Bridgestone - Potenza RE92 Tire Review

Overall 4.10 of 5 view all 10 reviews

RussellGordon
Roselle, IL

Good tires, if you dont mind replacing them often.

Research before I buy, a car guy

Pros

Good speed ratings, quiet

Cons

Poor treadwear rating, Poor snow traction near end of treadlife

MAY

2008

Bridgestone - Potenza RE92 Tire —

I had a hard time deciding on whether to choose 3 or 4 stars. If possible I'd rate this a 3.5. It's not a bad tire. It has excellent dry weather traction thoughout it's lifetime, and is a quiet tire throughout it as well. It has good wet and snow traction, until it gets closer to the end of it's service life. It has equally good ride characteristics, giving your car a sporty feel without having sidewalls so stiff that your fillings fall out. Internally, the Potenza RE92 features twin steel belts reinforced by spiral-wrapped nylon belt edge strips (for H-speed rated sizes) or a full spiral-wrapped cap ply along with single belt edge strips (for V-speed rated sizes). This means (as usual) the V rated tire has a stiffer sidewall and sportier (or harsher depending on what you are looking for), ride. The big disadvantage that this tire has, in it's quest for a balance in everything(perhaps), is a very low treadwear rating. 160AA for most sizes, and a few have a 360AA rating, which for the few sizes rated 360, is low compared to other offerings out on the market. My cynical nature can't help but make me think of designed obsolescence here. The quicker your tires wear out, the more often you will be forced to buy a new set. The fact that this tire is an offering on a number of cars from manufacturers (OEM as the industry term is used) doesn't help me get away from that thinking either. I actually dislike rating a tire from Bridgestone so poorly, my favourite tires on any car I've owned were Bridgestone RE730s on my old Mazda 626-V6.