If you know much about Bridgestone, you know that they are a tire manufacturer with an extensive amount of experience in motorsports. That racing heritage informs Bridgestone’s designs for street tires as well, and the Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R is a great example. The Potenza RE-71R is designed with much of the same technology and materials, for a tire that’s ready to take it to the absolute limit. If you’ve got a sports car that’s designed for pushing the envelope, you need a set of tires that’s up to the task, and that’s exactly what the Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R is designed for. To put a point on it, the Potenza RE-71R delivers race-car handling and cornering in a street-legal tire.

This tire must have a bunch of features that make it such an outstanding performer, right? Let’s dive in for a closer look with this Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R review.

Features and Benefits

Check out some of the race-inspired features and design details of the Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R:

• Extra-sticky tread compound adheres to pavement for outstanding braking and cornering traction
• V (149 mph) or W (186 mph) speed ratings for excellent high-speed performance
• Stiff, rigid shoulder and sidewall construction adds to cornering ability
• Solid center rib enhances road manners, straight-line stability, and steering response
• Directional tread pattern with angled grooves that channel water away from the contact patch for resistance to hydroplaning
• Sipe network boosts wet-weather traction
• Bridgestone’s UNI-T construction is designed for optimum tension in the casing and belt layers, for high-speed stability and premium handling properties

Pros and Cons

So, is this the right ultra-high-performance tire for your ride and budget? Before you decide, let’s take a look at it’s strengths:

PROS:

• Cornering, braking, and road manners are all outstanding
• Confidence performance, even in the most extreme driving
• Race-inspired technology and design in a street tire

Unfortunately, no tire is perfect and that’s the case for the Potenza RE-71R too:

CONS:

• Cannot be used when temperatures are consistently below 45 degrees Fahrenheit
• Is not backed by a limited manufacturer tread life warranty

SimpleTire’s view on Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R tires

If you’ve ever tossed a sports car or sports sedan around on a winding mountain road, a track, or a skidpad, you know how fun that can be and you know that you need tires that are a match for that kind of driving. In our opinion, the Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R is that kind of tire. Even for vehicles with an immense amount of power, you can barely make the Potenza RE-71R understeer or make the rear end kick out and oversteer, regardless of how hard you push it. It’s a tire that just sticks to the road for handling and traction like that of a slot car. It’s a tire that’s just as at home on the street as it is on the track for autocross day, and it delivers braking and cornering performance in wet weather that’s almost as good as its dry-weather traction.

It’s not surprising that the two Cons would be listed above. UHP tires use a softer, stickier rubber formulation (sometimes almost as soft as a pencil eraser) and will stiffen up and lose traction on cold days. That’s why tire manufacturers recommend against using these tires if temperatures are below 45 degrees. Also, many UHP tires are not covered by a treadwear warranty, although Bridgestone does offer a 90-day try-or-buy warranty phase and covers this tire against defects in workmanship and manufacturing down to the last 3/32” of tread depth.

Vehicles the Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R is a good replacement tire for

Designed to be driven at higher speeds, the Potenza RE-71R is a common choice for sports and performance cars such as the:

• Acura NSX
• Audi A8
• BMW M3
• Chevrolet Camaro
• Dodge Challenger
• Ford Mustang
• Honda Civic Type R
• Kia Stinger
• Lexus RC350
• Mazda MX-5 Miata
• Mercedes-Benz S350
• Nissan 370Z
• Porsche Boxster
• Subaru BRZ
• Toyota Supra