Bridgestone Potenza Sport vs Pirelli P Zero

Both these tires are ultra-high-performance summer tires and provide a good driving experience in the hot season. Sport rolls over the road smoothly and safely as it offers firm grip and optimized handling as well.

On the other pole, P Zero provides stabilized traction while driving on both dry and wet roads.

Its higher void ratio provides strong resistance against aquaplaning and a lower rolling resistance.

And it is a more fuel-efficient tire.

Comparing Bridgestone Potenza Sport and Pirelli P Zero

Sport has an asymmetrically designed tread with a relatively larger surface area to establish contact with the road, as three ribs extend circumferentially in the central part.

Bow-shaped sipes are marked over these ribs’ margins.

The central portion lacks any lateral channels and exhibits four grooves; one narrow and three broad, alternatively arranged with ribs.

Its tread has narrow spaces among its channels as they characterize lesser depth and width.

Its shoulder blocks are massive and possess lateral grooves among them.

P Zero also has an asymmetrical tread with three ribs and four grooves in the central portion, however, its pattern is relatively aggressive and has a higher void ratio comparatively.

Its ribs are not continuous instead square-shaped blocks are interrupted by wide lateral voids and an S-shaped pattern is created over tread due to their placement.

These blocks also have linear sipes notched over their edges for wiping off the water.

Broad and deep grooves have a maximized capacity to accommodate water and they channel it out swiftly through the tread.

Interesting to note: The design of Nitto Invo is amazing. Comparing with Pirelli P Zero, we had very similar results as well.

Road Grip Comparison

Potenza exhibits a higher contact patch because the central ribs are wider as well as continual circumferentially without any lateral gaps. The more of the tread’s surface area touches the road, the stronger is its grip on dry paved surface and the lesser will be the braking distances. When moving on the wet roads, deeper grooves wipe off water and prevent the vehicle from sliding. Curvy sipes and linear channels assist its bulkier ribs and offer superior wet grip.  

P zero also shows a good dry grip, however, its competence is lesser than its competitor because its contact patch is reduced by horizontal voids present among blocks of the central ribs. As a result, tread grasps on the dry surface less strongly in comparison. On a pavement that has water standing over it, its deep voids come into play and swab water away so that its tread can hold on the surface tightly. Consequently, its wet grip is optimized, yet it stands behind in the competition of grip due to its lesser contact patch.

Handling Comparison

When turning along the corners on a dry track, Potenza shows better steering ability than its competitor as its shoulders are comparatively larger. Its wide shoulder blocks provide greater grip while cornering on dry pavement. While turning over the wet road, the lateral grooves wipe the water off to prevent sliding. Resultantly, it provides first-class wet handling with precise response and supreme steer-control.

P Zero has sturdy shoulders which account for reliable handling when the vehicle turns over dry pavement, however, its steering efficiency is lesser in comparison, as its square-shaped shoulder blocks are relatively small-sized. As a result, it cannot maintain its grip firmly while turning. Handling performance is good over wet paths as deep and broad voids among shoulders wipe the water away to maintain traction but smaller-sized blocks have lesser grip, hence it gets a lower rank than its competitor in terms of wet handling as well.

Comparison of Hydroplaning Resistance 

The sport presents a dependable hydroplaning resistivity over a wet track, owing to longitudinal and lateral grooves which channel water away and minimize the risk of skidding. Arc-shaped sipes over ribs further enhance the water wiping action. However, its performance in this respect is not as efficient as its counterpart because lesser depth and width of grooves result in relatively reduced water holding capacity.

P Zero shows supreme resistance against aquaplaning due to its broad grooves. It has increased tread depth comparatively which has abundant spaces among them through which water passes out easily, resultantly a higher hydroplaning resistance is provided.

Comparison of Rolling Resistance

The contact patch of Potenza is higher, therefore, it encounters high rolling resistance as its tread design connects more with the road to produce higher friction. Hence, it consumes a higher amount of energy while rolling over. Higher rolling resistance ultimately leads to increased utilization of petroleum.

On the other side, P zero has a lower contact patch, thus less friction arises while it rolls over the road, making its rolling resistance lower. Hence, its fuel consumption is lower than that of its competitor.

Comfort and Noise Comparison

Potenza shows a higher comfort level as it offers a smoother and quieter drive. A larger contact patch and narrow grooves effectively reduce the available space for circulation, reflection, and resonation of sound waves, resultantly a lesser noise is produced while moving at high speeds. Furthermore, enhanced contact of tread with road results in supreme traction and a comfortable driving experience.

P zero ranks below its competitor in terms of comfort due to its open tread design. More space is created due to the increased depth and broadness of its grooves. So, air particles can move freely and collide with each other, resulting in loud noise production while traveling at high speeds. Minimized contact patch offers relatively reduced traction and makes driving uncomfortable in comparison.

Durability and tread wear

Potenza is a more durable option in comparison due to its stronger rubber compound. It is built from a single-ply polyester rubber which is reinforced by an Aramid Nylon hybrid ply, which is further strengthened by two high-strength steel belts. As its tread composition is relatively robust, so, it has a higher UTQG treadwear rating.

On the other pole, P Zero is a fairly durable high-performance tire but it lasts for comparatively less duration than its competitor. Its internal construction includes Nylon and polyamide cords along with steel belts to stiffen the tread and show optimized performance. However, its UTQG rating is lower than its counterpart, which predicts that it would wear comparatively sooner.

Quick Summary

• Both of these are max-performance summer tires.
• Potenza shows superior traction on the dry and wet roads.
• Hydroplaning resistivity of P Zero is better than its competitor.
• Potenza makes less noise and offers more driving comfort.
• P zero encounters lower rolling resistance and consumes lesser fuel.
• Potenza is priced lesser in comparison and wears down relatively slowly.