Got one of my front tyres changed recently, and noticed it doesn't match my 205/55 S02 R16 Bridgestone Potenza. The place I bought it from are claiming that Bridgestone now don't write Potenza on the tyre wall and the code is now RZ rather than just R ? The wheel tread is identical the only diffrerence is, the trye wall is not smooth it has a very subtle ridged pattern and the word Potenza is absent. Can anyone shed any light on this, because if the Potenza tyre is still being manufactured I will make sure I get that one on my car.

Thanks

Gus

 

The info you need is in the FAQ.

HTH

 

I had ZR's fitted in error to mine - they still had Potenza on the side wall as did the correct tyres when they were fitted two weeks ago.

As per the above, do look in the FAQ section, there is an e-mail from Brdgestone to GSi specifying exactly what Bridgestone tyre should be fitted.

 

Thats the porsche tyre i beleive. There is a difference, see the Tech FAQ

 

It was indeed the Porsche tyre, right down to the N3 as per GSi's post. Apparently the wholesaler had put the wrong tyre in the wrong bin and just sent them out without checking - mine wasn't the only S that had this happen.

Putting the two tyres side to side I couldn't see a difference but, to be fair to the dealer, once they had realised that there'd been a c#@* up they were insistent that the right tyre go on without any prompting from me. They even went and dug out one of the old hangers that they used to put on cars without stock tyres saying that there is only one recommended tyre.

 

I don't think it makes much difference on the fronts as the tread pattern is the same on both the 'correct' W rated tyre and the 'incorrect' Z rated tyre you have. At the front... on the rear, the Z rated tyre has a more open tread pattern and will give you a smaller contact patch.

On the fronts I don't suppose it would be an issue as the Z rating will surpass that of the correct W rated tyre

However, seeing as they've agreed to sort it out, I'd get it changed.

Just make sure the new one is W rated

 

The major difference, as led to believe by Bridgstone technical, is that the side wall construction of the "ES" tyres for the S2000 is different. They said to me that it is softer, ie less rigid, than other S02's. This allows it to place the correct size footprint down on the road for the given rim dimensions and give the necessary flexibility for cornering and traction etc.
I came about this information why my tyres were replaced with Porsche tyres and I wanted to determine what the effect of these tyres would have been on their lifetime, as the tyre fitter wanted to charge me for usuage (7 months of use actually).
No aurguments...just ES all the way for Bridgestones.

 

Thanks guys, that's exactly what I needed , because at the moment the tyre dealer is playing ignorant and saying it's an identical tyre but it doesn't say Potenza !!!!! So I need to have differences between the 2 that I can throw at him as to why he needs to change this for the ES.

Gus

 

The correct spec for the S2000 is a W speed rated tyre. The one they have given you is Z rated.

"Nuff said."