Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS Tire Review

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‍Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS Tire Review

Features such as grip, traction, and braking are the most critical aspects of ultra-high-performance tires. However, most people value ride quality and quietness. Other important features to consider are durability and the ability to operate in warm weather conditions.

The Potenza RE980AS tire is available in several diameters, ranging from 16 to 20 inches. It covers a wide range of automobiles. The Bridgestone, in our opinion, is most suited to the following types of vehicles:

• Fast coupes
• Sedans with V6 or V8 engines
•  BMW 3-Series, 4-Series, and 5-Series
• Mercedes-Benz
• Audi A4 and A5
• Lexus IS, GS, ES, and RC
• Acura ILX and TLX

Aside from these high-end vehicles, the RE980AS tire is an excellent choice for versions of compact and subcompact cars such as the VW Golf GTI, Ford Focus RS and ST, muscle cars (the Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger, and Chevrolet Camaro), sporty coupes, and roadsters such as the Mazda MX-5, Toyota 86, and Subaru BR-Z. If you have a somewhat more powerful car and want to get a little more performance out of it in the bends, the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS tire is a perfect choice.

Before enrolling in the most comprehensive Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS tire review, it’s a good idea to first learn about the Bridgestone brand.

Overview of Bridgestone

Shojiro Ishibashi, a Japanese entrepreneur, founded Bridgestone in 1931. He renamed his company after translating his name into English.

The company is well-known for producing automobile tires and has grown to become the world’s largest tire manufacturer. It has multiple locations in the United States. Bridgestone tires come in various sizes and forms to ensure that you get exactly what you are looking for.

Potenza, Blizzak, Dueler, Ecopia, Turanza, and Driveguard are some of the brand’s most popular tires from Bridgestone. Each model has a distinct advantage that makes you fall in love with it from the first drive.

The Potenza RE980AS tire provides excellent cornering and braking traction even on rainy roads. It is a top-of-the-line Bridgestone tire with a variety of performance-oriented features. It is even appropriate for high-end automobiles, such as Ferrari and Lexus.

Even though the Potenza RE980AS is an all-season tire, it performs way better on dry roads than wet ones. Although the noise it produces and the average stopping speed in wet roads are drawbacks, we can’t deny its ability to maneuver quickly in turns with responsive handling and run at a lower speed after a puncture.

Tire Drive: Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS

Tread

Bridgestone provides unique core technology to the Potenza RE980AS. It features a new all-season compound with a dissymmetrical tread pattern that performs well in both wet and dry conditions. It also has a noise-optimized feature for increased refinement while moving, in addition to the asymmetric design.

Traction

With chamfered side slits to improve road contact and interlocking 3D deep suction slots, traction and dry grip attain the maximum AA score. This makes the tire more durable and responsive during cornering. Thanks to the deep grooves and sipes, wet traction on the Potenza RE980AS is outstanding.

Wet Roads

The tire’s grip and water resistance capabilities on wet roads are truly exceptional. The Potenza RE980AS tire provides great grip and traction regardless of the outside temperature. The tread compound keeps the tire glued to the road in wet conditions and has excellent hydroplaning resistance. Braking is likewise quite strong, as predicted.

Dry Roads

On dry roads, the Potenza RE980AS performs admirably. Unlike other budget tires, it does not lose traction as you speed up quickly. The Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS tire is one of the best, if not the greatest, all-season ultra-high-performance tires in terms of handling. It has excellent responsiveness and is pretty drivable. It also offers a good on-center feel that can benefit high-speed situations. It also maintains its form well during heavy cornering.

More importantly, regardless of the weather outside, the grip this tire provides is simply fantastic in dry situations. The Potenza RE980AS tire has excellent braking performance and does not lose grip under rapid acceleration like some budget tires. Overall, we believe the Potenza RE980AS slightly outperforms the Continental DWS06 in terms of handling, which is indeed good praise.

Snow Conditions

Bridgestone boasts that the Potenza RE980AS tire performs 50% better in cold conditions than its predecessors. It excels in cold temperatures, providing steady traction and exceptional traction in thin snow. However, if it frequently snows in your location, you may want to consider replacing the Potenza with winter tires.

Noise

The Potenza RE980AS tire has noise-optimized tread so that you can enjoy a pleasant driving experience even at high speeds. However, it can still make a bit of a racket if you overuse it.

Treadwear

The Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS is backed by a 5-year treadwear warranty of 50,000 miles. This is a great all-season tire guarantee when compared to its competitors.

