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.
Head-to-head
Updated September 2026
Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS vs Falken ZIEX ZE001 A/S — 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
72
/ 100
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
66/100
15 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
VerdictWinner: Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS — better treadwear, wet and handling. Pick the Falken ZIEX ZE001 A/S if comfort 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
Score (0–100)
Potenza RE980AS leads by 6
Why this score
| Source | Potenza RE980AS | ZIEX ZE001 A/S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 90 | – |
| Tire Rack owners | – | 74 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 88 | 80 |
| SimpleTire owners | 100 | 100 |
Wet
Score (0–100)
Potenza RE980AS leads by 19
Why this score
| Source | Potenza RE980AS | ZIEX ZE001 A/S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 92 | – |
| Tire Rack owners | – | 63 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 76 | 68 |
| SimpleTire owners | 100 | 85 |
Snow
Score (0–100)
ZIEX ZE001 A/S leads by 7
Why this score
| Source | Potenza RE980AS | ZIEX ZE001 A/S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 55 | – |
| Tire Rack owners | – | 43 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 40 | 62 |
| SimpleTire owners | – | 100 |
Comfort
Score (0–100)
ZIEX ZE001 A/S leads by 29
Why this score
| Source | Potenza RE980AS | ZIEX ZE001 A/S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 23 | – |
| Tire Rack owners | – | 70 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 56 | 70 |
| SimpleTire owners | 100 | 100 |
Noise
Score (0–100)
Potenza RE980AS leads by 5
Why this score
| Source | Potenza RE980AS | ZIEX ZE001 A/S |
|---|---|---|
| SimpleTire owners | 80 | 95 |
Treadwear
Score (0–100)
Potenza RE980AS leads by 33
Why this score
| Source | Potenza RE980AS | ZIEX ZE001 A/S |
|---|---|---|
| Tire Rack owners | – | 50 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 63 | 47 |
| SimpleTire owners | – | 70 |
Handling
Score (0–100)
Potenza RE980AS leads by 7
Why this score
| Source | Potenza RE980AS | ZIEX ZE001 A/S |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 70 | 63 |
Scores at a glance
| Category | Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS | Falken ZIEX ZE001 A/S |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 80 | 72 |
| Dry | 91 | 85 |
| Wet | 91 | 72 |
| Snow | 63 | 70 |
| Comfort | 49 | 78 |
| Noise | 100 | 95 |
| Treadwear | 86 | 53 |
| Handling | 70 | 63 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
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Recomputed
Headline score
80
/ 100
Tire A
72
/ 100
Tire B
From owners
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews across retailers and review sites — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
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.
The Falken Ziex ZE001 AS is generally regarded as a competent OEM-spec tire that offers a comfortable, quiet ride and reliable dry-road handling. However, user consensus is heavily polarized by significant concerns regarding premature tread wear and subpar performance in winter conditions, particularly snow and slush.
Pros
- Quiet and comfortable ride quality
- Reliable dry-road traction and handling
- Satisfactory performance for daily commuting and highway driving
- Good initial feedback and wet-road grip for moderate driving
Cons
- Rapid and premature tread wear
- Poor traction and confidence in snow and icy conditions
- Low hydroplaning resistance in heavy rain
- High replacement cost relative to longevity
Observations
- Subaru owners frequently report that the tire fails to meet expected mileage intervals, often requiring replacement well before 40,000 miles.
- Drivers of higher-output vehicles, such as the Mazda 6 Turbo, report that the tire struggles to manage torque, leading to significant wet-weather traction issues.
Specifications
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS | B · Falken ZIEX ZE001 A/S |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All Season Ultra High Performance tires | Premium Touring All Season tire |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | SUV and 4x4 |
| Sizes available | 6 | 6 |
| Rim diameters | 17″ – 18″ | 17″ – 20″ |
| Tread depth | 10/32″ | 10/32″ |
| UTQG | 500 A A | 360 A A |
| Treadwear warranty | 50,000 mi | — |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | Blackwall |
| Max pressure | 51 psi | 51 psi |
Final verdict
Which one should you actually buy?
80
/ 100
Bridgestone
72
/ 100
Falken
Winner: Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS — better treadwear, wet and handling. Pick the Falken ZIEX ZE001 A/S if comfort and snow matter most to you.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS scores 86 vs 53 on treadwear.
Pick tire B
You want the most comfortable ride
Falken ZIEX ZE001 A/S scores 78 vs 49 on comfort.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS scores 91 vs 72 on wet.
Pick tire A
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS scores 70 vs 63 on handling.
Tire A · Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS
Tire B · Falken ZIEX ZE001 A/S
More comparisons
Also compared with
Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS also compared with
Falken ZIEX ZE001 A/S 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.