The Bridgestone Potenza S001 RFT is a premium summer run-flat tire whose clearest owner-reported strength is long tread life. High noise, a harsh ride and limited wet grip are recurring complaints, while dry grip receives mixed feedback.
The quick answer
Owners say62%from 65 owner reviews29% would buy againRead the reviews
Tests saySorry, we don't currently have any test data for the Bridgestone Potenza S001 RFT
Built from every independent test result and vetted owner review we hold for this tire - the evidence is all further down the page. Data updated February 2026.
How many miles does the Bridgestone Potenza S001 RFT last?
Based on test and owner data, the Bridgestone Potenza S001 RFT is expected to last around 28,639 miles (46,090 km).
What do owners say about the Bridgestone Potenza S001 RFT?
Across 65 owner ratings the Bridgestone Potenza S001 RFT averages 62%. Owners rate Wear highest at 7.4 out of 10 and Comfort lowest at 4.9. 32 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles. 30% of owners score it 70% or better.
How comfortable and quiet are the Bridgestone Potenza S001 RFT?
Owners rate the Bridgestone Potenza S001 RFT 4.9 out of 10 for comfort and noise across 59 reviews.
How well do the Bridgestone Potenza S001 RFT wear, according to owners?
Owners rate the Bridgestone Potenza S001 RFT 7.4 out of 10 for wear across 59 reviews. 32 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles, and the typical review covers 10,000 miles.
Would owners buy the Bridgestone Potenza S001 RFT again?
29% of owners say they would buy the Bridgestone Potenza S001 RFT again, based on the 62 owner reviews that answered the question. 16% of them gave it the highest possible answer.
More questions about the Bridgestone Potenza S001 RFT(3)
What do owners say about the Bridgestone Potenza S001 RFT's wet grip?
Of the 57 owner reviews analyzed for the Bridgestone Potenza S001 RFT, 30 mention wet grip: 7 praise it (confident wet grip) and 23 criticise it (weak wet grip). One owner wrote: "almost killed me in wet when new". Read those reviews
What do owners say about the Bridgestone Potenza S001 RFT's dry grip?
Of the 57 owner reviews analyzed for the Bridgestone Potenza S001 RFT, 29 mention dry grip: 18 praise it (strong dry grip) and 11 criticise it (limited dry grip). One owner wrote: "Very good grip dry and wet". Read those reviews
What do owners say about the Bridgestone Potenza S001 RFT's ride comfort?
Of the 57 owner reviews analyzed for the Bridgestone Potenza S001 RFT, 27 mention ride comfort: 6 praise it (comfortable ride) and 21 criticise it (harsh ride). One owner wrote: "Absolutely horrible comfort level". Read those reviews
Questions and Answers for the Bridgestone Potenza S001 RFT
When are you going to do a runflat group test?
February 21, 2024
Unfortunately due to the extremely high costs and lack of real demand it seems unlikely I'll get to do this any time soon. The good news is that a tire that performs well in non runflat is generally good in runflat, however with a large % of runflat tires being OE specifications the translation doesn't always work out.
Show all questions(4)
What tire do you recommend on a BMW m 140I I have Bridgestone potential soo1 rf on now which I have had since new
April 2, 2019
The default non-runflat option is the Michelin Pilot Super Sport, however this has now been replaced by the PIlot Sport 4 which offers better wet grip and higher levels of comfort, at the expense of some steering feel.
I want to buy a summer tire for my Honda Civic.. 205/55 R16.. I live in Zonguldak Ereğli.. Wet roads.. But if I make 25000 km for only 1 year.. Show moreI want to buy a summer tire for my Honda Civic.. 205/55 R16..
I live in Zonguldak Ereğli.. Wet roads.. But if I make 25000 km for only 1 year.. Half is at highway, half is at wet roads.. I wanted to buy 205/55/16 94w , XL.. Safe and hard tire.. But I think this type of tire is very hard. Are there adverse effects on road handling? Which tires can you suggest to me? Show less
February 4, 2017
The Bridgestone Potenza S001 RFT is a runflat tire, so has a very hard sidewall. This will protect you from sidewall damage on poor surface roads, but as a result it will be less comfortable than a non-runflat tire. We suggest you look at the Bridgestone DriveGuard
Is the Potenza S001 (which is fitted on my new Mercedes SLC) a run flat tire or are there two versions ie run flat and normal? Thank you.
January 10, 2017
If the tire on your new Mercedes is the runflat version of the S001, it will have "runflat" / "rft" marked clearly on the sidewall.
