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Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS Plus vs General AltiMAX RT43 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 0 + 1 road tests and 669 + 1,371 owner reviews. How we score

Potenza RE980AS Plus leads, 71–68 Narrow edge

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General AltiMAX RT43
Tire BGeneral

AltiMAX RT43

All Season

± 7

Tests – · 1 test Owners 67 · 1,371 reviews

Best test result: #3 of 8 in 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires (tested tread life (miles))

“I have the General Altimax RT43 on 19s as my winter tires, and they are perfectly fine. For sure louder than oem, because there is no foam, but for wear, tear and handling, perfectly fine. I am not racing anyone or driving aggressively with those tires on anyway.”

Category by category

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

  1. 73

    Dry

    Potenza RE980AS Plus +5
    68
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE980AS PlusAltiMAX RT43
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online7668

    Potenza RE980AS Plus: 60% × 71.3 (est.) + 40% × 76.1 = 73

    AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 67.8 (est.) + 40% × 67.6 = 68

    No road tests of dry for Potenza RE980AS Plus. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

    No road tests of dry for AltiMAX RT43. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 76

    Wet

    Potenza RE980AS Plus +6
    70
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE980AS PlusAltiMAX RT43
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 75 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online7870

    Potenza RE980AS Plus: 60% × 74.9 (est.) + 40% × 78.3 = 76

    AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 70.5 (est.) + 40% × 70.2 = 70

    No road tests of wet for Potenza RE980AS Plus. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

    No road tests of wet for AltiMAX RT43. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 65

    Snow

    Potenza RE980AS Plus +1
    64
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE980AS PlusAltiMAX RT43
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online6260

    Potenza RE980AS Plus: 60% × 67.7 (est.) + 40% × 61.8 = 65

    AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 67.1 (est.) + 40% × 59.9 = 64

    No road tests of snow for Potenza RE980AS Plus. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

    No road tests of snow for AltiMAX RT43. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 73

    Comfort

    Potenza RE980AS Plus +9
    64
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE980AS PlusAltiMAX RT43
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online7462

    Potenza RE980AS Plus: 40% × 69.9 (est.) + 60% × 74.4 = 73

    AltiMAX RT43: 40% × 67.4 (est.) + 60% × 62 = 64

    No road tests of comfort for Potenza RE980AS Plus. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

    No road tests of comfort for AltiMAX RT43. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 66

    Noise

    AltiMAX RT43 +3
    69
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE980AS PlusAltiMAX RT43
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online6573

    Potenza RE980AS Plus: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 65.3 = 66

    AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 72.8 = 69

    No road tests of noise for Potenza RE980AS Plus or AltiMAX RT43. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 67

    Treadwear

    AltiMAX RT43 +2
    69
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE980AS PlusAltiMAX RT43
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 67 (est.)71
    Reviews found online6867

    Potenza RE980AS Plus: 60% × 67 (est.) + 40% × 67.7 = 67

    AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 70.8 + 40% × 67 = 69

    No road tests of treadwear for Potenza RE980AS Plus. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 66

    Handling (owners)

    Potenza RE980AS Plus +3
    63
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE980AS PlusAltiMAX RT43
    Reviews found online6663
Scores at a glance
CategoryBridgestone Potenza RE980AS PlusGeneral AltiMAX RT43
Relative Score 71 68
Dry 73 68
Wet 76 70
Snow 65 64
Comfort 73 64
Noise 66 69
Treadwear 67 69
Handling (owners) 66 63

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

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
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Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score
± 7

Potenza RE980AS Plus

± 7

AltiMAX RT43

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Potenza RE980AS Plus

Pros

  • Exceptional wet and dry weather traction
  • Noticeably quiet and smooth road comfort
  • Great value and competitive pricing compared to top-tier rivals

Cons

  • Faster-than-expected tread wear for some aggressive drivers
  • Temporary flat-spotting after sitting overnight in cold weather
  • Slightly softer sidewalls compared to dedicated summer or certain rival UHP tires
All owner themes in the Potenza RE980AS Plus review

Tire B AltiMAX RT43

Pros

  • Excellent value and lower price point compared to premium brands like Michelin
  • Quiet and smooth ride quality with minimal road noise
  • Strong wet and dry traction with dependable hydroplaning resistance

