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 General G Max AS 05 — 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
84
/ 100
Objective (60%)
73/100
1 professional test
User signal (40%)
83/100
128 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
VerdictWinner: General G Max AS 05 — better comfort, handling and snow. Pick the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS if noise, wet and dry matter most to you.
Read full
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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 3
Why this score
| Source | Potenza RE980AS | G Max AS 05 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 90 | 86 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 88 | 80 |
| SimpleTire owners | 100 | – |
| America's Tire owners | – | 96 |
| Dry Braking (% of best) | 99% | 93% |
| Dry Handling (% of best) | 100% | 100% |
Wet
Score (0–100)
Potenza RE980AS leads by 5
Why this score
| Source | Potenza RE980AS | G Max AS 05 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 92 | 87 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 76 | 71 |
| SimpleTire owners | 100 | – |
| America's Tire owners | – | 90 |
| Wet Braking (% of best) | 99% | 92% |
| Wet Handling (% of best) | 100% | 99% |
Snow
Score (0–100)
G Max AS 05 leads by 4
Why this score
| Source | Potenza RE980AS | G Max AS 05 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 55 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 40 | 53 |
Comfort
Score (0–100)
G Max AS 05 leads by 42
Why this score
| Source | Potenza RE980AS | G Max AS 05 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 23 | 96 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 56 | 76 |
| SimpleTire owners | 100 | – |
| America's Tire owners | – | 92 |
Noise
Score (0–100)
Potenza RE980AS leads by 11
Why this score
| Source | Potenza RE980AS | G Max AS 05 |
|---|---|---|
| SimpleTire owners | 80 | – |
| America's Tire owners | – | 90 |
Treadwear
Score (0–100)
Potenza RE980AS leads by 2
Why this score
| Source | Potenza RE980AS | G Max AS 05 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 63 | 81 |
| America's Tire owners | – | 89 |
Handling
Score (0–100)
G Max AS 05 leads by 14
Why this score
| Source | Potenza RE980AS | G Max AS 05 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 70 | 80 |
| America's Tire owners | – | 94 |
Scores at a glance
| Category | Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS | General G Max AS 05 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 80 | 84 |
| Dry | 91 | 88 |
| Wet | 91 | 86 |
| Snow | 63 | 67 |
| Comfort | 49 | 91 |
| Noise | 100 | 89 |
| Treadwear | 86 | 84 |
| Handling | 70 | 84 |
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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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score
80
/ 100
Tire A
84
/ 100
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.
| Discipline | Category | Tire A | Tire B | Δ | Both? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | Dry | 99% #2/7 · 2020 Tyre Reviews UHP All Season Tyre Test | 93% #6/7 · 2023 Tyre Reviews UHP All Season Tyre Test | +5.1 | Different tests |
| Dry Handling | Dry | 100% #4/4 · 2022/23 UHP All Season Tyre Test | 100% #6/7 · 2023 Tyre Reviews UHP All Season Tyre Test | 0 | Different tests |
| Price | Other | 99% #6/7 · 2020 Tyre Reviews UHP All Season Tyre Test | 87% #2/7 · 2023 Tyre Reviews UHP All Season Tyre Test | +11.9 | Different tests |
| Overall Ranking | Overall | 33% #3/4 · 2022/23 UHP All Season Tyre Test | 17% #6/7 · 2023 Tyre Reviews UHP All Season Tyre Test | +16.7 | Different tests |
| Subj. Comfort | Subj | 90% #3/4 · 2022/23 UHP All Season Tyre Test | 98% #2/7 · 2023 Tyre Reviews UHP All Season Tyre Test | -8 | Different tests |
| Subj. Noise | Subj | 65% #7/7 · 2020 Tyre Reviews UHP All Season Tyre Test | 98% #2/7 · 2023 Tyre Reviews UHP All Season Tyre Test | -33 | Different tests |
| Wet Braking | Wet | 99% #3/7 · 2020 Tyre Reviews UHP All Season Tyre Test | 92% #5/7 · 2023 Tyre Reviews UHP All Season Tyre Test | +6.7 | Different tests |
| Wet Handling | Wet | 100% #3/4 · 2022/23 UHP All Season Tyre Test | 99% #6/7 · 2023 Tyre Reviews UHP All Season Tyre Test | +0.8 | Different tests |
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 General G-Max AS-05 is widely regarded as a high-value, performance-oriented all-season tire that competes favorably with premium brands at a lower price point. While most users praise its dry handling, steering responsiveness, and wet-weather confidence, experiences regarding ride comfort and tread longevity are polarized, with some users reporting exceptional mileage and others experiencing premature wear.
