4 Stock Bridgestone Potenza tires all appear to be right side tires.

[ruscarus]

I was changing out my winter tires and while trying to figure out which were left and right realized all the tires are the same but they are asymmetrical. Did I get 4 right side tires or are the front or back tread patterns the reverse of the others?


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[dmb]

some have arrows, some say inside and outside, look real close on the sidewall. if not call the tire co. and ask.

 

[ruscarus]

The sidewalls say outside and that's all fine. The issue is the tread patterns are all the same direction, so if they are supposed to go a certain direction they can't all be that way because they would have to be reversed for the opposite side of the car if the lines are supposed to do towards the outside of the tire then I have 4 right tires, that make sense?


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[D1JL]

This model tire does not come in a right or left.
All the tires are the same.
The only marking does only indicate outside and not rotation.
I am on my third set at about 20K miles each.
I agree it does sound odd, but that's the way they are.

 

[Clint Beastwood]

Don't feel bad many of us have probably asked the same question before. Luckily people here are being nice about it, my first set of "nice" tires the tire guy laughed in my face.

 

[D1JL]

BTW: The reason that the these tires are marked for outside mounting is that the tires are constructed with a stiffer outside sidewall.
This improves handling by reducing body roll during hard cornering.

I know that they are not inexpensive and they don't last very long.
However they are a very good performance street tire.
Maybe you can guess by the fact that I am on my third set, I like them.

 

[FiSTerMr]

BTW: The reason that the these tires are marked for outside mounting is that the tires are constructed with a stiffer outside sidewall.
This improves handling by reducing body roll during hard cornering.

I know that they are not inexpensive and they don't last very long.
However they are a very good performance street tire.
Maybe you can guess by the fact that I am on my third set, I like them.

I like em too, but @$224 a tire..... not so much. That's more than double than the indy 500s. I don't think they equate to being twice as good.

 

[Mikey456]

I like em too, but @$224 a tire..... not so much. That's more than double than the indy 500s. I don't think they equate to being twice as good.

I like the tire too... Is everyone getting them at Tire Rack? Or is there a better deal to be found elsewhere?

 

[FiSTerMr]

I like the tire too... Is everyone getting them at Tire Rack? Or is there a better deal to be found elsewhere?

Tire rack has the oem tire for $224 (only 4 left in stock), that is the cheapest anywhere. Discount tire direct has them at $174, but out of stock.

From what I can tell, most members on here don't run oem size, and out of the ones that do, even less replace the worn OEM with new OEM tires, since it's cost prohibitive.

The Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 seems to be a crowd favorite, as they run about $101 per. They are re-branded Bridgestone Adrenalin RE003, a tire not sold in the U.S.
Reviews on them seem overwhelmingly positive, as the best "bang for buck" tire out there.

I'm not sure how they compare to the OEM for performance, but I'm sure there is a little drop off on grip, since the treadwear rating is higher.... but at less than half the price, it's probably worth the trade offs.

 

[Capri to ST]

The Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 seems to be a crowd favorite, as they run about $101 per. Reviews on them seem overwhelmingly positive, as the best "bang for buck" tire out there.

I'm not sure how they compare to the OEM for performance, but I'm sure there is a little drop off on grip, since the treadwear rating is higher.... but at less than half the price, it's probably worth the trade offs.

I recently got the Firehawks, and agree with all this. They now have about a thousand miles on them, and I like them a lot.They have a good amount of cornering grip and steer pretty precisely, the ride is also noticeably softer than the Potenzas over bumps.
That said, I did notice a small decrease in steering precision and turn in quickness, maybe 10%, although some of that small difference could be from the comparison between new tires with tall tread blocks and old ones which were basically slicks. When the OEM Potenzas were about $165 each, I was thinking that I would probably go back to them the next time just to get the maximum performance. However, at about $225 each, it's getting pretty hard to justify them. The Firehawks were about $97 each when I got them.

 

[karp]

I recently had the opportunity to drive a Fiesta ST with Indy 500s and the difference in traction felt significant to me, but 220 bucks a tire is expensive. The Potenzas are great though.

 

[Clint Beastwood]

I recently got the Firehawks, and agree with all this. They now have about a thousand miles on them, and I like them a lot.They have a good amount of cornering grip and steer pretty precisely, the ride is also noticeably softer than the Potenzas over bumps.
That said, I did notice a small decrease in steering precision and turn in quickness, maybe 10%, although some of that small difference could be from the comparison between new tires with tall tread blocks and old ones which were basically slicks. When the OEM Potenzas were about $165 each, I was thinking that I would probably go back to them the next time just to get the maximum performance. However, at about $225 each, it's getting pretty hard to justify them. The Firehawks were about $97 each when I got them.

I upped pressure 5 psi and steering sharpened up but ride got rough too (Indy 500’s)

 

[Mikey456]

Tire rack has the oem tire for $224 (only 4 left in stock), that is the cheapest anywhere. Discount tire direct has them at $174, but out of stock.

From what I can tell, most members on here don't run oem size, and out of the ones that do, even less replace the worn OEM with new OEM tires, since it's cost prohibitive.


Anyone know why they are low or out of stock on these tires? Are there many other brand cars using the same oem size tire as ours?

 

[FiSTerMr]

Anyone know why they are low or out of stock on these tires? Are there many other brand cars using the same oem size tire as ours?

Quite the opposite actually. Our stock size tire is not common in the US.
My guess is low demand means manufacturers make less of them. I suspect that Bridgestone is stopping production of these.