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Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS vs General G-MAX AS-05 — 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 9 + 805 owner reviews. How we score

G-MAX AS-05 is ahead, 69–61

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General G-MAX AS-05
Tire BGeneral

G-MAX AS-05

All Season

± 7

Tests – · 1 test Owners 68 · 805 reviews

Best test result: #2 of 19 in 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance All-Season Tires (tested tread life (miles))

“18 ST on freshly refinished snowflakes and general g-max as-05 tires. Tire rack mobile install is awesome.”

Category by category

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

  1. 64

    Dry

    G-MAX AS-05 +6
    70
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE980ASG-MAX AS-05
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online6371

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

    G-MAX AS-05: 60% × 69.3 (est.) + 40% × 71.2 = 70

    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 0.42).

    No road tests of dry for G-MAX AS-05. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 66

    Wet

    G-MAX AS-05 +5
    71
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE980ASG-MAX AS-05
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online6471

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

    G-MAX AS-05: 60% × 70.7 (est.) + 40% × 70.7 = 71

    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 G-MAX AS-05. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 56

    Snow

    G-MAX AS-05 +3
    59
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE980ASG-MAX AS-05
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 62 (est.)≈ 64 (est.)
    Reviews found online4551

    Potenza RE980AS: 60% × 62.5 (est.) + 40% × 45.1 = 56

    G-MAX AS-05: 60% × 64.3 (est.) + 40% × 51 = 59

    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 G-MAX AS-05. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 54

    Comfort

    G-MAX AS-05 +13
    67
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE980ASG-MAX AS-05
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 64 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online4666

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

    G-MAX AS-05: 40% × 68.2 (est.) + 60% × 65.8 = 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 0.21).

    No road tests of comfort for G-MAX AS-05. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.21).

  5. 61

    Noise

    G-MAX AS-05 +6
    67
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE980ASG-MAX AS-05
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online5468

    Potenza RE980AS: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 54.2 = 61

    G-MAX AS-05: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 67.7 = 67

    No road tests of noise for Potenza RE980AS or G-MAX AS-05. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 56

    Treadwear

    G-MAX AS-05 +19
    75
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE980ASG-MAX AS-05
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 60 (est.)77
    Reviews found online4973

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

    G-MAX AS-05: 60% × 77 + 40% × 72.7 = 75

    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).

  7. 55

    Handling (owners)

    G-MAX AS-05 +15
    70
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE980ASG-MAX AS-05
    Reviews found online5570
Scores at a glance
CategoryBridgestone Potenza RE980ASGeneral G-MAX AS-05
Relative Score 61 69
Dry 64 70
Wet 66 71
Snow 56 59
Comfort 54 67
Noise 61 67
Treadwear 56 75
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
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
± 8

Potenza RE980AS

± 7

G-MAX AS-05

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 G-MAX AS-05

Pros

  • Exceptional value and price point compared to premium brands
  • Low road noise and quiet operation
  • Sharp steering response and sporty handling

Cons

  • Slightly mushy or delayed response at the absolute cornering limit for aggressive drivers
  • Mediocre performance in deep snow
  • Occasional reports of highway tramlining or a firmer ride due to stiff sidewalls
All owner themes in the G-MAX AS-05 review

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS

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

Tire B

General G-MAX AS-05

Positive

Community members widely regard the General G-Max AS-05 as an outstanding value for an ultra-high performance all-season tire, often praising its responsive steering, strong dry handling, and wet grip as a cheaper alternative to Continental and Michelin. However, opinions on road noise are polarized, ranging from quiet to noticeably loud, and snow/winter performance is frequently cited as mediocre or limited to light conditions.

r/askcarguys ·1 upvote ·2024-01-31

“I have some G Max AS 05 on a 2002 BMW 530i and like them quite a lot, but their snow performance is expectedly meh. In your situation you're either going to have "adequate grip" and tires that "wear down super quickly", or you're going to not get that grip, but have some longevity. Chose carefully.”
corvetteforum.com

“I bought these for my daily driven 2016 Ford Interceptor AWD. Fantastic all season. Rain snow ice very confident (though the AWD Doesnt hurt). In the dry they are okay. I can still spin the tires if I floor it from a stop. They are quiet and smooth riding. The Taurus has fairly tall sidewalls, the have some noticeable give and delay cornering. I would not put them on my C5 if I did not need an all season. Also, they look okay on the Taurus but would be out of place on a vett. They seem less durable than other brands as I have had 3 flat repairs and 2 tire replacements. I dont think they would provide the traction a c5 needs. I really like them on my DD. 30k miles regular rotations and they look perfect.”
bobistheoilguy.com ·1 upvote ·2022-03-01

“Great tire, so much so that I bought them for two different cars. I used them on my Fiat 500 Abarth to daily drive and auto-X with I have them on my Buick Tour-X daily GREAT wet traction so-so snow traction - will get you home in light snow, but not a strong suit soft on the sidewalls for true performance driving - must run max sidewall pressure for aggressive cornering wears very fast on tire edges during aggressive cornering very predictable at the limits - lets go in a predictable and controllable manner balances well good on center feel the 500 pulled to one side when a front tire was mounted backwards Really like the tire for the price.”
Top themes
#value and pricing#wet traction performance#road noise levels#light snow capability#steering response handling#Continental brand relationship#tread wear longevity

Based on 88 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS B · General G-MAX AS-05
CategoryAll SeasonAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Tread depth10/32″10/32″
UTQG500 A A500 A - AA A
Treadwear warranty50,000 mi50,000 mi
SidewallBlackwallBlack Side Wall
Max pressure51 psi50 - 51 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS

General G-MAX AS-05

Winner: General G-MAX AS-05 — better treadwear, handling and comfort. 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.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

General G-MAX AS-05 scores 75 vs 56 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

General G-MAX AS-05 scores 70 vs 55 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

General G-MAX AS-05 scores 67 vs 54 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

General G-MAX AS-05 scores 70 vs 64 on dry.

Tire A · Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS
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Tire B · General G-MAX AS-05
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Potenza RE980AS or G-MAX AS-05?

Which is better in the wet, Potenza RE980AS or G-MAX AS-05?

General G-MAX AS-05, 71 vs 66 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Potenza RE980AS or G-MAX AS-05?

General G-MAX AS-05, 70 vs 64 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Potenza RE980AS or G-MAX AS-05?

General G-MAX AS-05, 59 vs 56 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, Potenza RE980AS or G-MAX AS-05?

General G-MAX AS-05, 67 vs 61 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Potenza RE980AS or G-MAX AS-05?

General G-MAX AS-05, 67 vs 54 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Potenza RE980AS or G-MAX AS-05?

General G-MAX AS-05, 75 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