Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS review
The Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS (and its 'PLUS' iteration) is widely regarded as a high-value, ultra-high-performance all-season tire that excels in dry and wet road handling. While many users praise its quiet ride, responsiveness, and superior wet-weather traction compared to OEM tires, some enthusiasts find the sidewall stiffness lacking for aggressive track use, and a subset of users reports disappointing tread life.
Owners rate it 15.7 points higher than the instrumented road tests do — see the two score breakdowns below for where they disagree.
Two scoring systems, side by side
Owner scores come from reviews on retailer and review sites; road-test scores come from instrumented tests. Where they disagree, it is usually a discipline owners rarely push to the limit.
By owner reviews
84.8%By road tests
69.1%What owners like and dislike
Themes extracted from 556 owner reviews across retailers and review sites.
The Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS (and its 'PLUS' iteration) is widely regarded as a high-value, ultra-high-performance all-season tire that excels in dry and wet road handling. While many users praise its quiet ride, responsiveness, and superior wet-weather traction compared to OEM tires, some enthusiasts find the sidewall stiffness lacking for aggressive track use, and a subset of users reports disappointing tread life.
Pros
- Excellent dry and wet road grip
- Quiet and comfortable ride quality
- Strong value proposition compared to premium competitors
- Responsive steering and handling for daily spirited driving
Cons
- Inconsistent tread life, with some users reporting premature wear
- Soft sidewalls perceived as 'sloppy' by some performance-oriented drivers
- Cold-weather flat-spotting that requires a few miles to round out
- Mediocre performance in deep snow or ice despite all-season classification
Worth knowing
- Users with performance sedans and coupes (e.g., BMW, Audi, Mustang) generally appreciate the balance of comfort and grip, though some note it lacks the precision of dedicated summer tires.
- Tesla and EV owners report a noticeable reduction in range (approx. 5%) and a firmer ride, though many find the trade-off for improved handling and lower noise compared to OEM tires acceptable.
- Drivers of heavier or high-torque vehicles occasionally report faster-than-expected tread wear, particularly on staggered setups where rotation is not possible.
2 published test appearances
Placement within each field. Open a test for the discipline-by-discipline result.
2022/23 UHP All Season tire Test · 245/40 R18
3rd of 4
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Handling | 3rd of 4 | |
| Wet Circle | 4th of 4 | |
| Dry Handling | 4th of 4 | |
| Snow Traction | 1st of 4 | |
| Snow Handling | 1st of 4 | |
| Subj. Comfort | 3rd of 4 |
2020 Tyre Reviews UHP All Season tire Test · 245/40 R18
3rd of 7
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 3rd of 7 | |
| Wet Handling | 2nd of 7 | |
| Dry Braking | 2nd of 7 | |
| Dry Handling | 3rd of 7 | |
| Snow Traction | 6th of 7 | |
| Snow Handling | 3rd of 7 | |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 2nd of 7 | |
| Subj. Comfort | 5th of 7 | |
| Subj. Wet Handling | 1st of 7 | |
| Subj. Noise | 7th of 7 | |
| Price | 6th of 7 | |
| Tyre Weight | 6th of 7 |
Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS specs & sizes
Prices vary by size, so each one links out separately.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Tread depth | 10/32″ |
| UTQG | 500 A A |
| Treadwear warranty | 50,000 mi |
| Sidewall | Blackwall |
| Max pressure | 51 psi |
| Size | Retailer |
|---|---|
| 215/45 R17 | Amazon |
| 215/55 R17 | Amazon |
| 225/55 R17 | Amazon |
| 225/45 R18 | Amazon |
| 235/45 R18 | Amazon |
| 245/45 R18 | Amazon |
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What owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of the scores above.
Community members generally view the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ as a reliable, high-performing all-season tire, though some note it trades away a degree of peak summer grip compared to dedicated max-performance summer tires like the Michelin Pilot Sport 4. Drivers appreciate its wet weather capability, strong value through promotions like Costco discounts, and suitability for daily commuting on sporty vehicles.
From 12 threads and comments.