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Head-to-head Updated May 2026

Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus vs Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position — Compared (May 2026)

Our Relative Score blends 60% objective test data with 40% owner-review signal — so any two tires can be compared even if they were never tested on the same day.

Tire A Bridgestone

Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus

Summer Premium Touring tires

Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus tread pattern
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
65/100
24 owner reviews
Dry
74
Wet
66
Snow
60
Comfort
71
Noise
70
Treadwear
63
Handling
55
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VS
VerdictWinner: Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position — better handling, dry and wet. Pick the Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus if treadwear and comfort matter most to you.
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Category breakdown

7 categories, side by side

Each bar is the Relative Score for that category. Expand a tile to see the test results and owner ratings behind it.

Dry

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Potenza S-04 Pole Position leads by 16
A
74
B
90
Why this score
SourceEcopia EP422 PlusPotenza S-04 Pole Position
Tire Rack owners 81 –
Tyre Reviews owners 60 90

Wet

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) Potenza S-04 Pole Position leads by 7
A
66
B
73
Why this score
SourceEcopia EP422 PlusPotenza S-04 Pole Position
Tire Rack owners 74 –
Tyre Reviews owners 57 73

Snow

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100)
A
60
B
–
Why this score
SourceEcopia EP422 PlusPotenza S-04 Pole Position
Tire Rack owners 54 –

Comfort

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Ecopia EP422 Plus leads by 4
A
71
B
67
Why this score
SourceEcopia EP422 PlusPotenza S-04 Pole Position
Tire Rack owners 77 –
Tyre Reviews owners 64 67

Noise

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100)
A
70
B
–

Treadwear

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) Ecopia EP422 Plus leads by 23
A
63
B
40
Why this score
SourceEcopia EP422 PlusPotenza S-04 Pole Position
Tire Rack owners 72 –
Tyre Reviews owners 53 40

Handling

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Potenza S-04 Pole Position leads by 32
A
55
B
87
Why this score
SourceEcopia EP422 PlusPotenza S-04 Pole Position
Tyre Reviews owners 55 87

Scores at a glance

CategoryBridgestone Ecopia EP422 PlusBridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position
Relative Score 66 68
Dry 74 90
Wet 66 73
Snow 60 –
Comfort 71 67
Noise 70 –
Treadwear 63 40
Handling 55 87

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

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Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

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Recomputed
Headline score

Tire A

Tire B

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

From owners

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews across retailers and review sites — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus

The Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus is a polarizing tire that excels in fuel efficiency and initial comfort but frequently disappoints users regarding tread longevity and wet-weather performance. While many owners appreciate its low rolling resistance and quiet ride when new, a significant portion of the user base reports premature wear and a noticeable increase in road noise as the tire ages.

Pros

  • Excellent fuel economy due to low rolling resistance
  • High level of ride comfort and noise suppression when new
  • Predictable handling for daily commuting and highway driving
  • Good dry traction for standard, non-spirited driving

Cons

  • Significant premature tread wear failing to meet mileage expectations
  • Poor performance in snow and ice conditions
  • Increased road noise and vibration as the tire wears
  • Lack of grip during spirited driving or in heavy rain

Observations

  • SUV and Crossover owners (e.g., Mazda CX-9, Subaru Forester) frequently report that the tire's sidewall stiffness and grip limits are insufficient for the vehicle's weight and handling characteristics.
  • Users of smaller, lighter vehicles (e.g., VW Jetta, Toyota Yaris) tend to report higher satisfaction with comfort and noise levels compared to those driving larger SUVs.
  • Multiple reports indicate that the tire's performance degrades significantly after the first 20,000–30,000 miles, particularly regarding noise and vibration.
Tire B Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position

The Bridgestone Potenza S04 Pole Position is regarded as a highly capable performance tire that balances impressive dry handling with competent wet-weather traction. While users appreciate its surprising level of comfort, they note that this performance comes at the cost of rapid tread wear and occasional road noise.

Pros

  • Excellent dry handling and cornering stability
  • Competent performance in wet conditions
  • Unexpectedly high levels of ride comfort for a performance-oriented tire

Cons

  • Rapid tread wear rate
  • Audible road noise or humming on certain surfaces
  • Wet-weather performance is good but outperformed by some direct competitors

Observations

  • Users acknowledge that the accelerated tread wear is an expected trade-off for the tire's performance-focused compound.
Specifications

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus B · Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position
CategorySummer Premium Touring tires—
Vehicle typePassenger Car / Crossover—
Final verdict

Which one should you actually buy?

Bridgestone

Bridgestone

Winner: Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position — better handling, dry and wet. Pick the Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus if treadwear and comfort matter most to you.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position scores 87 vs 55 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus scores 63 vs 40 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position scores 90 vs 74 on dry.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position scores 73 vs 66 on wet.

Tire A · Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus
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Tire B · Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position
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How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements) normalized against the best tire in each test and weighted toward recent tests. 40% comes from thousands of owner reviews collected from retailers and review sites. When a tire has only one of the two, we use what exists and say so.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.