For all the racing enthusiasts and track day nuts out there, finding ways to eke out extra performance from one's car is an unending process fuelled by passion and the smell of hot rubber.

There are of course numerous ways of improving a car's performance capabilities - shedding weight, tweaking the engine, changing the exhaust, tuning the engine control unit, fixing a big spoiler for additional downforce, perhaps even slapping a huge turbocharger at the front.

However, even with all the 'bhp' figure chasing, all of that power still needs to be transferred onto the tarmac to be of any use, and this is where having good tyres come in.

Bridgestone has now launched its newest motorsports racing rubber - the Potenza RE-11S Type RH racing circuit tyre.

Developed with Bridgestone's motorsport technologies

Designed to perform under extreme conditions, the new Potenza RE-11S is the latest of Bridgestone's semi-slick tyre offerings. The new tyre improves laps times on a race circuit by enhancing grip and control. The wide centre rib improves initial handling response, and a semi slick shoulder block helps to improve cornering grip under extreme conditions.

The Potenza RE-11S also features what Bridgestone calls 'Racing Stealth 3D Grooves'. The stealth groove pattern was designed for wet tyres for Formula One and GP2 cars, and actually improves grip on dry conditions as well as enhances the stability of the groove area and drainage performance under wet conditions. The slant grooves also help improve drainage performance.

The asymmetric pattern on the tyre helps to improve inner grip, as compared to the RE55S. Overall ease-to-use and linear handling is also achieved by a 'spiral belt construction', designed exclusively for the RE-11S. This helps to retain the tyre's overall structural shape and rigidity even during hard cornering and braking, achieving sharper handling and improving total balance.

Fast just became a little bit faster

Just how much faster is the new Potenza RE-11S tyre? Bridgestone ran various evaluation tests against its predecessor, the RE55S, to see how the new tyre stacks up.

At the Fuji Speedway in Japan, a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo9 clocked a best lap time that was 0.44 seconds faster compared to the RE55S, as well as a 0.62 second improvement of average lap time over five laps.

At the Killarney Circuit in South Africa, an all-wheel drive Audi A4 fitted with the new tyres clocked a best lap time 0.98 seconds faster, and also 0.79 seconds faster for the average lap time in six laps. A BMW 335i clocked a 0.79 second faster best lap time, and a 0.88 second faster average lap time over six laps.

Overall then, the new RE-11S clearly has a competitive edge over the RE55S.

The new Bridgestone Potenza RE-11S is available in 23 different sizes, fitting rims from 15 to 18-inches, and fits 30 to 60 series tyre profiles.

The new Potenza RE-11S is available directly from Bridgestone Tyre Sales Singapore Pte Ltd. For more information, you can e-mail [email protected] or contact Bridgestone Marketing at 6777 4181.