Temperature

Fortunately, the Potenza RE980AS tire is tough and versatile enough to handle all seasons and weather conditions. It can work in a wide range of hot and cold temperatures.

Speed

When traveling at high speeds, the Potenza RE980AS tire is resistant to heat and pressure. The tread compound, pattern, and internal structure all work together to provide more secure high-speed travel.

Braking

As many automobile enthusiasts assume, the Potenza RE980AS tire’s braking feature is remarkable and powerful. Even if you quickly accelerate or brake, the car’s grip remains superb.

What Distinguishes the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS from Other Tires?

The first thing you’ll notice about the RE980AS tire when you visit Bridgestone’s website is that it is Bridgestone’s flagship tire, built for drivers of luxury and high-performance automobiles who like smooth cornering even during harsh conditions. It is designed for premium sports cars and sedans and tuned for year-round sharp handling. That’s a great way to define a tire that’s made for drivers who want to have fun and a safe driving experience in the corners.

To accomplish all of this, the Potenza RE980AS comes packed with the latest technology, some of which is unique to this tire only. The most crucial feature is the innovative all-season compound, which is molded into an asymmetric tread pattern engineered for dry and wet performance. Bridgestone has ensured that the tread pattern is noise-optimized for improved driving refinement, despite the emphasis on performance.

The chamfered lateral slots that improve contact with the road and the interlocking 3D full-depth sipes that make the tread more stable and improve turning responsiveness add to the dry grip and traction. The high sipe density for more biting edges makes driving in the rain safer, and it even helps in mild snow. Bridgestone claims that the Potenza RE980AS tire preserves its wet traction over time due to the depth of the sipes and grooves, which is not something you frequently hear in this category.

Furthermore, the slots and grooves on the tread are interconnected, which improves water evacuation and hydroplaning resistance. Bridgestone claims that the new model has 20% more see-through void than the previous model (RE970AS) for better wet performance. The RE980AS also boasts a 50% increase in snow traction and grip over its predecessor, which is no minor feat.

The Potenza RE980AS internal construction has three polyester sidewall plies, and two polyester tread plies for increased sidewall toughness and responsiveness. This also helps with comfort, although that’s nearly never a consideration with these tires. The Bridgestone also features a high-stretch sidewall filler for less deformation during heavy cornering, as well as twin steel belts strengthened by a spirally coiled nylon wrap for improved high-speed stability.

What Are the Markers of Maintenance?

In the tread pattern of the Potenza RE980AS, there are the customary indicator bars that allow the owner to track the treadwear. These signs aren’t evident when the tire is brand new (unless you look closely), but they become noticeable when the tread wears down. The indication bars will be flat with the surface when the tread is worn down to 2/32 inch (1.6 mm). It would be best to replace the tire immediately when this occurs since it will lack sufficient tread depth for driving on wet or snowy roads.

Fortunately, the 50,000-mile/five-year treadwear warranty will keep that from happening. While the guarantee offered by Bridgestone on the RE980AS isn’t very spectacular in general, it is nonetheless exceptional for the category and similar to its closest competitors. The tire is still quite new, so we can’t provide real-world treadwear experiences, but Bridgestone has a good track record with treadwear, so there is no need to worry.

Is It Suitable for Off-Roading?

The primary issue with ultra-high-performance tires and off-road driving is that they can easily get destroyed in the process. The Potenza RE980AS tire is sticky, which means it collects a lot more dirt than grand-touring tires. As a result, using this tire on rocks and mud can cause substantial damage. In addition, the narrow tread isn’t ideal for slick conditions. To be clear, this tire is only meant to be used on city streets, not in the woods.

Is It Relaxing and Refined?

The noise-optimized tire compound shows up in real life as well: the Potenza RE980AS is extremely quiet, even at high speeds. This isn’t a very common feature in this tire category, so it is a nice surprise. However, the tire can be a little uncomfortable over bumps, especially at slower speeds. Certain competitors, such as the Continental DWS 06, perform better in this aspect.

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS – Is It Any Good?

Will it be any good? Yes, without a doubt! This is currently one of the greatest all-season ultra-high-performance options available. It has a thrilling driving experience, excellent grip and traction, a long-lasting tread compound, and a quiet ride. The only major drawback the RE980AS tire has is that it makes the ride a bit choppy. However, that shouldn’t be much of a problem on newer coupes and sedans.