Owners of the Bridgestone Potenza S001 RFT most consistently praise long tread life, supported by numerous mid-life and end-of-life accounts. Dry grip divides opinion, with more praise than criticism but little agreement on outright ability. Noise and wet grip are each criticised by roughly two in five owners, while a similar share finds the ride harsh. Some report good wet-road confidence, but they are clearly outnumbered by those describing limited traction in damp or rainy conditions. Steering feedback attracts a smaller group of favorable comments, and the repeat reviews do not establish a consistent change with age.
What owners mention most counted across 57 reviews
Tap one to read only the reviews that mention it.
Owner ratings averaged from 65 ratings
Owner score62%
Wear74%
Dry Grip73%
Road Feedback67%
Handling66%
Wet Grip59%
Comfort49%
Featured reviews
Most helpful 46%
“I have a 2021 Audi quattro estate, these tires came with the car, purchased as second user. I LOATH these tires, never felt so little grip in a 4wd car, bad in the dry, worse in the wet, and any bumps in the road seems...”
“These came new with the car and they are quite simply the worst tires ever. why on earth bmw put these on any car is beyond me they are simply dangerous there is zero grip in the wet and in the dry its doesn't get any...”
“I have these fittet on my 2017 BMW F30. I could stand only 1500km to these. Constant understeer and no comfort whatsoever. Never again RFT, never again Potenza S001. The only little good side of the tire is wear. But...”
The tires are very grippy. Slip very occasionally when pushed to the limits but in a predictible way. Not too quite but not too noisy either. The vehicle dynamic and overall feel is pretty good with them on. To give you their best potential, I noticed that they must be on the over-inflated side a bit which makes the ride not very comfortable.
Absolutely horrible comfort level. Extremely loud and harsh. Turned my Lexus LS into an econobox. Would never ever buy again. Do not ever consider them.
Check out how the BEST all seasons tires perform against premium summer and winter tires!
Certainly worst tires I had and those cam factory fitted on my BMW 7 Series. Recommended for Audi S5 and Sport BMW's. You must be mad to buy it. I compare to Michelin, Pirelli, GoodYear, Hankook, Nokian, Continental. Literally every other tire I had was better. Also - this tires almost killed me in wet when new. Improved after couple weeks of driving, but still let's go at 40mph on a roundabout if there is a rain. Total cr**p.
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A brand new seat of the Potenza 001 were on my 1 series when I left the forecourt. All I can say is they've been great and the wear has been amazing considering its a rear wheel drive. The front have still got 4mm left so I expect a few more thousand miles before I will need to replace.
A bit noisier than others on the market but these have been run flats so to be expected.
I have a 2021 Audi quattro estate, these tires came with the car, purchased as second user. I LOATH these tires, never felt so little grip in a 4wd car, bad in the dry, worse in the wet, and any bumps in the road seems to make the car feel like it is constantly slipping. Not good in windy conditions either . I am not an overly speedy driver, but driving at least 10mph slower to feel safer. Changing out ASAP
Absolutely dreadful, collected my 20k miles BMW X1 with these things on and my god are these things LOUD and uncomfortable! ! my part exchange was a Skoda YETI and it was absolutely silent in comparison with Potenza S02s on it. I don't care how much ware there is left on them they are being swapped for anything that's quieter than these! Absolutely the WORST tire I've had in 40+ years driving!
Not much positives I can give on this tire apart from it having a nice sporty feeling when driving but noisy at the same time. Unreliable dry grip and wet grip is much worse. The wear on them are okay. I would overall recommend Goodyear over them as it's a much better tire.
BMW F30 user.
Pros:
1. Wears out very slowly
2. No worry in case of a flat tire (RFT)
Cons:
1. Very hard tires produces high vibration and loud noise gets inside the cabin and greatly effects comfort level
2. Very uncomfortable especially when dealing with road bumps
3. Poor dry grip where the car easily oversteers when cornering at high speed
4. Very poor wet grip
Will not buy again.
Likely due to it being a run flat, but terribly uncomfortable and loud, on standard suspension. Okay grip in dry, but bumps in the road completely ruin both the ride quality and your grip, latter especially in the wet. Only positive is the wear, as my set lasted about 50.000 km-s and still have thread depth, but the ride quality is so bad with these i will never equip run flats again.
I have these fittet on my 2017 BMW F30. I could stand only 1500km to these. Constant understeer and no comfort whatsoever. Never again RFT, never again Potenza S001. The only little good side of the tire is wear. But, what you do with it when you have no grip at all.
Too many noisy and vibrating tires. I feel this is not a tire, it should be wooden wheel which contact between the road and the car. My tire sizes are 225/40/18 on the front and 245/35/18 on the back. I also did sound insullation on my car but the vibrating and tire noises can not cut unfortunately.
