Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ vs Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season tires

The Japanese giant Bridgestone is known for its outstanding tire technology, while the Italian tire manufacturer Pirelli is celebrated for its high-performance tires. These brands offer exceptional all-season and performance tires and carry an established legacy for quality and durability. But when these two tire brands go head-to-head over their UHP all-season tires, which one will you choose?

The Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ and the Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season offer exceptional traction, handling, and longevity on various terrains. These tires deliver refined rides on paved roads while delivering high performance for sports cars and sedans. So, which one should you go for? Let’s compare the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ vs Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season based on our proprietary SimpleScore to find the better one.

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ tires

Designed for sports cars and sedans, the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ is a performance tire that offers outstanding grip and performance in dry, wet, and light wintry conditions. The RE980AS+ features an ultra-high-silica rubber that significantly enhances traction, grip, and control at high speeds. Its advanced tread design is equipped with 3D full-depth sipes and chamfered slots that improve braking, while its open shoulder slots help evacuate water and reduce the chances of hydroplaning. The Potenza RE980AS+ is backed by a 50,000-mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty.

Boasting an impressive SimpleScore of 9.4 out of 10, the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ ensures excellent grip, traction, and year-round performance across various conditions, making it a worthy choice for sporty cars that deserve better handling, acceleration, and grip.

Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season tires

The Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season is a great UHP all-season tire designed for sporty sedans and crossovers. Designed for year-round traction, sharp handling, and a quiet ride, the Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season is ideal for high-performing vehicles requiring responsive handling and fast acceleration. The P Zero Nero features angled and circumferential grooves and dense sipes to offer dependable traction in wet and wintry weather. Thanks to its silica-rich tread compound, the Pirelli tire significantly reduces rolling resistance and boosts its fuel economy. Its solid center rib ensures straight-line stability and responsive steering. It comes with a 45,000-mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty.

Scoring a commendable SimpleScore of 8.9, the Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season offers excellent handling, traction, and fuel efficiency, making it a strong contender for those looking for a balanced performance.

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ vs Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season tires on traction

Ultra-high-performance tires provide great traction, as it helps them maintain consistent contact with the road and prevent them from skidding, whether in warmer conditions or for the whole year. Both these tires offer superb grip and traction.

With an exceptional 9.9 traction score, the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ offers outstanding traction on dry, wet, and snow at high speeds. It comes with an ultra-high-silica rubber compound and an advanced tread pattern that provides excellent grip in different conditions, while its open shoulder slots eliminate water from the tread to mitigate the risk of hydroplaning and boost wet traction.

At 9.6, the traction score of the Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season isn’t too short of the Bridgestone. With the combination of angled and circumferential grooves, the Pirelli tire offers adequate grip in wet and wintry conditions, while dense sipes lend extra biting edges for enhanced performance. Its silica-rich rubber compound further boosts traction, reducing rolling resistance and helping drivers maintain better contact with the road surface.

While both tires excel in traction, the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ takes the lead with a higher score.

ADVANTAGE: Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ vs Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season tires on handling

Performance tires need responsive handling and excellent control, which makes them a crucial factor in determining ride quality. Drivers look for tires with accurate steering responses for well-controlled rides at high speeds. Both of them offer excellent handling in various conditions.

With an outstanding handling score of 9.9, the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ assures superior handling on dry and wet roads. Its 3D full-depth sipes and chamfered slots enhance traction and improve steering response and stability, making it a great choice for high-performance, well-controlled drives.

The Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season scores 9.4 out of 10 in handling and delivers an impressive performance at high speed on dry and wet roads. Its solid center rib boosts straight-line stability and steering response, while its mix of circumferential and angled grooves eliminates water from the tread to ensure better control in wet conditions.

Although both tires score exceptionally well in handling, the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ outperforms the Pirelli tire with its advanced tread design and higher SimpleScore.

ADVANTAGE: Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+

Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ vs Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season tires on longevity

A tire's longevity determines how long it will last under standard driving conditions. It is crucial in choosing a tire since longevity determines a tire's service life.

With a score of 8.6 in longevity, the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ features a durable tread design that ensures long-lasting performance. Thanks to its ultra-high-silica rubber compound and optimized contact patch, it distributes the pressure evenly to ensure even tread wear and a longer tread life. Its limited manufacturer tread life warranty of 50,000 miles demonstrates its high durability.

The Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season scores 8.2 in longevity, which is slightly lower than its Bridgestone counterpart. Although its silica-rich compound and solid construction offer good durability, it slightly falls short of the Bridgestone tire in tread life. The 45,000-mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty is lower than its competitor.

Thus, the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ wins the battle in terms of longevity, offering a longer tread life and higher durability.

ADVANTAGE: Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+

When to use each

Ultra-high-performance all-season tires are ideal for sports cars and sedans, offering exceptional grip and handling around the year. However, the choice depends on your specific needs and driving conditions. If you drive in areas with frequent rain, snow, or wet conditions, the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ is a great choice due to its superior traction and handling. On the other hand, if you prioritize fuel efficiency and handling for your sporty sedan or crossover, the Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season is an excellent option. You may also check out all-weather tires if you venture into unpredictable weather conditions, as these tires ensure confident handling in dry, wet, and snowy conditions.

On the other hand, if you frequently drive in frigid conditions where the temperature remains below 45 degrees Fahrenheit, go for a set of winter tires to combat ice, snow, and slush. For drivers looking for sporty rides in summer conditions who need precise cornering and faster acceleration, a UHP tire will be a great choice.

Which one should you choose?

The Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ and the Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season are popular ultra-high-performance all-season tires, each presenting its unique strengths. If you are looking for the highest level of traction and handling, go for the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+, as it emerges as the clear winner with a clean sweep of 3-0. With an advanced tread design, the Potenza RE980AS+ offers superior grip in dry, wet, and snowy conditions, making it ideal for high-performance driving. Also, its longer tread life and higher durability make it a cost-effective choice in the long run.

However, if you want a tire with excellent handling and better fuel efficiency, the Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season is the right choice. It delivers responsive steering and straight-line stability thanks to its silica-rich tread compound and solid center rib.

Comparing the prices of the 275/35R20 102W XL tire size, the Bridgestone tire costs around $286 per tire, and four such tires cost $1144, while the Pirelli tire costs about $303 per tire, and four such tires cost $1212 (a difference of $68).

Based on SimpleScore, you can choose the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ if you:

• Drive vehicles like the Audi A4 or Infiniti Q50.
• Need better traction (9.9 vs 9.6)
• Want superior handling (9.9 vs 9.4)

You can go for the Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season if you:

• Drive vehicles like the Mercedes-Benz CLS550, Ford Mustang, and Chevrolet Camaro.
• Prioritize fuel-efficiency
• Are obsessed with the Pirelli brand

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.