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Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS vs Bridgestone Potenza S-02 — 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 + 0 road tests and 9 + 21 owner reviews. How we score

Potenza S-02 leads, 64–61 Narrow edge

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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. 64

    Dry

    Potenza S-02 +4
    68
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE980ASPotenza S-02
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online6368

    Potenza RE980AS: 60% × 65.7 (est.) + 40% × 62.5 = 64

    Potenza S-02: 60% × 68 (est.) + 40% × 68 = 68

    No road tests of dry for Potenza RE980AS. 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 Potenza S-02. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 66

    Wet

    Level
    66
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE980ASPotenza S-02
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online6464

    Potenza RE980AS: 60% × 66.9 (est.) + 40% × 63.7 = 66

    Potenza S-02: 60% × 67.2 (est.) + 40% × 64.2 = 66

    No road tests of wet for Potenza RE980AS. 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 Potenza S-02. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 56

    Snow

    Potenza S-02 +5
    61
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE980ASPotenza S-02
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 62 (est.)≈ 65 (est.)
    Reviews found online4554

    Potenza RE980AS: 60% × 62.4 (est.) + 40% × 45.1 = 56

    Potenza S-02: 60% × 65.3 (est.) + 40% × 54 = 61

    No road tests of snow for Potenza RE980AS. 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 Potenza S-02. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 54

    Comfort

    Potenza S-02 +4
    58
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE980ASPotenza S-02
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 64 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online4653

    Potenza RE980AS: 40% × 64.2 (est.) + 60% × 46.4 = 54

    Potenza S-02: 40% × 65.6 (est.) + 60% × 53.2 = 58

    No road tests of comfort for Potenza RE980AS. 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 Potenza S-02. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 62

    Noise

    Potenza RE980AS +1
    61
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE980ASPotenza S-02
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online5454

    Potenza RE980AS: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 54.3 = 62

    Potenza S-02: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 53.9 = 61

    No road tests of noise for Potenza RE980AS or Potenza S-02. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 56

    Treadwear

    Potenza S-02 +2
    58
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE980ASPotenza S-02
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 60 (est.)≈ 61 (est.)
    Reviews found online4952

    Potenza RE980AS: 60% × 60.3 (est.) + 40% × 49 = 56

    Potenza S-02: 60% × 61.3 (est.) + 40% × 52 = 58

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

    No road tests of treadwear for Potenza S-02. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 55

    Handling (owners)

    Potenza S-02 +16
    71
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE980ASPotenza S-02
    Reviews found online5571
Scores at a glance
CategoryBridgestone Potenza RE980ASBridgestone Potenza S-02
Relative Score 61 64
Dry 64 68
Wet 66 66
Snow 56 61
Comfort 54 58
Noise 62 61
Treadwear 56 58
Handling (owners) 55 71

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
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
± 8

Potenza RE980AS

± 8

Potenza S-02

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A 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

Tire B Potenza S-02

Pros

  • Exceptional dry grip and superior cornering performance
  • Outstanding steering feedback, communication, and progressiveness
  • Faithful reproduction of original equipment (OE) handling characteristics for sports cars like the Honda S2000

Cons

  • Very rapid and sometimes extreme tread wear
  • Poor performance and loss of traction in cold weather or below certain temperatures
  • High noise levels and stiff ride compromising comfort
All owner themes in the Potenza S-02 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS B · Bridgestone Potenza S-02
CategoryAll SeasonSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Tread depth10/32″10/32″
UTQG500 A A140 A A
Treadwear warranty50,000 mi—
SidewallBlackwallBlackwall
Max pressure51 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS

Bridgestone Potenza S-02

Narrow edge: Bridgestone Potenza S-02 — better handling, snow and dry. Where the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS is ahead, it is by less than 3 points. Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 9 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Bridgestone Potenza S-02 scores 71 vs 55 on handling.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Bridgestone Potenza S-02 scores 61 vs 56 on snow.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Bridgestone Potenza S-02 scores 68 vs 64 on dry.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Bridgestone Potenza S-02 scores 58 vs 54 on comfort.

Tire A · Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS
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Tire B · Bridgestone Potenza S-02
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Potenza RE980AS or Potenza S-02?

Which is better in the wet, Potenza RE980AS or Potenza S-02?

Neither, by our numbers: 66 vs 66 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, Potenza RE980AS or Potenza S-02?

Bridgestone Potenza S-02, 68 vs 64 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Potenza RE980AS or Potenza S-02?

Bridgestone Potenza S-02, 61 vs 56 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, Potenza RE980AS or Potenza S-02?

Neither, by our numbers: 62 vs 61 on the noise score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, Potenza RE980AS or Potenza S-02?

Bridgestone Potenza S-02, 58 vs 54 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Potenza RE980AS or Potenza S-02?

Neither, by our numbers: 56 vs 58 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