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 May 2026
Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position vs Hankook Ventus R-S4 — 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.
VS
Tire B
Hankook
Hankook Ventus R-S4
79
/ 100
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
81/100
20 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
VerdictWinner: Hankook Ventus R-S4 — better treadwear. Pick the Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position if comfort and dry matter most to you.
Read full
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made via links on this page.
Category breakdown
5 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)
Potenza S-04 Pole Position leads by 3
Why this score
| Source | Potenza S-04 Pole Position | Ventus R-S4 |
|---|---|---|
| Tire Rack owners | – | 91 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 90 | 87 |
Wet
Score (0–100)
Potenza S-04 Pole Position leads by 1
Why this score
| Source | Potenza S-04 Pole Position | Ventus R-S4 |
|---|---|---|
| Tire Rack owners | – | 71 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 73 | 72 |
Comfort
Score (0–100)
Potenza S-04 Pole Position leads by 6
Why this score
| Source | Potenza S-04 Pole Position | Ventus R-S4 |
|---|---|---|
| Tire Rack owners | – | 75 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 67 | 61 |
Treadwear
Score (0–100)
Ventus R-S4 leads by 46
Why this score
| Source | Potenza S-04 Pole Position | Ventus R-S4 |
|---|---|---|
| Tire Rack owners | – | 87 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 40 | 86 |
Handling
Score (0–100)
Ventus R-S4 leads by 1
Why this score
| Source | Potenza S-04 Pole Position | Ventus R-S4 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 87 | 88 |
Scores at a glance
| Category | Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position | Hankook Ventus R-S4 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 68 | 79 |
| Dry | 90 | 87 |
| Wet | 73 | 72 |
| Comfort | 67 | 61 |
| Treadwear | 40 | 86 |
| Handling | 87 | 88 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
Personalize
Weight the categories that matter to you
Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Recomputed
Headline score
68
/ 100
Tire A
79
/ 100
Tire B
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 Hankook Ventus RS4 is widely regarded as the industry benchmark for endurance-focused extreme performance summer tires. While it may not offer the absolute peak grip of specialized autocross tires, it is highly praised for its exceptional tread life, heat consistency, and value, making it a favorite for HPDE participants and endurance racers.
Pros
- Exceptional tread life and durability under heavy track abuse
- High value-to-performance ratio compared to more expensive competitors
- Consistent dry grip and performance throughout the tire's lifespan
- Predictable handling and excellent steering feedback
- Strong heat resistance during long track sessions
Cons
- Requires significant time and effort to reach optimal operating temperatures
- Increased road noise and harsh ride quality compared to standard tires
- Reduced traction in cold or wet conditions
- Potential fitment issues due to narrow section width relative to nominal size
Observations
- Lightweight FWD vehicles report excellent handling characteristics and high confidence with this tire.
- Users note that the tire's sidewall width runs narrow, which may leave rims exposed if sized based on standard tire width expectations.
Final verdict
Which one should you actually buy?
68
/ 100
Bridgestone
79
/ 100
Hankook
Winner: Hankook Ventus R-S4 — better treadwear. Pick the Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position if comfort and dry matter most to you.
Pick tire B
You want the longest tread life
Hankook Ventus R-S4 scores 86 vs 40 on treadwear.
Pick tire A
You want the most comfortable ride
Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position scores 67 vs 61 on comfort.
Pick tire A
You want the most grip on dry roads
Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position scores 90 vs 87 on dry.
Tire A · Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position
Tire B · Hankook Ventus R-S4
More comparisons
Also compared with
Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position also compared with
Hankook Ventus R-S4 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.