Tests – · none yet Owners 61 · 9 reviews
Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS vs Falken Azenis FK510 — Compared
Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.
Azenis FK510 is ahead, 70–64
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Tests 73 · 31 tests Owners 67 · 905 reviews
“Falken Azenis SUV (FK510) Replaced my Goodyear tires after 2 years. Was using Continental prior to that. Read some good reviews regarding the Falken FK510 SUV, some even mentioned it as the poor man's Michelin tires. Goodyear's tires were a bit rough, every time we drove through a bump or potholes felt really bumpy. Conti was soft, but it's lifespan is a bit short, usually lasts me a year or so. After driving around a day with FK510, it feels nice, somewhat like Conti. Here's hoping that it'll last me 2 years. Read more”
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
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69
Dry
Azenis FK510 +675Why this score
Source Potenza RE980AS Azenis FK510 Professional tests (TWG score) – 74 Reviews found online 69 77 -
67
Wet
Azenis FK510 +1279Why this score
Source Potenza RE980AS Azenis FK510 Professional tests (TWG score) – 81 Reviews found online 66 75 -
57
Snow
Potenza RE980AS +156Why this score
Source Potenza RE980AS Azenis FK510 Reviews found online 48 46 -
62
Comfort
Potenza RE980AS +260Why this score
Source Potenza RE980AS Azenis FK510 Professional tests (TWG score) – 55 Reviews found online 54 69 -
65
Noise
Azenis FK510 +368Why this score
Source Potenza RE980AS Azenis FK510 Professional tests (TWG score) – 68 Reviews found online 61 69 -
60
Treadwear
Azenis FK510 +767Why this score
Source Potenza RE980AS Azenis FK510 Professional tests (TWG score) – 72 Reviews found online 56 58 -
61
Handling
Azenis FK510 +1071Why this score
Source Potenza RE980AS Azenis FK510 Reviews found online 61 71
Scores at a glance
| Category | Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS | Falken Azenis FK510 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 64 | 70 |
| Dry | 69 | 75 |
| Wet | 67 | 79 |
| Snow | 57 | 56 |
| Comfort | 62 | 60 |
| Noise | 65 | 68 |
| Treadwear | 60 | 67 |
| Handling | 61 | 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 and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.
Potenza RE980AS
Azenis FK510
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
Tire B Azenis FK510
Pros
- Outstanding grip in both wet and dry conditions
- Exceptional value and lower price point compared to premium brands
- Smooth and comfortable ride quality that absorbs road imperfections well
Cons
- Accelerated tread wear and shorter overall lifespan
- Softer sidewalls can result in slightly delayed initial steering response or a feeling of looseness during aggressive high-speed maneuvers
- Occasional reports of increased tire noise or harshness on specific rough or concrete road surfaces
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Falken Azenis FK510
Community opinions on the Falken Azenis FK510 are generally mixed, balancing praise for their value pricing and strong wet-weather grip against complaints regarding soft sidewalls, rapid tread wear on heavy or track-driven vehicles, and handling that some drivers describe as "boaty." While many view them as a cost-effective alternative to premium tires like the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, others note that recent price hikes and mixed performance in testing make them a secondary choice compared to dedicated track or alternative ultra-high-performance tires.
“Falken Azenis FK510 prices? Anyone know why the prices for Falken Azenis FK510's went up 25% or more in the last month? 235/40R18 went from $154 to $192. The whole benefit of these tires is that they offer PS4S performance for way less money. Now, you midaswhale just buy the Michelins. I haven't seen any other summer tires make that kind of a jump in price. I know Falken announced a price increase for 2022, but it was only like 5%. What's the dealio? Read more”
“I put the fk510 on my 2014 535d msport and the rears only lasted 10-11k or one year. Trying something different. They are a good performance summer tire but not worth replacing every year.”
“Upgrading tires from Falken Azenis FK510, looking for recommendations Hey all, I drive a V6 1LE camaro, i've been doing a lot of open practice sessions at a small track (the driveway in austin, tx), long story short I bought brand new Azenis FK510 two months ago, only about 4k street miles, and after about 3 hours of track time they're pretty much done....mostly from noob mistakes like overcooking the entry and destroying the front shoulders, and having the rear tires way too overinflated so the shoulders are fine but the center are down to the wear bars. Even under ideal conditions and purposely driving slower and smoother I can't see these lasting much more than 4-5 hours of track time, I'm just surprised to see these tires wear down very very quickly under hard driving and overheat somewhat quickly, these are awesome daily driving tires but I'm looking for more track performance. I'm currently debating between pilot sport 4s, bridgestone re-71r, firehawk indy 500. This is more of a philosophical question, I'm looking at a wide variety of treadwear tires, I'm curious how you guys decide on what treadwear tires to run and how you decide between wear, price, and grip. I'm leaning towards the RE-71r right now, I figure if I'm burning through my tires in a few months anyways might as well do it with sticky tires since my falkens didn't last long anyways... Read more”
Based on 25 community posts
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS | B · Falken Azenis FK510 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All Season | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 1 | 68 |
| Rim diameters | 17″ | 17″ – 22″ |
| Tread depth | 10/32″ | 10/32″ |
| UTQG | 500 A A | 300 A A |
| Treadwear warranty | 50,000 mi | — |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | Blackwall |
| Max pressure | 51 psi | 50 psi |
Which one should you actually buy?
Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS
Falken Azenis FK510
Winner: Falken Azenis FK510 — better wet, handling and treadwear. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Falken Azenis FK510 scores 79 vs 67 on wet.
Falken Azenis FK510 scores 71 vs 61 on handling.
Falken Azenis FK510 scores 67 vs 60 on treadwear.
Falken Azenis FK510 scores 75 vs 69 on dry.
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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.