenza RE-71RS as a top-tier “Super 200” tire with exceptionally strong dry grip and fast lap-time potential for track days and autocross, often feeling predictable and confidence-inspiring at the limit. Many also note surprisingly good street manners for the category, with decent comfort/noise and better-than-expected wet performance when there is adequate tread. A recurring theme is that peak pace can be front-loaded in a session (a few hero laps before settling), and several users highlight high purchase price and wear rate depending on vehicle/setup and use intensity.
Based on 15 reviews with an average rating of 82%
Yokohama Advan A052 Driver Reviews
Drivers describe the Yokohama Advan A052 as an extremely high-grip, confidence-inspiring semi-slick, praised for strong dry performance and very progressive behavior at/near the limit with consistent grip across heat cycles. Many also report it works surprisingly well in cool and damp conditions for this category, making it a popular track/autocross choice for outright pace. The main trade-offs are rapid/uneven wear (often shoulder wear without sufficient negative camber), high cost, and limited safety margin in deep standing water/aquaplaning, with some also noting it can overheat/grease off in sustained hot lapping.
Based on 14 reviews with an average rating of 82%
Conclusion
The Yokohama ADVAN A052's case is more specialized but still compelling: it “talks” to the driver with rigid, direct, consistent feedback, needs smaller steering angles to place the car, and can hold grip at higher slip angles-traits that help extract a single best lap. AutoView effectively called it a one-flying-lap tire (its best lap is essentially tied with the Bridgestone), but noted a notable second-lap drop (~1.4 s) plus the weakest wet braking and more sensitivity to kerbs/bumps. If your priority is peak lap feel and that razor-edged qualifier behavior, the A052 delivers-just understand you're trading away wet-stop margin and some stint robustness.
Practical takeaway: pick the RE-71RS if you want the fastest, most complete tool for real trackdays (multiple laps, varied conditions, confident braking). Pick the A052 if you're optimizing for maximum steering precision/communication and “one-lap” performance, and you can manage its wet and heat-cycle/stint trade-offs.
Key Differences
- Wet braking is the biggest real-world separator: RE-71RS stops ~10% shorter in both tests (27.6 m vs 30.7 m; 47.5 m vs 52.8 m).
- Dry pace is close on a single lap, but Bridgestone holds the advantage across more metrics; AutoView is a dead heat on handling, Tire Rack shows a clearer gap (99.38 s vs 100.2 s).
- Stint/consistency favors RE-71RS: faster on Tire Rack's long run (99.78 s vs 100.88 s) and less “qualifier-only” in character; AutoView notes the A052 drops ~1.4 s by lap two.
- Steering character differs: A052 is sharper, more immediate and communicative; RE-71RS is slightly less pointy but more progressive and balanced at corner exit.
- Limit behavior differs: A052 tolerates higher slip angles and recovers well; RE-71RS has a narrower slip-angle window and punishes overdriving with sharper speed loss.
- Road refinement tilts to A052 (better subjective comfort and notably better noise scores), while RE-71RS is reported louder on the highway despite its performance edge.
Overall Winner: Bridgestone Potenza RE 71RS
Based on the tire test data and user reviews we have in our database, the Bridgestone Potenza RE 71RS has demonstrated better overall performance in this comparison. However, as you can see from the spider diagram above, each tire has its own strengths which should be considered in your final tire buying choice.Similar Comparisons
Looking for more tire comparisons? Here are other direct comparisons involving these tires:
Bridgestone Potenza RE 71RS Top Comparisons
No other comparisons available for this tire.
Yokohama Advan A052 Top Comparisons
Footnote
This page has been developed using tire industry testing best practices. This means we are only comparing tests which have had both tires in the same test.
Why is this important? Tire testing is heavily affected by things like surface grip levels and surface temperature, which means you can only compare values from the same day. During a tire test external condition changes are calculated into the overall results, but it is not possible to calculate this between tire tests performed on different days or at different locations.
As a result you will see other tests on Tire Reviews which feature both the %s and %s, but as they weren't conducted on the same day, the results are not comparable.
Lots of other websites do this sort of tire comparison, Tire Reviews doesn't.
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