Tests – · none yet Owners 56 · 9 reviews
Head-to-head
Updated
Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS vs Michelin Defender T+H — 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 + 1 owner reviews. How we score
Defender T+H is ahead, 70–61
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Tests – · 1 test Owners 69 · 1 review
Best test result: #1 of 8 in 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires (tested tread life (miles))
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
64
Dry
Defender T+H +569Why this score
Source Potenza RE980AS Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 66 (est.) ≈ 69 (est.) Reviews found online 63 70 Potenza RE980AS: 60% × 65.7 (est.) + 40% × 62.6 = 64
Defender T+H: 60% × 68.8 (est.) + 40% × 70 = 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 Defender T+H. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).
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66
Wet
Defender T+H +672Why this score
Source Potenza RE980AS Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 67 (est.) ≈ 72 (est.) Reviews found online 64 73 Potenza RE980AS: 60% × 66.9 (est.) + 40% × 63.7 = 66
Defender T+H: 60% × 71.9 (est.) + 40% × 72.8 = 72
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 Defender T+H. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
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56
Snow
Defender T+H +965Why this score
Source Potenza RE980AS Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 62 (est.) ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 45 61 Potenza RE980AS: 60% × 62.5 (est.) + 40% × 45.2 = 56
Defender T+H: 60% × 67.5 (est.) + 40% × 61.1 = 65
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 Defender T+H. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).
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54
Comfort
Defender T+H +1367Why this score
Source Potenza RE980AS Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 64 (est.) ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 47 66 Potenza RE980AS: 40% × 64.2 (est.) + 60% × 46.5 = 54
Defender T+H: 40% × 68.1 (est.) + 60% × 66 = 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 Defender T+H. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
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62
Noise
No comparison–Why this score
Source Potenza RE980AS Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 66 (est.) – Reviews found online 55 – 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.
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56
Treadwear
Defender T+H +1773Why this score
Source Potenza RE980AS Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests ≈ 60 (est.) 76 Reviews found online 49 68 Potenza RE980AS: 60% × 60.2 (est.) + 40% × 49 = 56
Defender T+H: 60% × 76.1 + 40% × 67.9 = 73
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).
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55
Handling (owners)
No comparison–Why this score
Source Potenza RE980AS Defender T+H Reviews found online 55 –
Scores at a glance
| Category | Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS | Michelin Defender T+H |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 61 | 70 |
| Dry | 64 | 69 |
| Wet | 66 | 72 |
| Snow | 56 | 65 |
| Comfort | 54 | 67 |
| Noise | 62 | – |
| Treadwear | 56 | 73 |
| Handling (owners) | 55 | – |
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
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
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Recomputed
Headline score
61
/ 100
Potenza RE980AS
70
/ 100
Defender T+H
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
Tire B Defender T+H
Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS | B · Michelin Defender T+H |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All Season | Premium Touring All Season tire |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | SUV and 4x4 |
| Tread depth | 10/32″ | — |
| UTQG | 500 A A | 820 A - B B |
| Treadwear warranty | 50,000 mi | — |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | — |
| Max pressure | 51 psi | — |
Which one should you actually buy?
61
/ 100
Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS
70
/ 100
Michelin Defender T+H
Winner: Michelin Defender T+H — better treadwear, comfort and snow. 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. Michelin Defender T+H rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 1 review), so read this result as provisional.
Pick tire B
You want the longest tread life
Michelin Defender T+H scores 73 vs 56 on treadwear.
Pick tire B
You want the most comfortable ride
Michelin Defender T+H scores 67 vs 54 on comfort.
Pick tire B
You drive through snowy winters
Michelin Defender T+H scores 65 vs 56 on snow.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Michelin Defender T+H scores 72 vs 66 on wet.
Tire A · Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS
Tire B · Michelin Defender T+H
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Potenza RE980AS or Defender T+H?
Which is better in the wet, Potenza RE980AS or Defender T+H?
Michelin Defender T+H, 72 vs 66 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Potenza RE980AS or Defender T+H?
Michelin Defender T+H, 69 vs 64 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, Potenza RE980AS or Defender T+H?
Michelin Defender T+H, 65 vs 56 on our snow score.
Which is more comfortable, Potenza RE980AS or Defender T+H?
Michelin Defender T+H, 67 vs 54 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Potenza RE980AS or Defender T+H?
Michelin Defender T+H, 73 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