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Head-to-head Updated September 2026

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS vs Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS — 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.

Tire A Bridgestone

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS

All Season Ultra High Performance tires

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS tread pattern
Objective (60%)
69/100
1 professional test
User signal (40%)
85/100
556 owner reviews
Dry
91
Wet
91
Snow
63
Comfort
49
Noise
100
Treadwear
86
Handling
70

Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VS
VerdictWinner: Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS — better comfort, handling and dry. Pick the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS if noise and snow matter 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) ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS leads by 4
A — Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS
91
B — Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS
95
Why this score
SourcePotenza RE980ASExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS
Professional tests (TWG score) 90 96
Tire Rack owners – 93
Tyre Reviews owners 88 88
SimpleTire owners 100 –
America's Tire owners – 96
Dry Braking (% of best) 99% 99%
Dry Handling (% of best) 100% 98%

Wet

Weight: Important
Score (0–100)
A — Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS
91
B — Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS
91
Why this score
SourcePotenza RE980ASExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS
Professional tests (TWG score) 92 91
Tire Rack owners – 91
Tyre Reviews owners 76 91
SimpleTire owners 100 –
America's Tire owners – 94
Wet Braking (% of best) 99% 100%
Wet Circle (% of best) 97% 100%
Wet Handling (% of best) 100% 94%

Snow

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Potenza RE980AS leads by 3
A — Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS
63
B — Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS
60
Why this score
SourcePotenza RE980ASExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS
Professional tests (TWG score) 55 51
Tire Rack owners – 75
Tyre Reviews owners 40 76
Snow Handling (% of best) 86% 92%
Snow Traction (% of best) 100% 85%

Comfort

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS leads by 42
A — Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS
49
B — Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS
91
Why this score
SourcePotenza RE980ASExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS
Professional tests (TWG score) 23 92
Tire Rack owners – 89
Tyre Reviews owners 56 82
SimpleTire owners 100 –
America's Tire owners – 94

Noise

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Potenza RE980AS leads by 12
A — Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS
100
B — Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS
88
Why this score
SourcePotenza RE980ASExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS
Professional tests (TWG score) – 87
SimpleTire owners 80 –
America's Tire owners – 92

Treadwear

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) Potenza RE980AS leads by 1
A — Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS
86
B — Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS
85
Why this score
SourcePotenza RE980ASExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS
Tire Rack owners – 85
Tyre Reviews owners 63 68
America's Tire owners – 89

Handling

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS leads by 15
A — Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS
70
B — Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS
85
Why this score
SourcePotenza RE980ASExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS
Tyre Reviews owners 70 85
America's Tire owners – 95

Scores at a glance

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS vs Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryBridgestone Potenza RE980ASContinental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS
Relative Score 80 86
Dry 91 95
Wet 91 91
Snow 63 60
Comfort 49 91
Noise 100 88
Treadwear 86 85
Handling 70 85

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

Personalize

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

Test data

The professional test results behind the scores

Each result is shown as % of the best tire in that test. “Same test” rows are the strictest comparison: both tires were measured side by side.

DisciplineCategoryTire ATire BΔBoth?
Dry Braking Dry 99% #2/7 · 2020 Tyre Reviews UHP All Season Tyre Test 99% #2/4 · Tire Rack Ultra High Performance All-Season Tyre Test -0.4 Different tests
Dry Handling Dry 100% #4/4 · 2022/23 UHP All Season Tyre Test 98% #2/7 · 2023 Tyre Reviews UHP All Season Tyre Test +2.1 Different tests
Price Other 99% #6/7 · 2020 Tyre Reviews UHP All Season Tyre Test 100% #7/7 · 2023 Tyre Reviews UHP All Season Tyre Test -1 Different tests
Overall Ranking Overall 33% #3/4 · 2022/23 UHP All Season Tyre Test 100% #1/7 · 2023 Tyre Reviews UHP All Season Tyre Test -66.7 Different tests
Snow Handling Snow 86% #1/4 · 2022/23 UHP All Season Tyre Test 92% #3/4 · 2022/23 UHP All Season Tyre Test -6.1 Same test
Snow Traction Snow 100% #1/4 · 2022/23 UHP All Season Tyre Test 85% #3/4 · 2022/23 UHP All Season Tyre Test +15.2 Same test
Subj. Comfort Subj 90% #3/4 · 2022/23 UHP All Season Tyre Test 95% #5/7 · 2023 Tyre Reviews UHP All Season Tyre Test -5 Different tests
Subj. Noise Subj 65% #7/7 · 2020 Tyre Reviews UHP All Season Tyre Test 96% #4/5 · 2025 AutoView Ultra High Performance All-Season Tyre Test -30.7 Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 99% #3/7 · 2020 Tyre Reviews UHP All Season Tyre Test 100% #2/7 · 2023 Tyre Reviews UHP All Season Tyre Test -0.6 Different tests
Wet Circle Wet 97% #4/4 · 2022/23 UHP All Season Tyre Test 100% #1/4 · 2022/23 UHP All Season Tyre Test -3.3 Same test
Wet Handling Wet 100% #3/4 · 2022/23 UHP All Season Tyre Test 94% #1/7 · 2023 Tyre Reviews UHP All Season Tyre Test +5.3 Different tests
From owners

