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Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ vs Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

Pilot Sport A/S 3+ is ahead, 72–64

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Tire AMichelin

Pilot Sport A/S 3+

Ultra High Performance All Season  tire

Tests – · 1 test Owners 72 · 655 reviews

“new tires = BIG difference in traction (pilot sport a/s 3+)”

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 75

    Dry

    Pilot Sport A/S 3+ +7
    68
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport A/S 3+Potenza RE980AS
    Reviews found online7968
  2. 79

    Wet

    Pilot Sport A/S 3+ +10
    69
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport A/S 3+Potenza RE980AS
    Reviews found online8268
  3. 63

    Snow

    Pilot Sport A/S 3+ +7
    56
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport A/S 3+Potenza RE980AS
    Reviews found online5847
  4. 67

    Comfort

    Pilot Sport A/S 3+ +5
    62
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport A/S 3+Potenza RE980AS
    Reviews found online6554
  5. 66

    Noise

    Pilot Sport A/S 3+ +4
    62
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport A/S 3+Potenza RE980AS
    Reviews found online6557
  6. 70

    Treadwear

    Pilot Sport A/S 3+ +10
    60
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport A/S 3+Potenza RE980AS
    Professional tests (TWG score)73–
    Reviews found online6655
  7. 72

    Handling

    Pilot Sport A/S 3+ +10
    62
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Sport A/S 3+Potenza RE980AS
    Reviews found online7262
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS
Relative Score 72 64
Dry 75 68
Wet 79 69
Snow 63 56
Comfort 67 62
Noise 66 62
Treadwear 70 60
Handling 72 62

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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Headline score

Pilot Sport A/S 3+

Potenza RE980AS

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Pilot Sport A/S 3+

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and cornering stability in both dry and wet conditions
  • Crisp, highly responsive steering and handling feel
  • Substantial upgrade in performance and wet weather confidence compared to OEM tires

Cons

  • Significantly faster tread wear than expected, often failing to reach the mileage warranty
  • High levels of road noise, buzzing, and droning that increase noticeably as the tread wears down
  • Stiff sidewalls leading to a harsher, less comfortable ride over bumps and road imperfections
All owner themes in the Pilot Sport A/S 3+ review

Tire B Potenza RE980AS

Pros

  • Excellent dry grip and sporty handling characteristics
  • Sharp and responsive initial turn-in
  • Competitive pricing within the premium high-performance category

Cons

  • Increased road noise as the tread wears down
  • Poor snow and ice traction compared to other all-season options
  • Stiffer sidewall impact comfort relative to competitors like Michelin
All owner themes in the Potenza RE980AS review

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+

Positive

The community generally views the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ as a high-performing all-season tire that delivers exceptional dry and wet grip, great cornering stability, and low noise compared to stock options. Most users praise them as an ideal compromise for daily drivers who want warm-weather performance without swapping to dedicated summer tires, though some users note they struggle in heavy winter snow compared to competitors like Continental.

r/GolfGTI ·4 upvotes ·2020-02-14

“Pilot Sport A/S 3+ Tires just installed Just got the tires on this morning with an alignment and proper balancing. Holy cow, night and day difference from the original Bridgestones on the car. Car handles so much better. It honestly makes me feel like I just bought a new car. If you have any questions or are considering getting them, feel free to ask!”
r/GolfGTI ·4 upvotes ·2019-01-29

“I have had the Michelin Pilot sport A/S3+ for my last two sets of tires, and I had the hydro-edge before that on my old Toyota. So much grip around corners and good rain performance.”
r/Audi ·3 upvotes ·2026-07-09

“Are you talking about the all seasons or the summer tires? The summer tires are a terrible choice and you will likely go off the road at some point. Summer tires get hard as a rock in cold temps since they are not meant to be used in winter. If you're talking about the all seasons, I had Pilot Sport A/S 3+ on my 2016 S6 and they were just terrible in snow. So bad that I replaced them after only ~10k miles and put on some Conti Extreme Contact DWS, which were far superior in bad weather. If you want a true all season that can be useful in winter, I'd go with the Contis. But if you are going to be driving in bad weather regularly, get dedicated snows. All seasons are passable here and there but not confidence inspiring.”
Top themes
#Wet and dry traction#Winter and snow performance#Daily driving compromise#Handling and cornering grip#Comparison with summer tires#Ride comfort and noise

Based on 15 community posts

Tire B

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS

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

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ B · Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS
CategoryUltra High Performance All Season  tireAll Season Ultra High Performance tires
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Tread depth—10/32″
UTQG—500 A A
Treadwear warranty—50,000 mi
Sidewall—Blackwall
Max pressure—51 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS

Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ — better wet, treadwear and handling. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ scores 79 vs 69 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ scores 70 vs 60 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ scores 72 vs 62 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ scores 75 vs 68 on dry.

Tire A · Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+
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Tire B · Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS
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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), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.

72

Leads

Pilot Sport A/S 3+

Amazon