BRIDGESTONE POTENZA S007A

THE S007A is the evolution of Bridgestone’s S001 flagship tyre.

Like many of today’s ultra high-performance (UHP) tyres, the S007A has a five-rib, fourchannel design. The lateral sipings that help drainage give the S007A a characteristic “Bridgestone look”.

More than that, these sipings have been designed with a degree of block interlocking to increase block stability and resistance to feathering, while still maintaining good drainage.

In fact, all of the tread edges have a gentle rounding that make the tyre appear worn even when it is new. This is a very important factor for tread block optimising to ensure high levels of grip and durability.

The tread belt and sidewalls are very stiff due to the extra Kevlar inserts in its bead seat that extend partway up the sidewall.

Dry Performance: 10/10

Bridgestone claims hugely improved dry performance and it is no exaggeration.

Though we expected performance to be good, the S007A surprised us with how much more it delivers. One needs to try really hard to reach the limits and break its phenomenal grip.

Cornering grip is well into the realm of track-day tyres. For a street tyre, this is indeed very impressive.

Bridgestone has discovered what it takes to make a great tyre. It has focussed on heightening the steering characteristics, which are excellent.

The S007A imparts a positive and meaty feel that lets you know clearly what is going on at the contact patch.

The steering already feels sharp at 32 psi. It’ll feel even sharper at higher pressures, but comfort drops significantly as you approach 35 psi.

Both take-off traction and braking are of a very high order. High speed tracking is straight and true without being nervous.

These tyres track as if they were on rails. There is tremendous front-end grip that removes any reluctance of the front-wheeldrive test car to turn in.

The rear follows the front very well and the car remains well-balanced through the corners without much understeer or oversteer.

Wet Performance: 8/10

Bridgestone’s S001 offered good but not great wet performance. However, because of its progressive handling, it could be exploited far better than most tyres.

In wet conditions, the S007A is just like the S001, with better grip. However, this isn’t a quantum leap, unlike the improvement in dry performance.

Wet grip is as good as the remarkable Potenza Adrenalin RE003, but it is far more exploitable.

Because the S007A is so communicative, one dares to push right up to its considerable wet limit. The best thing is that it does not have the tricky handling trait of suddenly breaking away.

The drainage channels do well to keep aquaplaning away at higher speeds and in moderate rain. Wet take-off traction shows some wheel spin if one is being brutally hard.

Braking performance excellent. These tyres work well with the ABS.

Comfort & Noise:  7/10

The S007A offers decent ride comfort when pressures are reduced to 30-32 psi. Tyre noise is lower than average.

In the test car (a Honda FD2R), anything over 35 psi resulted in an uncomfortable ride.

The best compromise is at 32 or 33 psi when the steering is satisfyingly sharp and the harshness is still at a minimum.

Conclusion:

The S001 is a well-rounded tyre that prioritises progressive handling over sheer performance.

But over the past decade, there has been intense competition between manufacturers to develop a superlative OE (original equipment) tyre that helps sports cars achieve record-breaking Nurburgring lap times.

It would seem that the S007A is designed to be that tyre, especially with its huge improvement in dry grip over its predecessor. It has also been homologated by carmakers such as Aston Martin and Renault.

The Bridgestone S007A is nearly as good as the Potenza RE71R in the dry, but without the huge penalties in ride comfort and noise.

This is an excellent choice if you want the grip of a track-day tyre with progressive handling and decent comfort. Its pricing is also very competitive, giving it excellent value.