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 Bridgestone Potenza s03 — 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
66
/ 100
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
67/100
7 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
VerdictWinner: Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position — better handling, wet and comfort. Pick the Bridgestone Potenza s03 if treadwear matters most to you.
Read full
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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 4
Why this score
| Source | Potenza S-04 Pole Position | Potenza s03 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 90 | 86 |
Wet
Score (0–100)
Potenza S-04 Pole Position leads by 19
Why this score
| Source | Potenza S-04 Pole Position | Potenza s03 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 73 | 54 |
Comfort
Score (0–100)
Potenza S-04 Pole Position leads by 7
Why this score
| Source | Potenza S-04 Pole Position | Potenza s03 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 67 | 60 |
Treadwear
Score (0–100)
Potenza s03 leads by 31
Why this score
| Source | Potenza S-04 Pole Position | Potenza s03 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 40 | 71 |
Handling
Score (0–100)
Potenza S-04 Pole Position leads by 20
Why this score
| Source | Potenza S-04 Pole Position | Potenza s03 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 87 | 67 |
Scores at a glance
| Category | Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position | Bridgestone Potenza s03 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 68 | 66 |
| Dry | 90 | 86 |
| Wet | 73 | 54 |
| Comfort | 67 | 60 |
| Treadwear | 40 | 71 |
| Handling | 87 | 67 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
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Recomputed
Headline score
68
/ 100
Tire A
66
/ 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 Bridgestone Potenza S-03 is regarded as a performance-oriented tire that excels in dry conditions, offering impressive grip and responsive handling once warmed up. However, user consensus is mixed regarding its wet-weather performance and ride comfort, with several reports of unpredictable traction in damp conditions and a stiff, sometimes harsh ride quality.
Pros
- Exceptional dry weather grip and handling precision
- Stiff sidewall construction provides excellent road feel and cornering stability
- Reliable braking performance in dry conditions
- Noticeable performance improvement over older generation performance tires
Cons
- Inconsistent traction and tendency to spin on wet or damp surfaces
- Harsh or 'crashy' ride quality due to stiff sidewalls
- Pronounced tram-lining issues on uneven road surfaces
- Lack of clear feedback when approaching the limit of adhesion
Observations
- Users noted that the tire's stiff sidewalls contribute to a crashy ride experience, particularly on vehicles with performance-tuned suspensions.
- Rear-wheel-drive vehicle owners reported a tendency for the rear end to break away under acceleration in wet conditions.
Specifications
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position | B · Bridgestone Potenza s03 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | — | Summer Max Performance tires |
| Vehicle type | — | Passenger Car / Crossover |
Final verdict
Which one should you actually buy?
68
/ 100
Bridgestone
66
/ 100
Bridgestone
Winner: Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position — better handling, wet and comfort. Pick the Bridgestone Potenza s03 if treadwear matters most to you.
Pick tire B
You want the longest tread life
Bridgestone Potenza s03 scores 71 vs 40 on treadwear.
Pick tire A
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position scores 87 vs 67 on handling.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position scores 73 vs 54 on wet.
Pick tire A
You want the most comfortable ride
Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position scores 67 vs 60 on comfort.
Tire A · Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position
Tire B · Bridgestone Potenza s03
More comparisons
Also compared with
Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position also compared with
Bridgestone Potenza s03 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.