Im trying to decide between the Bridgestone Potenza's RE 970 and the continental DWS.

Current have Bridgestone Potenza 960 and have been very happy with them.
I was leaning towards the DWS because of price per performance but there is a special on the bridgestones right now which makes them actually cheaper then DWS.

I need 255/40/18 and the DWS are $832 vs the Bridgestone RE970 for $792
In terms on performance i think the RE970 are better and probably better tire in general.

One thing i dont like about the RE970 is that they are 30lbs VS the DWS 26lbs per tire. The RE970 are also more prone to flat spotting being a directional tire and since i take a lot of short trips, its a con.

The DWS should ride smoother and should be less noisy but wont handle as good as the bridgestones in dry weather.

I think the Bridgestones look better.

which ones would you choose and why??

 

Guarantee most people say DWS'. I say go with the 970's. The DWS' were horrible for me.

If the Potenza 960's were good for you, why change?

 

RE970s because... I've had them on the TL for 15K miles so far.
They look like they'll last another 15K if I don't keep autocrossing them.

I like dry traction and don't like soft sidewalls (which the DWS has). The RE970 A/S came in first in Tire Rack's test of several comparable All Season UHP tires, including the DWS.

No flat-spotting of the RE970 here in SoCal. IDK if that was an issue with the RE960, but note that some DWS owners complained about flat-spotting in the threads here.

 

Bridgestone!

 

I've had good success with the DWS, so I would get them again. I don't have experience with the Bridgestones though.

 

It's a no-brainer if the 970's are cheaper than the DWS. I've got the 960's as my current A/S in 245/45-17 (Conti DW for the summer). I think the 960's are probably the absolute best tire I've ever owned. I've got about 35k on them and they've worn perfectly, they're still quiet and I can probably get another 10k out of them, but they're losing grip in the rain. I'll replace them this fall/winter and am debating between the 970 and the Pirelli P Zero Nero. The biggest drawback is the weight. My 960's were 29 lbs when new and I believe the 970's are roughly the same in a 245 size. The Pirellis are only 24 lbs in a 245, and seem to have solid reviews, so we'll see. I had the DWS on my Subaru and wasn't impressed, plus the tread pattern is weird. I believe the 970's are currently on sale at Tire Rack.

(BTW, I love the DW...awesome tire and only 22lbs in a 235/40-18)

 

Yes the weight is pretty much the only con with the potenzas. I was thinking about the pirellis but everybody is complaining about the noise.

 

The 970's would be the perfect A/S tire if they were 5-6 pounds lighter. Although maybe the weight is what makes them so good in key areas. After reading this thread, I did go back and take another look at the Pirelli reviews and they're not as good as I thought. I may have to reconsider the DWS. It seems to be hit and miss with them. Have you looked into the Yokohama Advan S4? I almost got those instead of the 960's. They're 26 lbs in the 245/45-17 IIRC; not light, but not as heavy as the Bridgestones.

 

I chose the Advan S.4 over the RE960s and had the S.4s for 40+K miles, before the RE970 came out.
The RE970s seem more communicative/predictable at the limit, so my preference is for the RE970 over the Advan S.4 (assuming traction is the same, but I think the RE970 is more highly rated for traction, too).

I can't really tell if there is any difference in road noise between the RE970 and S.4. My impression is that the S.4 was slightly louder than the OEM Michelin MXM4 on certain concrete street/highway surfaces, but equally quiet on asphalt.