68
/ 100
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
70/100
3 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
Head-to-head
Updated September 2026
Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position vs General G-MAX RS — Compared (September 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.
VS
Tire B
General
General G-MAX RS
86
/ 100
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
85/100
491 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
VerdictWinner: General G-MAX RS — better treadwear, comfort and wet. Pick the Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position if handling matters most to you.
Read full
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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
Score (0–100)
Why this score
| Source | Potenza S-04 Pole Position | G-MAX RS |
|---|---|---|
| Tire Rack owners | – | 90 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 90 | 80 |
| SimpleTire owners | – | 96 |
| America's Tire owners | – | 95 |
Wet
Score (0–100)
G-MAX RS leads by 14
Why this score
| Source | Potenza S-04 Pole Position | G-MAX RS |
|---|---|---|
| Tire Rack owners | – | 87 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 73 | 80 |
| SimpleTire owners | – | 90 |
| America's Tire owners | – | 89 |
Snow
Score (0–100)
Why this score
| Source | Potenza S-04 Pole Position | G-MAX RS |
|---|---|---|
| SimpleTire owners | – | 40 |
Comfort
Score (0–100)
G-MAX RS leads by 18
Why this score
| Source | Potenza S-04 Pole Position | G-MAX RS |
|---|---|---|
| Tire Rack owners | – | 85 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 67 | 50 |
| SimpleTire owners | – | 88 |
| America's Tire owners | – | 93 |
Noise
Score (0–100)
Why this score
| Source | Potenza S-04 Pole Position | G-MAX RS |
|---|---|---|
| SimpleTire owners | – | 78 |
| America's Tire owners | – | 88 |
Treadwear
Score (0–100)
G-MAX RS leads by 44
Why this score
| Source | Potenza S-04 Pole Position | G-MAX RS |
|---|---|---|
| Tire Rack owners | – | 84 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 40 | 60 |
| SimpleTire owners | – | 85 |
| America's Tire owners | – | 91 |
Handling
Score (0–100)
Potenza S-04 Pole Position leads by 4
Why this score
| Source | Potenza S-04 Pole Position | G-MAX RS |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 87 | 65 |
| America's Tire owners | – | 94 |
Scores at a glance
| Category | Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position | General G-MAX RS |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 68 | 86 |
| Dry | 90 | 90 |
| Wet | 73 | 87 |
| Snow | – | 40 |
| Comfort | 67 | 85 |
| Noise | – | 78 |
| Treadwear | 40 | 84 |
| Handling | 87 | 83 |
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
68
/ 100
Tire A
86
/ 100
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.
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.
The General G-Max RS is widely regarded as a high-value, ultra-high-performance summer tire that offers impressive dry and wet traction at a significantly lower price point than premium competitors like Michelin. While most users praise its daily driving comfort, quietness, and predictable handling, some enthusiasts note that it lacks the razor-sharp steering response and ultimate track-day grip of more expensive, top-tier performance tires.
Pros
- Excellent price-to-performance ratio
- Strong wet and dry traction
- Good ride comfort and relatively low road noise
- Predictable handling characteristics for daily and spirited driving
- Good tread life compared to other summer performance tires
Cons
- Softer sidewalls can lead to a 'squishy' or less precise feel during aggressive cornering
- Reports of flat-spotting after the vehicle sits for extended periods
- Some users report increased road noise as the tire wears
- Not intended for track-focused use; can overheat or lose grip under extreme conditions
- Occasional reports of balancing issues or out-of-round tires
Observations
- Users with high-horsepower vehicles (400+ hp) often note that the tire can struggle to maintain traction during hard acceleration compared to dedicated track compounds.
- Owners of vehicles transitioning from run-flat tires consistently report a massive improvement in ride quality and comfort.
- Drivers on 16-inch or smaller wheels appreciate the availability of this tire in sizes where other performance options are limited.
Community buzz
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Tire A
Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Tire B
Positive
General G-MAX RS
The General G-Max RS is generally praised by community members as a high-value, budget-friendly alternative to premium summer tires like Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. Drivers report strong dry grip and cornering confidence, though some note drawbacks such as tire noise compared to more expensive options. Overall, they are viewed as a compelling choice for daily driving and enthusiastic street use without breaking the bank.
r/mazda3
·19 upvotes ·2019-07-04
“Been driving on the General G-Max RS 225's for about a month now and it feels like I'm glued to the road. Now I just need to install my Corksport rear sway bar for even more cornering fun!”
r/GolfGTI
·3 upvotes ·2023-04-12
“Price no object? Michelin 100%. I have the Generals right now and while they're fine for grip and what not, they are very noisy. I have Michelin X Ice winter tires, and even with the aggressive winter tread, they are considerably quieter than my g-max rs. However I paid about 700 CAD for my set of g-max a couple years ago. So for a price like that, I'm happy. Like anything, expect to get what you pay for.”
r/tires
·3 upvotes ·2024-09-10
“G-max rs I put 7k miles on these tires and this is the front how many miles would you say I have before problems occur I plan on replacing in a few weeks Read more”
r/370z
·2 upvotes ·2018-03-31
“General G-Max RS tires I know they just came out in February 2018 but was wondering if anyone else has had experiences with them yet. From what I’ve dug up, they’re OEM on the new Saleen Mustang. Rated at 360AA. I bring this up because that’s what the dealer has given me after an unfortunate alignment issue with my old tires. Yes I went to the dealer because I trust very few people to work on my car and can afford a little extra. So far these tires haven’t disappointed me but it’s day 1. Highway driving felt very smooth and I hugged the corners going faster than... everyone else. Later today I’m going to take my empty backroad and see how they are in tight turns. General announced these tires are UHP Summer tires meant to attract customers for track and autocross. The only thing that holds me back a little on the throttle is the price tag is SOOO cheap, which is exactly what they wanted. If you have experience with them go ahead and post up please. Read more”
Top themes
#value and pricing#dry and wet grip#compared to michelin#daily driving comfort#road noise levels#cornering performance
Based on 12 community posts
Specifications
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position | B · General G-MAX RS |
|---|---|---|
| Sizes available | — | 48 |
| Rim diameters | — | 16″ – 20″ |
| Tread depth | — | 10/32″ |
| UTQG | — | 360 - 700 A - AA A |
| Sidewall | — | Black Side Wall |
| Max pressure | — | 50 - 51 psi |
Final verdict
Which one should you actually buy?
68
/ 100
Bridgestone
86
/ 100
General
Winner: General G-MAX RS — better treadwear, comfort and wet. Pick the Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position if handling matters most to you.
Pick tire B
You want the longest tread life
General G-MAX RS scores 84 vs 40 on treadwear.
Pick tire B
You want the most comfortable ride
General G-MAX RS scores 85 vs 67 on comfort.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
General G-MAX RS scores 87 vs 73 on wet.
Pick tire A
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position scores 87 vs 83 on handling.
Tire A · Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position
Tire B · General G-MAX RS
More comparisons
Also compared with
Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position also compared with
General G-MAX RS also compared with
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.