Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus vs Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+: After covering 2 of the best ultra high performance tires Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus vs Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4, we would like to continue the trend by introducing another premium competitor in the form of Bridgestone’s Potenza RE980AS+. Similar to its Michelin counterpart, Bridgestone’s Potenza RE980AS+ is a dedicated region tireline specific to the North America market. It was launched in 2021 and covers most of the 17-20″ popular sizes. The ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus on the other hand was also launched in 2021 with sizes primarily above 16″. Let’s put them in a head to head battle and see who comes out on top!
Table of Contents
Results
Results below were taken from tire rack’s “Testing Premium Ultra High Performance All-Season Tires 2021” test. A total of 4 tires were tested this time around. The graph below shows the comparison between Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus vs Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ based on the relevant performance category. The ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus was set as a reference hence at the 100% mark.
As both tires are categorized as all season tires, tire rack has included snow & ice in its testing portfolio. A detailed testing on snow including acceleration, braking & handling were evaluated. The tire size of interest is a 245/40R18 which is a common tire size for Audi A4 & Mercedes-Benz C 200 Amg Line. You can check out our latest tire size table for more information. The testing vehicle for this tire test is a 2020 BMW F36 430i Gran Coupe.
Wet
The friction of coefficient of the tire/road dramatically decreases in wet roads compared to dry roads. Hence it is more likely to get into a road accident during wet conditions rather than on a sunny day. It was so important that the EU label has wet braking as one of its three criteria. With regards to our comparison, ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus was dominating when it comes to wet braking, as it totally out performed Potenza RE980AS+ by braking 15.2 feet (4.6 m) earlier.
ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus continued the trend in wet handling as it managed a 2 seconds advantage in lap time over Potenza RE980AS+. This advantage in lap time was also reflective in subjective rating, as ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus had a higher rating of 7.6/10 compared to 6.75/10 of Potenza RE980AS+.
ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus:
The test-leading traction was undeniable on the track, allowing our drivers to carry more speed everywhere and building confidence in the tire’s abilities.
Test driver feedback on ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus
In a nutshell, from the test results it can be shown without a doubt that ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus is clearly stronger in wet compared to Potenza RE980AS+.
Potenza RE980AS+:
- -11.9% in wet braking
- -4.3% in wet handling (subj)
- -5.5% in wet handling (lap time)
Dry
As for dry, safety is usually not an issue as the braking distance is much longer than wet. However this is the default daily usage and the tires have to perform at a very consistent level. Once again ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus showed its objective strength in dry braking by out braking Potenza RE980AS+ at 5.4 feet (1.6 m) .
The trend continued with ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus being stronger in dry handling with a score of 7.9/10 while Potenza RE980AS+ had a 7.4/10 rating. Lap times were closer with ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus only 0.59 seconds faster.
ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus:
When pushed to the limit, the Continental responded skillfully. It felt taut and reacted deftly to all the driver’s inputs. The strong traction and balanced, neutral handling meant the tire never seemed to put a foot wrong, always placing the car right where intended
Test driver feedback on ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus
Overall, ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus has an edge in dry performances with the biggest edge coming in the form of dry braking.
Potenza RE980AS+:
- -6.2% in dry braking
- -2.7% in dry handling (subj)
- -1.9% in dry handling (lap time)
Noise/Comfort/Ride Quality
Normally in an ultra high performance segment, noise & comfort is usually not the main requirement. People who drive fast cars prefer to focus more on traction/braking performances rather than subjective comfort Anyhow the ride comfort was tested and the ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus was just slightly better with a overall rating of 7.59/10 compared to the 7.46/10 of Potenza RE980AS+.
Potenza RE980AS+:
- -0.6% in average of Noise, Comfort & Ride Quality.
Snow
As both tires have been rated as an all season tire, we were thrilled when tire rack included snow on its testing list. From initial checks, both tires do not include the 3 peak mountain label to legally certified the tire as a winter tire. Hence they do not have to pass a certain threshold of snow traction level as determined by the legislation.
When it comes to snow, both tires were neck in neck with the finest margin separating them. In snow braking, Potenza RE980AS+ stopped 1.9 feet (0.6 m) earlier than ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus from a speed of 25mph (40 km/h) to 0. In snow acceleration, ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus took back the honors by taking 0.4 feet (0.12 m) less distance to reach 12mph (19km/h). They were inseparable when it comes to the subjective snow handling as both scored a rating of 5/10 but Potenza RE980AS+ was faster by 1.3 seconds per lap on the snow track,
Potenza RE980AS+:
- +3.2% in snow braking
- -1.2% in snow acceleration
- -0.2% in snow handling (subj)
- +1.8% in snow handling (lap time)
Ice
When it comes to ice, both tires also showed mixed results. Potenza RE980AS+ was better in ice braking as it stopped 1.6 feet (0.5 m) earlier than ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus. While in acceleration, it took ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus 0.08 seconds faster to reach 60 feet compared to Potenza RE980AS+.
Potenza RE980AS+:
- +3.5% in ice braking
- -1.6% in ice acceleration
UTQG rating
We have previously shown that UTQG tread wear rating can be a good indication of your expected mileage. Below are the UTQG values of both of the tirelines.
| Brand | Tireline | Size | Tread Wear | Traction | Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental | ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus | All | 560 | AA(A) | A |
| Bridgestone | Potenza RE980AS+ | All | 500 | AA | A |
Both tires have the same mileage warranty at 50,000 miles even though Potenza RE980AS+ have a 60 point advantage in the UTQG tread wear rating. Considering all the factors, we can safely assume that both tires have roughly the same expected mileage performances. For more in depth information about UTQG, please check out this article here. We even have a free download on the latest UTQG values from the leading tire manufacturers.
Price
As both tires are considered premium in the market, we would have expected a similar pricing. However, from what we have checked, the Potenza RE980AS+ was 23 dollars more compared to ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus.
Tire size: 245/40R18
ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus: $196
Potenza RE980AS+: $219
Difference: +10.5% more expensive for Potenza RE980AS+.
Summary
Overall, ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus showed clear dominance on wet & dry surfaces. Both tires were highly competitive when it came to winter performances and each of them took turns to outperform each other in various snow & ice tests. Taking into consideration the overall package, ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus is clearly the winner in this duel !
