Head-to-head Updated

Hankook Ventus S1 evo2 SUV vs Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS Plus — 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 2 + 0 road tests and 20 + 669 owner reviews. How we score

Potenza RE980AS Plus is ahead, 72–66

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Hankook Ventus S1 evo2 SUV
± 6

Tests 75 · 2 tests Owners 58 · 20 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 10 in 2017 Auto Bild Summer SUV Tyre Test (wet braking)

Category by category

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

  1. 68

    Dry

    Potenza RE980AS Plus +5
    73
    Why this score
    SourceVentus S1 evo2 SUVPotenza RE980AS Plus
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests73≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online6276

    Ventus S1 evo2 SUV: 60% × 72.7 + 40% × 61.9 = 68

    Potenza RE980AS Plus: 60% × 71.3 (est.) + 40% × 76.1 = 73

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

  2. 72

    Wet

    Potenza RE980AS Plus +4
    76
    Why this score
    SourceVentus S1 evo2 SUVPotenza RE980AS Plus
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests76≈ 75 (est.)
    Reviews found online6578

    Ventus S1 evo2 SUV: 60% × 76.4 + 40% × 65.3 = 72

    Potenza RE980AS Plus: 60% × 74.8 (est.) + 40% × 78.2 = 76

    No road tests of wet for Potenza RE980AS Plus. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.54).

  3. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    65
    Why this score
    SourceVentus S1 evo2 SUVPotenza RE980AS Plus
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online–62

    Potenza RE980AS Plus: 60% × 67.8 (est.) + 40% × 61.8 = 65

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

  4. 61

    Comfort

    Potenza RE980AS Plus +12
    73
    Why this score
    SourceVentus S1 evo2 SUVPotenza RE980AS Plus
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online5775

    Ventus S1 evo2 SUV: 40% × 66.3 (est.) + 60% × 56.8 = 61

    Potenza RE980AS Plus: 40% × 69.8 (est.) + 60% × 74.5 = 73

    No road tests of comfort for Ventus S1 evo2 SUV. 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 RE980AS Plus. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    66
    Why this score
    SourceVentus S1 evo2 SUVPotenza RE980AS Plus
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online–66

    Potenza RE980AS Plus: 60% × 66.5 (est.) + 40% × 65.5 = 66

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

  6. 55

    Treadwear

    Potenza RE980AS Plus +12
    67
    Why this score
    SourceVentus S1 evo2 SUVPotenza RE980AS Plus
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 60 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online4768

    Ventus S1 evo2 SUV: 60% × 59.7 (est.) + 40% × 47.3 = 55

    Potenza RE980AS Plus: 60% × 67 (est.) + 40% × 67.7 = 67

    No road tests of treadwear for Ventus S1 evo2 SUV. 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 RE980AS Plus. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 61

    Handling (owners)

    Potenza RE980AS Plus +5
    66
    Why this score
    SourceVentus S1 evo2 SUVPotenza RE980AS Plus
    Reviews found online6166
Scores at a glance
Hankook Ventus S1 evo2 SUV vs Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS Plus: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryHankook Ventus S1 evo2 SUVBridgestone Potenza RE980AS Plus
Relative Score 66 72
Dry 68 73
Wet 72 76
Snow – 65
Comfort 61 73
Noise – 66
Treadwear 55 67
Handling (owners) 61 66

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
± 6

Ventus S1 evo2 SUV

± 7

Potenza RE980AS Plus

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 Ventus S1 evo2 SUV

Pros

  • Excellent wet and dry grip with strong confidence-inspiring handling
  • High value for money compared to premium Tier-1 brand alternatives
  • Good ride comfort and low road noise for highway cruising

Cons

  • Premature outer block and edge wear, particularly on front axles
  • Poor performance in snow and ice, typical of summer tires
  • Limited off-road capability
All owner themes in the Ventus S1 evo2 SUV review

Tire B Potenza RE980AS Plus

Pros

  • Exceptional wet and dry weather traction
  • Noticeably quiet and smooth road comfort
  • Great value and competitive pricing compared to top-tier rivals

Cons

  • Faster-than-expected tread wear for some aggressive drivers
  • Temporary flat-spotting after sitting overnight in cold weather
  • Slightly softer sidewalls compared to dedicated summer or certain rival UHP tires
All owner themes in the Potenza RE980AS Plus review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Hankook Ventus S1 evo2 SUV B · Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS Plus
CategorySummerAll-Season tire
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4—
Sizes available387
Rim diameters17″ – 22″17″ – 18″
Tread depth—10/32″
UTQG220 - 420 A - AA A500 AA A
Treadwear warranty—50,000 mi
Sidewall—Black Side Wall
Max pressure—50 - 51 psi
Sizes in common11

Which one should you actually buy?

Hankook Ventus S1 evo2 SUV

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS Plus

Winner: Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS Plus — better comfort, treadwear and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS Plus scores 73 vs 61 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS Plus scores 67 vs 55 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS Plus scores 73 vs 68 on dry.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS Plus scores 76 vs 72 on wet.

Tire A · Hankook Ventus S1 evo2 SUV
Tire B · Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS Plus

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Ventus S1 evo2 SUV or Potenza RE980AS Plus?

Which is better in the wet, Ventus S1 evo2 SUV or Potenza RE980AS Plus?

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS Plus, 76 vs 72 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Ventus S1 evo2 SUV or Potenza RE980AS Plus?

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS Plus, 73 vs 68 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, Ventus S1 evo2 SUV or Potenza RE980AS Plus?

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS Plus, 73 vs 61 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Ventus S1 evo2 SUV or Potenza RE980AS Plus?

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS Plus, 67 vs 55 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