Pros
- Excellent price-to-performance ratio compared to premium competitors like Michelin and Continental.
- Sharp, responsive steering feel and high levels of dry grip.
- Strong wet-weather traction and hydroplaning resistance.
- Attractive aesthetic and inclusion of a rim protection bead.
- Generally quiet and smooth ride quality for most daily driving applications.
Cons
- Inconsistent tread life, with some users reporting premature wear or exposure of cords well before the warranty mileage.
- Increased road noise reported by some users as the tread wears down.
- Stiff ride characteristics that can feel harsh on certain vehicles or road surfaces.
- Limited performance in deep snow or icy conditions compared to dedicated winter tires.
- Occasional reports of balancing issues causing highway vibrations.
Observations
- Users transitioning from factory run-flat tires consistently report significant improvements in ride comfort and noise reduction.
- Drivers of high-performance or modified vehicles (e.g., Mustangs, BMWs, Abarths) frequently highlight the tire's sharp turn-in response and sporty handling characteristics.
- Owners of wider tire sizes noted increased susceptibility to hydroplaning in deep standing water compared to narrower fitments.
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
Positive
General G Max AS 05
Community members generally view the General G-Max AS-05 as a strong, budget-friendly alternative to premium ultra-high-performance all-season tires like the Continental DWS06 or Michelin Pilot Sport AS. Users praise its solid dry and wet grip, value for money, and capability in cold weather or light snow, though some note that its snow performance is only mediocre and tread life can vary.
r/FocusST
·54 upvotes ·2023-03-23
“18 ST on freshly refinished snowflakes and general g-max as-05 tires. Tire rack mobile install is awesome.”
r/Corvette
·21 upvotes ·2021-07-14
“Thanks to the advice of this group got four new tires General G max AS05. Huge improvement so far”
r/BoltEV
·7 upvotes ·2019-03-16
“General Tire G-MAX AS-05 I just ordered a set of General Tire G-MAX AS-05 for my Bolt. Tirerack.com says that this is an "Ultra High Performance All-Season" tire. With 28,000 miles of wear on the factory tires, I can feel it starting to hydroplane in heavy rain. I'm swapping before something worse than "starting to hydroplane" happens. And I'm looking forward to it being a lot more fun to drive. :-) General Tire G-MAX AS-05”
r/tires
·2 upvotes ·2023-11-06
“I am on my second set of GMAX AS05 tires on my '16 Miata. I got UHP A/S tires so I can drive them in colds temps and not be dead in the snow if I get caught on light snow. If the AS-07 tires are at least as good as the 05s, I will likely go ahead with them. I only get about 15k max out of a set of tires so I would be stuck with them for 2-3 years. The other one I am considering is the Conti DWS06+.”
Top themes
#Value and Pricing#Wet and Dry Grip#Snow and Winter Performance#Comparison to Premium Brands#Tread Wear and Longevity
Based on 19 community posts
Specifications
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS | B · General G Max AS 05 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All Season Ultra High Performance tires | All Season Ultra High Performance tires |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 6 | 1 |
| Rim diameters | 17″ – 18″ | 19″ |
| Tread depth | 10/32″ | 10/32″ |
| UTQG | 500 A A | 500 A - AA A |
| Treadwear warranty | 50,000 mi | 50,000 mi |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | Black Side Wall |
| Max pressure | 51 psi | 50 - 51 psi |
Final verdict
Which one should you actually buy?
80
/ 100
Bridgestone
84
/ 100
General
Winner: General G Max AS 05 — better comfort, handling and snow. Pick the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS if noise, wet and dry matter most to you.
Pick tire B
You want the most comfortable ride
General G Max AS 05 scores 91 vs 49 on comfort.
Pick tire B
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
General G Max AS 05 scores 84 vs 70 on handling.
Pick tire A
You want a quieter cabin
Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS scores 100 vs 89 on noise.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS scores 91 vs 86 on wet.
Tire A · Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS
Tire B · General G Max AS 05
More comparisons
Also compared with
Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS also compared with
General G Max AS 05 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.