Bridgestone Potenza Sport vs Pirelli P Zero [Test Data]

Fuel Efficiency

The US Department of Energy estimates that around 25% of the fuel consumption of a vehicle is attributable to the tyres. That's a lot, and it means that choosing fuel efficient tyres can save you quite a bit of money.

The Potenza Sport tyres rank a C on a scale of A to E in the official fuel efficiency tests carried out by the EU (they call these rolling resistance tests).

The P Zero tyres also get a grade of C.

As their fuel efficiency grade is the same, expect negligible differences in fuel consumption between them.

Here's a graph comparing the Potenza Sport and P Zero tyres for fuel efficiency (1 = Grade E, 5 = Grade A).

Grip & Handling

We'll now take a look at how these tyres compare in terms of grip and handling.

A good measure of this is 'wet grip', which is an indication of how well the tyres will allow the vehicle to come to a stop in wet conditions.

The Potenza Sport tyres rank a A on a scale of A to E in the official fuel tests carried out by the EU.

The P Zero tyres, on the other hand, get a grade of B.

Expect the lower graded tyres to require about an extra 1 metres to come to a complete stop when braking at 80km/h.

Here's a graph comparing the Potenza Sport and P Zero tyres for wet grip (1 = Grade E, 5 = Grade A).

Noise

Another key factor to consider when choosing a tyre is road noise. Once you're over about 40 km/h, the dominant source of noise you hear is from the contact of your tyres on the road.

There is a surprisingly wide variation in the amount of noise each tyre makes.

The Potenza Sport tyres produce 72.3 dB of road noise, which corresponds to a rank of B on a scale of A to C in the standardised testing done by the EU.

On the other hand, the P Zero tyres produce 72.0 dB of road noise, which means a grade of B.

As their noise grade is the same, don't expect many differences in terms of cabin noise.

Here's a visual representation of how the Potenza Sport and P Zero tyres stack up for noise (1 = Grade C, 3 = Grade A).

Based on the results of a number of tyre benchmarks, the Potenza Sport scores 3 out of 5 for comfort and the P Zero scores 4 out of 5.

As per the UTQG guidelines, the Potenza Sport tyres have a treadwear rating of 300, whereas the P Zero tyres have a rating of 300. This means that the Potenza Sport tyres will theoretically last 1.0 times as long as the P Zero tyres.

As per the, the Potenza Sport and P Zero tyres both have a traction grading of AA.

As per the UTQG system of tyre grading, the Potenza Sport and P Zero tyres both have a temperature resistance grading of A.

For fuel efficiency, Potenza Sport score a grade of C, which is more or less average. P Zero end up with a grade of C, which is more or less average.

More important is the wet grip, which gives you an indication of their traction and handling. In this regard, Potenza Sport get a score of A, which is outstanding. P Zero end up with a grade of B, which is above average.

More important is the wet grip, which gives you an indication of their traction and handling. In this regard, Potenza Sport get a score of B, which is about typical. P Zero end up with a grade of B, which is about typical.