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 Kumho Ecsta 4X KU22 — 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
86
/ 100
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
88/100
31 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
VerdictWinner: Kumho Ecsta 4X KU22 — better comfort, snow and dry. Pick the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS if noise 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
Score (0–100)
Ecsta 4X KU22 leads by 3
Why this score
| Source | Potenza RE980AS | Ecsta 4X KU22 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 90 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 88 | 80 |
| SimpleTire owners | 100 | – |
Wet
Score (0–100)
Potenza RE980AS leads by 1
Why this score
| Source | Potenza RE980AS | Ecsta 4X KU22 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 92 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 76 | 70 |
| SimpleTire owners | 100 | – |
Snow
Score (0–100)
Ecsta 4X KU22 leads by 22
Why this score
| Source | Potenza RE980AS | Ecsta 4X KU22 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 55 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 40 | – |
Comfort
Score (0–100)
Ecsta 4X KU22 leads by 41
Why this score
| Source | Potenza RE980AS | Ecsta 4X KU22 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 23 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 56 | 70 |
| SimpleTire owners | 100 | – |
Noise
Score (0–100)
Potenza RE980AS leads by 16
Why this score
| Source | Potenza RE980AS | Ecsta 4X KU22 |
|---|---|---|
| SimpleTire owners | 80 | – |
Treadwear
Score (0–100)
Potenza RE980AS leads by 1
Why this score
| Source | Potenza RE980AS | Ecsta 4X KU22 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 63 | 70 |
Handling
Score (0–100)
Why this score
| Source | Potenza RE980AS | Ecsta 4X KU22 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 70 | 70 |
Scores at a glance
| Category | Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS | Kumho Ecsta 4X KU22 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 80 | 86 |
| Dry | 91 | 94 |
| Wet | 91 | 90 |
| Snow | 63 | 85 |
| Comfort | 49 | 90 |
| Noise | 100 | 84 |
| Treadwear | 86 | 85 |
| Handling | 70 | 70 |
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
86
/ 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 Kumho Ecsta 4X KU22 is widely regarded as a high-value, all-season tire that delivers balanced performance across dry, wet, and light winter conditions. While it may not lead its class in any single performance metric, users consistently praise its affordability and reliability, making it a popular choice for daily drivers seeking a cost-effective alternative to premium brands.
Pros
- Exceptional price-to-performance ratio
- Strong wet weather traction and hydroplaning resistance
- Responsive handling and cornering stability
- Surprisingly capable performance in light snow conditions
Cons
- Road noise can increase as the tire wears
- Some users find them louder than premium OEM alternatives
- Ride comfort is adequate but may not fully absorb road imperfections for all drivers
Observations
- Users with smaller, lighter vehicles like the Chevy Spark and Toyota Corolla report improved handling and rim protection compared to factory-installed tires.
- Owners of higher-horsepower vehicles, such as the Cadillac CTS-V, find the tire to be a capable and economical daily-driving option, though it is not marketed as a dedicated performance tire.
Specifications
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS | B · Kumho Ecsta 4X KU22 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All Season Ultra High Performance tires | Summer Ultra High Performance tires |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | 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?
80
/ 100
Bridgestone
86
/ 100
Kumho
Winner: Kumho Ecsta 4X KU22 — better comfort, snow and dry. Pick the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS if noise matters most to you.
Pick tire B
You want the most comfortable ride
Kumho Ecsta 4X KU22 scores 90 vs 49 on comfort.
Pick tire B
You drive through snowy winters
Kumho Ecsta 4X KU22 scores 85 vs 63 on snow.
Pick tire A
You want a quieter cabin
Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS scores 100 vs 84 on noise.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Kumho Ecsta 4X KU22 scores 94 vs 91 on dry.
Tire A · Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS
Tire B · Kumho Ecsta 4X KU22
More comparisons
Also compared with
Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS also compared with
Kumho Ecsta 4X KU22 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.