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Head-to-head Updated May 2026

Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position vs Bridgestone Turanza EL440 — 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 Bridgestone

Bridgestone Turanza EL440

Summer Premium Touring tires

Bridgestone Turanza EL440 tread pattern
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
44/100
19 owner reviews
Dry
56
Wet
47
Snow
43
Comfort
44
Noise
–
Treadwear
41
Handling
51
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VerdictWinner: Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position — better wet, treadwear and handling. It leads or ties in every category we score.
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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) Potenza RE970AS Pole Position leads by 33
A
89
B
56
Why this score
SourcePotenza RE970AS Pole PositionTuranza EL440
Tire Rack owners – 79
Tyre Reviews owners – 55

Wet

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) Potenza RE970AS Pole Position leads by 39
A
86
B
47
Why this score
SourcePotenza RE970AS Pole PositionTuranza EL440
Tire Rack owners – 69
Tyre Reviews owners – 46

Snow

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Potenza RE970AS Pole Position leads by 7
A
50
B
43
Why this score
SourcePotenza RE970AS Pole PositionTuranza EL440
Tire Rack owners – 43

Comfort

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Potenza RE970AS Pole Position leads by 34
A
78
B
44
Why this score
SourcePotenza RE970AS Pole PositionTuranza EL440
Tire Rack owners – 69
Tyre Reviews owners – 43

Noise

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100)
A
76
B
–

Treadwear

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) Potenza RE970AS Pole Position leads by 37
A
78
B
41
Why this score
SourcePotenza RE970AS Pole PositionTuranza EL440
Tire Rack owners – 60
Tyre Reviews owners – 40

Handling

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Potenza RE970AS Pole Position leads by 37
A
88
B
51
Why this score
SourcePotenza RE970AS Pole PositionTuranza EL440
Tyre Reviews owners – 51

Scores at a glance

CategoryBridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole PositionBridgestone Turanza EL440
Relative Score 79 46
Dry 89 56
Wet 86 47
Snow 50 43
Comfort 78 44
Noise 76 –
Treadwear 78 41
Handling 88 51

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

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

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Recomputed
Headline score

Tire A

Tire B

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

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 Bridgestone Turanza EL440

The Bridgestone Turanza EL440 is widely regarded as a disappointing OEM tire, frequently criticized for premature tread wear and escalating road noise as the tires age. While a small minority of users find the dry handling and steering precision acceptable for daily commuting, the prevailing consensus points to poor value, lackluster wet-weather performance, and a short service life that fails to meet expectations for a premium-priced tire.

Pros

  • Acceptable steering precision on dry pavement
  • Solid construction durability against road hazards like potholes
  • Adequate dry-weather grip for conservative, daily commuting

Cons

  • Extremely rapid tread wear, often requiring replacement before 30,000 miles
  • Significant increase in road noise and cabin drone as the tread wears down
  • Poor wet-weather traction and confidence, leading to understeer
  • High replacement cost relative to the tire's performance and longevity

Observations

  • Owners of Mazda CX-30 and Toyota Camry models frequently report dissatisfaction with the OEM-supplied EL440s, specifically citing premature wear despite regular rotation.
  • Users noted that while the tire may feel quiet and comfortable when brand new, these characteristics degrade rapidly within the first 10,000 to 20,000 miles.
Specifications

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position B · Bridgestone Turanza EL440
Category—Summer Premium Touring tires
Vehicle type—Passenger Car / Crossover
Final verdict

Which one should you actually buy?

Bridgestone

Bridgestone

Winner: Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position — better wet, treadwear and handling. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position scores 86 vs 47 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position scores 78 vs 41 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position scores 88 vs 51 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position scores 78 vs 44 on comfort.

Tire A · Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position
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Tire B · Bridgestone Turanza EL440
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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.