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Head-to-head Updated May 2026

Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position vs Firestone Firehawk AS — Compared (May 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
Tire B Firestone

Firestone Firehawk AS

All Season High Performance tires

Firestone Firehawk AS tread pattern
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
88/100
18 owner reviews
Dry
94
Wet
87
Snow
79
Comfort
94
Noise
90
Treadwear
92
Handling
70
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Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VerdictWinner: Firestone Firehawk AS — better snow, comfort and noise. Pick the Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position if handling matters most to you.
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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

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Firehawk AS leads by 5
A
89
B
94
Why this score
SourcePotenza RE970AS Pole PositionFirehawk AS
Tyre Reviews owners – 75

Wet

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) Firehawk AS leads by 1
A
86
B
87
Why this score
SourcePotenza RE970AS Pole PositionFirehawk AS
Tyre Reviews owners – 50

Snow

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Firehawk AS leads by 29
A
50
B
79
Why this score
SourcePotenza RE970AS Pole PositionFirehawk AS
Tyre Reviews owners – 45

Comfort

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Firehawk AS leads by 16
A
78
B
94
Why this score
SourcePotenza RE970AS Pole PositionFirehawk AS
Tyre Reviews owners – 75

Noise

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Firehawk AS leads by 14
A
76
B
90

Treadwear

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) Firehawk AS leads by 14
A
78
B
92
Why this score
SourcePotenza RE970AS Pole PositionFirehawk AS
Tyre Reviews owners – 75

Handling

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Potenza RE970AS Pole Position leads by 18
A
88
B
70
Why this score
SourcePotenza RE970AS Pole PositionFirehawk AS
Tyre Reviews owners – 70

Scores at a glance

CategoryBridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole PositionFirestone Firehawk AS
Relative Score 79 87
Dry 89 94
Wet 86 87
Snow 50 79
Comfort 78 94
Noise 76 90
Treadwear 78 92
Handling 88 70

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

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Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Neutral
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Important
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Neutral
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Neutral
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Neutral
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Important
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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

Tire A

Tire B

From owners

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews across retailers and review sites — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

Tire B Firestone Firehawk AS

The Firestone FireHawk AS is generally regarded as a high-value, sporty all-season tire that offers impressive dry grip and handling characteristics. While many users praise its longevity and aesthetic appeal, there is a notable divide regarding its wet-weather performance, with some users reporting significant concerns regarding hydroplaning.

Pros

  • Exceptional tread life and durability
  • Strong dry traction and cornering stability
  • Attractive aesthetic design
  • High value-to-price ratio
  • Responsive steering feedback and sidewall stiffness

Cons

  • Significant concerns regarding hydroplaning in heavy rain
  • Potential for tread cracking after extended high-mileage use
  • Availability issues at local retail outlets

Observations

  • Owners of RWD performance vehicles like the Ford Mustang and Infiniti G35 report high satisfaction with cornering and handling.
  • The tire demonstrates robust durability on high-torque FWD vehicles, effectively resisting belt shifting compared to other brands.
  • Drivers of heavy, body-on-frame sedans appreciate the increased sidewall stiffness for improved steering feedback.
Specifications

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position B · Firestone Firehawk AS
Category—All Season High Performance tires
Vehicle type—Passenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—4
Rim diameters—15″ – 18″
Tread depth—11/32″
UTQG—480 A A
Treadwear warranty—50,000 mi
Sidewall—Blackwall
Max pressure—44 psi
Final verdict

Which one should you actually buy?

Bridgestone

Firestone

Winner: Firestone Firehawk AS — better snow, comfort and noise. Pick the Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position if handling matters most to you.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Firestone Firehawk AS scores 79 vs 50 on snow.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position scores 88 vs 70 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Firestone Firehawk AS scores 94 vs 78 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want a quieter cabin

Firestone Firehawk AS scores 90 vs 76 on noise.

Tire A · Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position
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Tire B · Firestone Firehawk AS
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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.