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Last updated 9/18/2024 - Originally published 9/18/2024
Written by SimpleTire
With their Japanese roots, Bridgestone and Yokohama are well-known tire brands across the globe. While Bridgestone is among the largest tire brands in the world with operations in over 150 countries and plants in over 130 countries, the Yokohama brand, too, has an impeccable footprint worldwide. Both brands have a legacy of sponsoring and participating in motorsports and other international racing events, making their ultra-high-performance tires a great choice. The Potenza Sport and Advan Apex V601 are their frontline UHP tires that assure fantastic performance on track and tarmac.
Designed for sports cars, the Bridgestone Potenza Sport and Yokohama Advan Apex V601 offer amazing braking, traction, stability, handling, and acceleration on dry and wet surfaces. With superior performance, these are a natural option for fast cars like the Porsche 911, Chevrolet Corvette, BMW M3, and Toyota Supra. So which tire should you go for? To know the winner, let’s compare Bridgestone Potenza Sport and Yokohama Advan Apex V601 as per our proprietary SimpleScore.
Bridgestone Potenza Sport tires
Introduced in 2020, the Potenza Sport features innovative technologies in the rubber compound, construction, and tread pattern that help it return cutting-edge performance on dry and wet surfaces. A darling of high-end performance car brands like the Maserati, Lamborghini, and BMW, the Bridgestone Potenza Sport comes with 3D sipes to boost stiffness and abrasion and wear-resistant rubber compound for optimum dry and wet performance. While a new hybrid crown reinforcement maximizes its stability and handling at high speed, the sporty carcass of the Potenza Sport promotes accurate steering response and increased stability with controlled rolling resistance. Developed using eco-friendly technologies for minimum environmental impact, the UHP-summer tire is best suited for drives in warmer weather conditions on paved roads.
With an overall SimpleScore of 8.6 out of 10, the Bridgestone UHP-summer tire assures excellent handling, exceptional traction, and a decent service life.
Yokohama Advan Apex V601 tires
Launched a few years back, the Yokohama Advan Apex V601 combines the latest high-performance technology with its asymmetric tread design reminiscent of its legendary Yokohama A008 tire line. The iF Design Award 2020 winner features a high-grade micro-silica rubber compound for improved cornering performance and longer service life. While the strong sidewall returns confident cornering, the competition-inspired tread design and rubber compound provide enhanced wet and dry grip and traction. The blend of rigid construction and optimized groove angles ensures the tire restricts road noise and vibrations, so you enjoy quiet and comfortable ride quality. Designed especially for North American performance enthusiasts, the Yokohama Advan Apex V601 is a Y-rated ultra-high-performance tire. Despite being a UHP- summer tire, it comes with an up-to-25,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty on staggered fitments.
Sporting an overall SimpleScore of 8.5, the Advan Apex V601 provides impressive traction, handling, and durability on dry and wet surfaces.
Bridgestone Potenza Sport vs Yokohama Advan Apex V601 tires on traction
An excellent grip and traction at high speeds are a must for a high-performance tire. The tires that do not let drivers feel nervous at fast speeds are excellent performance tires. Both the Bridgestone and Yokohama tires assure great traction performance.
With an exceptional traction score of 9.3 out of 10, the Potenza Sport features an innovative rubber compound for superior grip and traction on dry and wet surfaces. While the circumferential grooves quickly remove water for effective wet performance, the 3D sipe technology adds extra biting edges for superb grip and traction.
Boasting a traction score of 8.6, the Yokohama Advan Apex V601 offers great traction and grip at high speed, thanks to an advanced rubber compound that uses high-grade silica on the outside rib block for increased traction. The asymmetric tread pattern with a 3+1 combination of circumferential grooves boosts grip on dry and wet surfaces, as the three inside grooves evacuate water to boost wet traction and a narrow outside groove dissipates heat for improved dry performance.
With an excellent score, the Potenza Sport is way ahead of the Advan Apex V601 in traction.
ADVANTAGE: Bridgestone Potenza Sport
Bridgestone Potenza Sport vs Yokohama Advan Apex V601 tires on handling
Speed is nothing without control. The more precise the steering response, the more in control and confident the driver is. UHP tires are all about offering great handling; the Potenza Sport and Advan Apex V601 promise the same.
Scoring 9.3, the Bridgestone Potenza Sport features next-generation ultra high silica compound that helps it return exceptional stability and handling performance. Similarly, the specially engineered tread pattern geometry ensures consistent road contact and improved wet performance.
With its uninterrupted center rib design that enhances high-speed stability and strong sidewall design for confident cornering, the Yokohama Advan Apex V601 returns a fantastic 8.8 in handling.
The Yokohama tries to close in the margin but fails to reach anywhere near the Bridgestone’s exceptional handling mark.
ADVANTAGE: Bridgestone Potenza Sport
Bridgestone Potenza Sport vs Yokohama Advan Apex V601 tires on longevity
UHP-summer tires are typically not designed to last long as they feature a soft rubber compound that wears faster. Most of them do not feature a limited manufacturer warranty.
High traction and handling scores take a toll on the longevity of the Potenza Sport as it scores 7.4. Thanks to the 3D sipe technology, the Bridgestone UHP tire optimizes pattern stiffness for balanced wear performance.
On the other hand, the Yokohama UHP-summer tire scores an 8.1 in longevity and is backed by a 25,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty. While the rounded rib design ensures optimum pressure distribution across the contact patch, the advanced rubber compound calls for a longer service life.
The Yokohama not only beats the Bridgestone in longevity but also has an ace up its sleeve in the form of a limited manufacturer tread life warranty.
ADVANTAGE: Yokohama Advan Apex V601
When to use each
UHP-summer tires are ideal for use on paved roads in warmer conditions. If you need tires for your high-end sports vehicle for track or tarmac, the UHP-summer tires are a good option, provided they’re used at temperatures above 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Usually, they are not backed by manufacturer warranties. While the Yokohama is a good option if you want a long tread life, the Bridgestone scores higher in other parameters.
If you want longer mileage warranties without compromising on the performance, you should go for UHP all-season tires as they can be used year-round in dry, wet, and even in light snowy conditions. For regions where the temperature is consistently below 45 degrees Fahrenheit, you should check out dedicated winter tires.
Which one should you choose?
In a nutshell, the Bridgestone Potenza Sport wins traction and handling departments while the Yokohama Advan Apex V601 takes the lead in the longevity section. So, if you prioritize high traction and handling, especially on tracks, you should choose the Potenza Sport; however, if you want your UHP tire to last longer, your choice should be the Advan Apex V601.
Let’s look at their prices to check whether it could make a difference.
Comparing the prices of the 235/35R20 92Y XL tire size, the Bridgestone Potenza Sport costs around $356 per tire and four such tires cost $1424 while the Yokohama Advan Apex V601 costs around $280 per tire and four such tires cost $1120 (a difference of mere $304!).
Based on SimpleScore, you should purchase the Bridgestone Potenza Sport if you:
- Drive sports cars and high-performance vehicles like the BMW M3, Chevrolet Corvette, Porsche 911, and Toyota Supra
- Are prepared to shell out a little extra for a premium brand
- Prefer excellent traction (9.3 vs 8.6) and handling (9.3 vs 8.8)
On the other hand, you should choose the Yokohama Advan Apex V601 if you:
- Drive vehicles like the Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger, and Nissan 350Z
- Want a long-lasting tire (8.1 vs 7.4)
- Prefer tires with a limited manufacturer tread life warranty (up to 25,000 miles)
- Want an affordable UHP summer tire
Still not sure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help, and our helpful agents will be more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.