The Pit

Bridgestone Potenza RE003 long term test [End]

BY Joel Tam

Two years and a half years with the Bridgestone Potenza RE003 and I only have good things to report.

I remember driving out of the tyre shop after fitting these RE003s on the Estima and thinking "Wow, these are really quiet and comfy!" Two and a half years and about 80,000 km later, I'm happy to report that the Potenzas never skipped a beat and remained quiet throughout the time I've had them.

My initial reaction to being pleasantly surprised with its quietness was because the RE003 belongs to the performance (which tends to be noisy) range of the Bridgestone line-up of tyres. For those of you unfamiliar with it, the Potenza collection features tyre models that offer class-leading grip and performance - many of them are also fitted as Original Equipment (OE) for brands like BMW, Lexus and Aston Martin.

So to have grippy tyres that were also comfortable for everyday use was definitely a big plus for a family man like myself. But don't mistake me for a tame driver. I drive my cars hard, and despite owning an MPV with a dull and uninspiring CVT gearbox, I'm inclined to push the car all the time.

This included stretching its legs up on the North-South Highway and making multiple business trips up to Kuala Lumpur. For all these drives done, the RE003s never failed me. It always provided a smooth ride in which I was able to enjoy either a conversation with my family, or sing to some of our favourite tunes in the cabin because the road noise was always at a minimal.

From Kuantan (east) to Sekinchan (west), we covered many kilometres in these tyres. But the furthest trip was up to Cameron Highlands where we snaked up the curvy roads of Simpang Pulai. The RE003s once again showed us why they're worth every cent when they coped admirably with the twisty bends and often damp conditions on the roads. Our family of five always made it there and back with no hiccups, punctures, nails or tears - which speaks of the durability of the tyres as well.

As the Estima makes way for a new set of tyres, it's important to note that the current RE003 tyres still offered 30% to 40% tread life left. But another trip to Cameron Highlands beckons in two weeks and we are testing yet another set of Bridgestone rubbers. Stay tuned to find out which tyre model will take us up this time!