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS

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.
Tire B Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

Community buzz

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Tire B

Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS

Positive

Community opinion on the Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus is overwhelmingly positive, with drivers praising its excellent dry and wet grip, comfortable and quiet ride, and superior value compared to competitors like Michelin. Users frequently note improvements in launch traction, cornering, and everyday drive quality when switching from stock summer or OEM tires. While most find it to be a stellar high-performance all-season tire, minor questions remain regarding heavy winter performance and occasional reports of tread wear or tread squirm.

r/GRCorolla ·120 upvotes ·2026-05-08

“235s Factory Michelin Pilot Sport PS4s —> 245s Continental Extreme Contact DWS-06 Plus Just a quick first impression after changing from stock Summer tires 235/40/18 dimensions to 245/40/18 all season tires. I chose to take a chance and up the tire size/change the compound hoping to not sacrifice too much driving feel. As many are already aware, this 245 tire size is standard for the Morizo Edition*. Overall, I do not regret changing the tire size. Drive 9/10. Looks 10/10. A very small amount of steering feel was lost, but not enough to take away from the experience. If the car was a “track” setup I would stick with stickier performance tires or stock Michelins… but for a daily driver, the Continental Extreme Contact DWS-06 Plus tires in the 245/35/18 dimensions suits the GR Corolla MUCH better in my opinion. The drive is smoother just cruising (does not feel as bouncy over bumps) and tire noise is virtually non existent. The slightly larger sidewall also gives a little more peace of mind on crappy NY roads, pot holes etc. (I have had to plug the stock Michelins 4 times in the last 15 months). Will add more impressions later on if I can give more feedback. **Have not confirmed if speedo accuracy improved or got worse**”

r/accord ·39 upvotes ·2026-08-24

“2.0T + Cont Extremecontact = win Replaced my stock tires at just shy of 35k miles with Continental Extremecontact DWS06 plus tires....my oh MY what a difference! Even when brand-new, the stock michelin all-seasons would spin out every time I'd try to launch...no longer an issue/these feel like a dream. I feel like I'm driving a completely different car now. Far better corner handling/lane changing as well, and they honestly seem to have less road noise as well. To anyone who feels they don't have enough grip/handling on their 2.0T, these are the answer. Haven't had the chance to test in heavy rain yet (or snow come winter), but I'm sure they'll handle well. 10/10 after about a hundred miles or so (likely not even "broken in" yet) Read more”

r/Camry ·27 upvotes ·2024-05-02

“Purchased Extreme Contact DWS 06 Plus and driving experience has gone way better now Purchased these yesterday and noticed a difference in manoeuvring and braking. It made a significant difference while cruising down and bumps feel better, coming from OEM equipped TOYO from SE 2018”

r/TeslaLounge ·23 upvotes ·2025-10-18

“New Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus on 2023 MYP (pics + first impressions) After a summer of traveling to visit family and kids on AAU travel teams it was time for some new rubber. Looked down at my rears a few days ago and saw the threads on the inside of the right tire. I used the Tesla community here on Reddit and locked in on the DWS. PepBoys was able to get them in less than 24 hours and even offered a 10% discount. I definitely noticed a smoother ride so far and I would argue a bit more traction. I’ve only had them on for a day so I’ll have to see how much range loss I’ll experience and if they perform better or worse when pushed. I think for $1,500 dollars installed I didn’t do too bad. Plus I believe I have a quality replacement from the OEM that my MYP came with. Anyone else running the DWS06 Plus on their MYP? How’s your long-term wear or efficiency? Read more”

Top themes
#Wet and dry grip#Ride comfort and noise#Comparison with Michelin#Winter and snow capability#Tread wear and longevity#Steering feel and handling

Based on 37 community posts

Specifications

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS B · Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS
CategoryAll Season Ultra High Performance tiresAll Season Ultra High Performance tires
Vehicle typePassenger Car / Crossover—
Sizes available6117
Rim diameters17″ – 18″16″ – 22″
Tread depth10/32″10/32″
UTQG500 A A560 - 740 A - AA A
Treadwear warranty50,000 mi50,000 mi
SidewallBlackwallBlack Side Wall
Max pressure51 psi50 - 51 psi
Final verdict

Which one should you actually buy?

Bridgestone

Continental

Winner: Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS — better comfort, handling and dry. Pick the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS if noise and snow matter most to you.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS scores 91 vs 49 on comfort.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS scores 85 vs 70 on handling.

Pick tire A You want a quieter cabin

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS scores 100 vs 88 on noise.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS scores 95 vs 91 on dry.

Tire A · Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS
Tire B · Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS

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.