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Bridgestone’s Potenza RE-71R performance tire has been a longtime favorite for many high-horsepower street-car owners. Loved for their unique compound and specially designed tread pattern offering summer performance grip without getting squirrelly on wet surfaces or burning up in short order, Bridgestone believed it could be improved. That’s why Bridgestone has released its new Potenza RE-71RS.
The Potenza RE-71RS is everything the RE-71R is but just a little better. The recipe has been tweaked with a new high-grip compound and pattern aimed at offering better traction, tread life, and above all else, consistency on the track. According to Bridgestone, the Potenza RE-71RS tested 0.6 seconds faster on average than its predecessor on the Tsukuba Circuit in Japan. And before you ask, it is still completely streetable, so you don’t need to worry about swapping tires before warmups.
That’s what we all want: one tire to do it all. You can probably get the best performance from a tire built specifically for the track, but the gap between street tires and true race tires is narrowing as tire technology advances, and that’s what the Potenza RE-71RS is a product of. Plus, saving money by not having to invest in yet another set of tires means you can use those funds for other mods you’ve been dying to get your hands on.
Speaking of savings, the Potenza RE-71RS is not breaking away from the demographic Bridgestone has been serving all this time. It’s not like the engineers behind it decided it’s time to get away from the Mazda Miata and Ford Mustang owners in favor of more prestigious platforms. It’s a killer tire that’s worthy of anyone’s consideration, but remaining economical is still a core value for the Bridgestone hive mind.
The good news just keeps coming with this new tire too. As of right now, it’ll be available in 38 sizes, so you’ll have a wide selection to choose from. If you’re rocking a 15- to 20-inch rim, the Potenza RE-71R is available to you. I love the idea of seeing a Japanese performance tire on a classic American hot rod. What do you think? Is this a tire you’d be willing to slap on just anything? Let us know in the comments section.
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