Cons

  • Occasional balancing difficulties or vibrations reported by some users
  • Softer sidewalls can lead to slightly spongy handling or reduced cornering sharpness
  • Winter and snow performance can diminish notably as the tread wears down
All owner themes in the AltiMAX RT43 review

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS Plus

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

Tire B

General AltiMAX RT43

Positive

Community sentiment for the General AltiMAX RT43 is predominantly positive, with reviewers praising its comfort, strong winter and wet weather capability, and solid value as a budget-to-midrange touring tire. However, critics frequently point out soft sidewalls, tramlining on grooved surfaces, and mediocre handling or dry grip under aggressive driving. Tread life reports are mixed, with many reaching 50,000 to 80,000 miles while others report premature wear around 30,000 miles.

subaruforester.org ·2019-02-18

“I have used the Altimax RT43s on several cars over the past 10 years (' 97 Honda Civic , '99 Ford Contour, 2002 Honda Accord, 2005 Chevrolet Venture, 2013 Kia Soul) and have been very happy with them. Except for the Contour (which ate tires in spite of alignments), I typically got about 50K miles on them before they were down to 1/4 tread. We get some good snows here in the mountains of West Virginia, and they do pretty well considering they are not "winter" tires, and all of these previous vehicles were just front wheel drive. Pretty quiet, and smooth riding. The price is right, too. I get them at WalMart and get the lifetime balance/rotation for $10/tire. When our new ' 19 Forester (base) Bridgestone Ecopia 422+ tires get too worn, I will be changing to the Altimax again. Can't wait to see how they do in the snow with All-Wheel-Drive! .”
forbbodiesonly.com ·2022-05-23

“While not a muscle car, my 96 Ford Ranger has 14x7 aluminum wheels. I ran a set of 225/70-14 Coopers on it with no problem. I got about 35K miles, if I remember correctly. I replaced them with General Altima RT43's when they wore out. Mainly just because the Generals were a few bucks cheaper on my little beater truck. But, I am liking these General tires pretty well too. They have white letters, but they don't look as "muscle car" as the Coopers. I will probably get a set of the Coopers in the near future for the 14"road wheels on my 67 Coronet. I currently have BFG's that look perfect. But, I bought them in 2003....”
bobistheoilguy.com ·5 upvotes ·2022-06-22

“I'll be passing on this; I was very disappointed in the RT43. Very soft sidewalls, dry grip was very subpar, wet grip was decent, hydroplane resistance was pretty good. It also tramlined and followed grooves like crazy - worse than the Yoko A13C that came OEM on the Evo - which was the previous top tramlining tire I used.”
Top themes
#value and pricing#snow and winter traction#wet grip and hydroplaning#soft ride comfort#soft sidewalls and handling#tramlining on grooved roads#treadwear and longevity

Based on 261 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS Plus B · General AltiMAX RT43
CategoryAll-Season tireAll Season
Vehicle type—Passenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available7—
Rim diameters17″ – 18″—
Tread depth10/32″10 - 12/32″
UTQG500 AA A600 - 700 A A - B
Treadwear warranty50,000 mi—
SidewallBlack Side WallBlack Side Wall - Raised Outline White Lettering
Max pressure50 - 51 psi44 - 51 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS Plus

General AltiMAX RT43

Narrow edge: Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS Plus — better comfort, wet and dry. Pick the General AltiMAX RT43 if noise matters most to you.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS Plus scores 73 vs 64 on comfort.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS Plus scores 76 vs 70 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS Plus scores 73 vs 68 on dry.

Pick tire B You want a quieter cabin

General AltiMAX RT43 scores 69 vs 66 on noise.

Tire A · Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS Plus
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Tire B · General AltiMAX RT43
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Potenza RE980AS Plus or AltiMAX RT43?

Which is better in the wet, Potenza RE980AS Plus or AltiMAX RT43?

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS Plus, 76 vs 70 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Potenza RE980AS Plus or AltiMAX RT43?

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS Plus, 73 vs 68 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Potenza RE980AS Plus or AltiMAX RT43?

Neither, by our numbers: 65 vs 64 on the snow score, within 3 points.

Which is quieter, Potenza RE980AS Plus or AltiMAX RT43?

General AltiMAX RT43, 69 vs 66 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Potenza RE980AS Plus or AltiMAX RT43?

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS Plus, 73 vs 64 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Potenza RE980AS Plus or AltiMAX RT43?

Neither, by our numbers: 67 vs 69 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.

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.

Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.

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