We finally got to open up the track after getting some fresh payment and take the Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS out to see what it was all about. Check it out:

Testing Bridgestone's Potenza RE970AS Pole Position Ultra High Performance All-Season Tire

We also tested the other top tires in the same class for comparison. There's info here on the Continental Extreme Contact DWS, Michelin Pilot Sport AS+, and Pirelli PZero Nero AS.

My impressions:
I thought the Pirelli was a nice surprise and had nice handling and comfort.
The Michelin is still a winner and was extremely smooth for an otherwise sporty tire. It was a touch noisier than I remembered.
The DWS is still the most comfortable and quiet tire in the class IMO but still lacks the handling and cornering ability of the other tires here. Great grip but if you like to drive hard this won't be the miracle tire for you.
The RE970 had a great firmness and stability for cornering. It was one of the truest tires that I have gotten to drive meaning if you pointed it one direction that's exactly where you were going. Very fun although it was as noisy as the Michelin on the road ride without the comfort. Regardless, an awesome performance oriented tire.

 

I don't suppose Falken's were a part of the test-group, were they?

I've rolled UHPAS Falkens almost exclusively (except where/when I cudn't find them, or, as was the case with my last tire purchase, they had to be special ordered), since Oct 1998 because I love their:
- Grippyness
- Breakaway characteristics (I find Michilins have a higher specific grip, but, breakaway abruptly... A certain accident, given MY driving habits!).
- They have slowly but surely engineered their soft(-ish) shoulder, so they don't "roll" as badly as they used to.
- The fact that I have, repeatedly, proved to MYSELF that I can, IN FACT, exceed 100mph IN A POURING RAIN, with a fair amount of confidence in the tires ability to displace water and track true (the laws of physics notwithstanding).
- 270deg highway on/off-ramps @ 50mph, IN THA RAIN!!! FTMFW, b1tchizz!!!
- FULL anti-lock stops, from 100+mph down to ZERO, IN THA RAIN, without so much as a misstep!!!
- CO$T!!! 1/2 to 1/3 as expensive as the *major* brands, for 90% of teh performance. BEST BARGIN EVARRR!!!

I roll a Legacy, currently. When I get myself my next A8, it will ONLY wear Falkens... Unless someone, somewhere convinces me that there is a bettar VALUE/PERFORMANCE ratio available..., FALKEN's.

Of course, I *hate their:
- Lack of longevity. I do tend to drive HARD, but, I only get about 18months out of a set. Sure, some of that is to be expected because of how I drive and the fact that soft(er) cpompound tires obviously wear faster, but, still, if they'd last an extra 6 months-ish, I wouldn't complain. Their price somoewhat offsets the fact that I have to buy them twice as often, IMHO.
- Noise, but, they've gotten better over the years. Differernt tread configurations coupled with new compound technologies have helped tremendously. But, they're still 5-10 decibles higher than their competition, I believe (using my tinnitus-calibrated ears, of course)

 

Sorry but we don't carry or test Falken's so I couldn't offer you an honest opinion on them. Thank you for sharing your experience though! That's what this is all about.