79
/ 100
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
66/100
Owner ratings
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
Head-to-head
Updated September 2026
Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position vs Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS — Compared (September 2026)
Our Relative Score blends 60% objective test data with 40% owner-review signal — so any two tires can be compared even if they were never tested on the same day.
VS
80
/ 100
Objective (60%)
69/100
1 professional test
User signal (40%)
85/100
556 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
VerdictToo close to call: Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position and Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS are within 2 points overall. Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position is stronger on comfort and handling. Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS is stronger on noise, snow and treadwear.
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Category breakdown
7 categories, side by side
Each bar is the Relative Score for that category. Expand a tile to see the test results and owner ratings behind it.
Dry
Score (0–100)
Potenza RE980AS leads by 2
Why this score
| Source | Potenza RE970AS Pole Position | Potenza RE980AS |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | – | 90 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | – | 88 |
| SimpleTire owners | – | 100 |
Wet
Score (0–100)
Potenza RE980AS leads by 5
Why this score
| Source | Potenza RE970AS Pole Position | Potenza RE980AS |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | – | 92 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | – | 76 |
| SimpleTire owners | – | 100 |
Snow
Score (0–100)
Potenza RE980AS leads by 13
Why this score
| Source | Potenza RE970AS Pole Position | Potenza RE980AS |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | – | 55 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | – | 40 |
Comfort
Score (0–100)
Potenza RE970AS Pole Position leads by 29
Why this score
| Source | Potenza RE970AS Pole Position | Potenza RE980AS |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | – | 23 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | – | 56 |
| SimpleTire owners | – | 100 |
Noise
Score (0–100)
Potenza RE980AS leads by 24
Why this score
| Source | Potenza RE970AS Pole Position | Potenza RE980AS |
|---|---|---|
| SimpleTire owners | – | 80 |
Treadwear
Score (0–100)
Potenza RE980AS leads by 8
Why this score
| Source | Potenza RE970AS Pole Position | Potenza RE980AS |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | – | 63 |
Handling
Score (0–100)
Potenza RE970AS Pole Position leads by 18
Why this score
| Source | Potenza RE970AS Pole Position | Potenza RE980AS |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | – | 70 |
Scores at a glance
| Category | Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position | Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 79 | 80 |
| Dry | 89 | 91 |
| Wet | 86 | 91 |
| Snow | 50 | 63 |
| Comfort | 78 | 49 |
| Noise | 76 | 100 |
| Treadwear | 78 | 86 |
| Handling | 88 | 70 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
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Recomputed
Headline score
79
/ 100
Tire A
80
/ 100
Tire B
From owners
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews across retailers and review sites — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.
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
Observations
- 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.
Specifications
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position | B · Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS |
|---|---|---|
| Category | — | All Season Ultra High Performance tires |
| Vehicle type | — | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | — | 6 |
| Rim diameters | — | 17″ – 18″ |
| Tread depth | — | 10/32″ |
| UTQG | — | 500 A A |
| Treadwear warranty | — | 50,000 mi |
| Sidewall | — | Blackwall |
| Max pressure | — | 51 psi |
Final verdict
Which one should you actually buy?
79
/ 100
Bridgestone
80
/ 100
Bridgestone
Too close to call: Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position and Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS are within 2 points overall. Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position is stronger on comfort and handling. Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS is stronger on noise, snow and treadwear.
Pick tire A
You want the most comfortable ride
Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position scores 78 vs 49 on comfort.
Pick tire B
You want a quieter cabin
Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS scores 100 vs 76 on noise.
Pick tire A
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position scores 88 vs 70 on handling.
Pick tire B
You drive through snowy winters
Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS scores 63 vs 50 on snow.
Tire A · Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position
Tire B · Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS
More comparisons
Also compared with
Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position also compared with
Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS also compared with
How do we compare tires?
Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements) normalized against the best tire in each test and weighted toward recent tests. 40% comes from thousands of owner reviews collected from retailers and review sites. When a tire has only one of the two, we use what exists and say so.
Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.