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Head-to-head Updated

Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position vs Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS — Compared

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

Check price on Amazon · Potenza RE970AS Pole Position Check price on Amazon · Potenza RE980AS
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Category by category

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

  1. –

    Dry

    No comparison
    67
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE970AS Pole PositionPotenza RE980AS
    Reviews found online–67
  2. –

    Wet

    No comparison
    68
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE970AS Pole PositionPotenza RE980AS
    Reviews found online–68
  3. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    56
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE970AS Pole PositionPotenza RE980AS
    Reviews found online–47
  4. –

    Comfort

    No comparison
    62
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE970AS Pole PositionPotenza RE980AS
    Reviews found online–54
  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    64
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE970AS Pole PositionPotenza RE980AS
    Reviews found online–60
  6. –

    Treadwear

    No comparison
    60
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE970AS Pole PositionPotenza RE980AS
    Reviews found online–56
  7. –

    Handling

    No comparison
    61
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE970AS Pole PositionPotenza RE980AS
    Reviews found online–61
Scores at a glance
CategoryBridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole PositionBridgestone Potenza RE980AS
Relative Score – 63
Dry – 67
Wet – 68
Snow – 56
Comfort – 62
Noise – 64
Treadwear – 60
Handling – 61

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

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.

Important
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Important
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Neutral
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Less important
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Less important
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Important
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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

Potenza RE970AS Pole Position

Potenza RE980AS

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

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Potenza RE970AS Pole Position

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

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

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position B · Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS
Category—All Season
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?

Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS

Only Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS has enough test and review data for a Relative Score, so there is no head-to-head winner yet.

Tire A · Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS
Check price on Amazon

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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.