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Head-to-head Updated

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS vs Dunlop SP5000 — 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 + 6 owner reviews. How we score

SP5000 is ahead, 68–61

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Dunlop SP5000
Tire BDunlop

SP5000

Summer

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 68 · 6 reviews

Category by category

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

  1. 64

    Dry

    SP5000 +5
    69
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE980ASSP5000
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online6370

    Potenza RE980AS: 60% × 65.7 (est.) + 40% × 62.6 = 64

    SP5000: 60% × 68.8 (est.) + 40% × 70.1 = 69

    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 SP5000. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 66

    Wet

    SP5000 +3
    69
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE980ASSP5000
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online6469

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

    SP5000: 60% × 69.5 (est.) + 40% × 68.5 = 69

    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 SP5000. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 56

    Snow

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE980ASSP5000
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 62 (est.)–
    Reviews found online45–

    Potenza RE980AS: 60% × 62.5 (est.) + 40% × 45.2 = 56

    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).

  4. 54

    Comfort

    SP5000 +13
    67
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE980ASSP5000
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 64 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online4766

    Potenza RE980AS: 40% × 64.2 (est.) + 60% × 46.5 = 54

    SP5000: 40% × 68.2 (est.) + 60% × 66.3 = 67

    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 SP5000. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 62

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE980ASSP5000
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)–
    Reviews found online55–

    Potenza RE980AS: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 54.5 = 62

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

  6. 56

    Treadwear

    SP5000 +10
    66
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE980ASSP5000
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 60 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online4966

    Potenza RE980AS: 60% × 60.2 (est.) + 40% × 49 = 56

    SP5000: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 66 = 66

    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 SP5000. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 55

    Handling (owners)

    SP5000 +15
    70
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE980ASSP5000
    Reviews found online5570
Scores at a glance
CategoryBridgestone Potenza RE980ASDunlop SP5000
Relative Score 61 68
Dry 64 69
Wet 66 69
Snow 56 –
Comfort 54 67
Noise 62 –
Treadwear 56 66
Handling (owners) 55 70

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

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
± 8

Potenza RE980AS

± 8

SP5000

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 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 SP5000

Pros

  • Exceptional tread life and overall durability
  • Reliable performance on dry highway surfaces
  • Capable handling in varied weather conditions when paired with capable vehicles

Cons

  • High price point compared to competitors
  • Inconsistent performance reports in heavy snow and ice
  • Availability issues due to production status
All owner themes in the SP5000 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS B · Dunlop SP5000
CategoryAll SeasonSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Tread depth10/32″—
UTQG500 A A—
Treadwear warranty50,000 mi—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure51 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS

Dunlop SP5000

Winner: Dunlop SP5000 — better handling, comfort and treadwear. It leads or ties in every category we score. Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 9 reviews), so read this result as provisional. Dunlop SP5000 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 6 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Dunlop SP5000 scores 70 vs 55 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Dunlop SP5000 scores 67 vs 54 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Dunlop SP5000 scores 66 vs 56 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Dunlop SP5000 scores 69 vs 64 on dry.

Tire A · Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS
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Tire B · Dunlop SP5000
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Potenza RE980AS or SP5000?

Which is better in the wet, Potenza RE980AS or SP5000?

Dunlop SP5000, 69 vs 66 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Potenza RE980AS or SP5000?

Dunlop SP5000, 69 vs 64 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, Potenza RE980AS or SP5000?

Dunlop SP5000, 67 vs 54 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Potenza RE980AS or SP5000?

Dunlop SP5000, 66 vs 56 on our treadwear score.

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