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Last updated 7/16/2024 - Originally published 7/16/2024
Written by SimpleTire
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Year in and year out, all-season tires are the preferred choice of most drivers, and for good reason. Premium all-season tires are versatile, designed as a do-all (or almost) solution that delivers long wear, year-round grip, capable and responsive handling, and a quiet, refined, controlled ride. When you’re in the market for a premium all-season tire, it’s obviously even better if you can find a tire option that will offer the best of both worlds: the traction of an all-season tire along with the sharp cornering, steering response, and overall performance as a summer or ultra-high-performance (UHP) all season tire. That resonates even more when you consider that the softer, stickier tread formulation of summer and UHP tires will stiffen and lose grip on colder days, which is why tire makers advise against using summer tires if temperatures are below 40-45 degrees F.
Are you familiar with SimpleTire’s SimpleScore system? SimpleScore is the rating method that our team developed to give you a quick at-a-glance idea of any tire’s strengths and weaknesses. We look at a tire’s spec sheet, reviews, and other data points, then take that information and process it into a 1-10 numerical score. For the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ and Falken Azenis FK450 A/S, the SimpleScore ratings shake out like this:
As you can see, the Bridgestone and the Falken both have their pluses, and minuses. As handy as SimpleScore is, though, it’s really the 30,000 foot view that doesn’t give you the whole picture and the real details you need to make an informed decision. Let’s go in for a closer look at this product line comparison:
The design team at Bridgestone did some upgrades on the proven Potenza RE980AS with the Potenza RE980AS+, and the changes are more significant than just window dressing and rebranding of a known quantity. The Potenza RE980AS+ is the flagship UHP all-season tire of Bridgestone’s line, a deft pair-up of year-round traction and versatility with the nimble, pulse-quickening handling of a summer or ultra-high-performance tire. Bridgestone starts from the ground up with an ultra-high-silica tread compound that’s designed to stay flexible and deliver dependable grip at subfreezing temperatures. It’s then molded into an asymmetric all-season tread with distinct segments for dry-road and wet-road traction, including circumferential grooves, shoulder slots, and angled grooves that divert water away from the tire’s contact patch, and resist any tendency toward hydroplaning on wet roads.
The chamfered edges of the lateral grooves of the Potenza RE980AS+ help it keep its tread firmly planted on the pavement at all times, and a dense network of 3D full-depth sipes interlock and work as a system to multiply traction in wintry or wet conditions. The full-depth design of the sipes helps them continue to deliver grip even as the tire’s tread depth wears down. The crisp and nimble handling ability of the Potenza RE980AS+ is thanks in part to its rigid internal construction, which includes a 3-ply reinforced sidewall and shoulder that reduces tread deformation and squirm during hard maneuvers.
A solid center rib ensures great straight-line stability for the Potenza RE980AS+ at highway speed as well as aiding in quick, light steering response. Internal construction includes a polyester casing with two plies across the tread area, twin steel belts, and a spiral-wound nylon cap ply. The tread pitch of the Potenza RE980AS+ is randomized and tuned to help cancel certain frequencies and resonances and keep road noise to a minimum. The Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ is covered by a 50,000 mile manufacturer’s treadwear warranty. SimpleTire’s price on the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ starts at $152.96 per tire.
Here at the SimpleTire team, we’ve been pretty impressed with all of Falken’s products for some time, and the Azenis FK450 A/S is no exception. Falken designed the Azenis FK450 A/S for a true UHP all-season tire that can deliver a year-round grip. Its system of circumferential and angled grooves does a great job of channeling water away from the tires’ contact patch to resist hydroplaning, and the Azenis FK450 A/S features a network of sipes (like the Bridgestone) that help slice through snow and slush in winter weather. Handling is sharp and precise with its solid center rib and reinforced shoulders that resist the inertia of hard cornering and quick maneuvers.
Falken’s Tension Control Technology equalizes stresses within the tire’s internal construction for an extra-rigid tread face and the kind of stability that goes with a V (149 mph) speed rating. Falken designed the Azenis FK450 A/S with a long-wearing tread formulation that also helps to enhance wet-weather traction; it’s covered by a 50,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty. Its balance of performance, year-round grip, and long wear make it a great choice for drivers of sporty sedans, coupes, and crossovers.
In the traction category, the Falken Azenis FK450 A/S registers a very strong SimpleScore of 9.0, but the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ clocks a near-perfect SimpleScore of 9.9. Why is there such a discrepancy between the two? The silica-rich tread formulation of the Bridgestone is designed for superior grip in wet weather as well as long wear, and its dual-tread design is divided into separate segments for wet-weather and dry-weather traction. That adds up to shorter braking distances and traction that’s confident in about every kind of road condition other than heavy snow (where most all-season tires fall short anyway). Our decision:
ADVANTAGE: Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+
In the handling category, again, both tires get very respectable SimpleScore ratings of 9.9 for the Bridgestone and 9.4 for the Falken. Again, though, the Bridgestone comes out on top thanks to its rigid shoulder design and internal construction that keeps the tire’s tread stable through quick maneuvers and hard cornering. Chamfered grooves are a feature on many Bridgestone tires, and this groove design helps the tread resist deformation, and tread squirm when pushed hard. Bridgestone has a lengthy track record in the motorsports arena, and that kind of experience helps to inform many of the designs for their automotive tires including the Potenza RE980AS+. Our decision:
ADVANTAGE: Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+
There’s a bit of a puzzle involved when it comes to SimpleScores for longevity between the Bridgestone and the Falken. In most cases, you’d think that limited manufacturer tread life warranty coverage would tell the whole story, and both tires have the same 50,000 mile warranty coverage. Yet the Bridgestone notes a SimpleScore of 8.6 vs 7.0 for the Falken. In cases like this, we generally defer to customer reviews swaying that SimpleScore rating somewhat, and reviews point to the Bridgestone having better wear properties with even, consistent tread life. Our decision:
ADVANTAGE: Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+
When we’re talking about a premium Bridgestone tire vs a premium Falken tire, you probably would be making a good choice with either one. Both are equally strong performers for a wide variety of sedans, coupes, minivans, and crossovers; both offer great grip and handling in wet or dry conditions, with the exception being heavier snow (neither tire has a Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certification for winter traction, and most non-3PMSF all-season tires don’t do well in heavier winter weather). The Bridgestone is designed for a quiet and luxurious ride along with a lengthy treadwear warranty and enhanced handling. For that matter, so is the Falken although it doesn’t quite stack up favorably against the Bridgestone in the SimpleScore ratings. Long story short, though, these are both good prospects for any driver who needs all-season performance but also likes to crowd their vehicles’ performance envelope now and again.
Let’s take a look at what the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ and Falken Azenis FK450 A/S have to offer. Both tires are designed for the same performance parameters when it comes to noise level, ride quality, handling, year-round grip, steering response, and treadwear. Both have sets of design features that stack up well against each other, but the Bridgestone consistently outranks the Falken in all the SimpleScore categories. The two tires also come in at roughly the same price point, making price less of a deciding factor. With all that in mind, we think that the Bridgestone is the superior tire and if we decided to make for a sedan, coupe, minivan, or crossover, we’d go with the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+.
Still not sure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help as our helpful agents are more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.
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