General AltiMAx RT45 Tire Test - In-Depth Review (2023)

FAQs

Are General AltiMAX RT45 good for snow? ›

AltiMAX RT⁴⁵ is a versatile Grand Touring All-Season tire for sedans, coupes, and CUVs, developed for drivers seeking a balance of all-season handling, comfort, and longevity. The AltiMAX RT⁴⁵ offers confident dry and wet performance as well as satisfying light snow traction.

Dry Performance

Fortunately for all of them, the General Altimax RT43 performs exceptionally well in dry conditions. It comes with a smart contoured design which allows this tire to suss-out off-road vibrations coming from bumps and speed breakers.

Long treadlife and 75,000-mile warranty

The Altimax RT43 is backed by a 75,000-mile treadlife warranty.

Enhanced construction has given General Tire's all-season touring tire, the AltiMAX™ RT43, a quiet and comfortable ride, year-round traction, even wear, and extended treadlife.

Continental AG bought the tire division of General Tire Inc. in 1987. Therefore, it is Continental Tire that produces the General Altimax.

WHAT DOES THE THREE-PEAK MOUNTAIN SNOWFLAKE SYMBOL ON TIRES MEAN? If you see this symbol on the sidewall of winter tires, it means they have been tested and proven capable of performing under extreme winter weather driving conditions.

Tire speed ratings range from A (the lowest) to Y (the highest). But the chart is not completely in alphabetical order. For example, H is between U and V, with the common perception that H stood for “high performance” at one time.

The factory in Mt. Vernon, Illinois still manufactures three million car tyres every year.

Front tyres tend to wear faster, up to 2.5 times faster on some cars. The left front tyre has it the hardest. It is the most heavily loaded and responsible for transmitting most of the steering during right hand turns.

What does RT43 mean on tires? ›

General Altimax RT43 Features

This is a General Altimax that's built to prove that confidence and comfort are interrelated terms when it comes to all-season tires. The "RT" in RT43 stands for "road touring," and General knows that there are many road surfaces you'll encounter over the life of your tires.

About General Tire

With more than 100 years of experience in the tyre industry and as part of Continental - a leading tyre manufacturer based in Germany - General Tire delivers products you can rely on – no matter how challenging the terrain may be!

Continental Tire the Americas, LLC, d.b.a. General Tire, is an American manufacturer of tires for motor vehicles.

GENERAL ALTIMAX TIRES ARE "DIRECTIONAL TIRES". LOOK ON THE SIDEWALL FOR THE ROTATION ARROWS.

In actuality, it reduces overall cabin volumes only slightly. It has the greatest effect on frequencies near 200 hertz (Hz), a sound that is low in pitch, relative to what the human ear can register, but is at the high end of the frequencies a tire generates. Think of the deep ping of a bouncing basketball.

Michelin scored first place in the performance and ultra-high-performance categories. In performance all-season tires, the Michelin CrossClimate + ranked first, followed by the Continental PureContact LS, the General Altimax RT43, the Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady and the Michelin Premier A/S.

Maher and the Continental team said the General AltiMax RT45 has a 10% improvement in wear over the RT43, thanks to an update to a flatter contour which makes the tire more suitable for front-wheel-drive applications and can help mitigate edge wear.

General is a brand that belongs to the Continental group. Generally, Continental summer tyres are slightly better rated (85%) than General (62%). In this particular case, the Continental PremiumContact 6 has a better rating of 90% compared to 75% of the General Tire Grabber GT.

You may want to consider replacing your winter tires well before they get to 2/32 inches. For winter driving, a tread depth of at least 5/32 inches is recommended because winter conditions require thicker tread.

Snow driving — Because there is low friction on the road, having greater pressure on the road is more important than having more surface area. Therefore, narrow tires perform better when the roads are covered with snow, since they can dig deeper into the snow, providing more traction.

What tire width is best for snow? ›

A narrower tire does a better job in snow. As a rule of thumb, for winter tires you can reduce the width 10mm, increase the aspect ratio 10 percentage points, and get a wheel one inch smaller — in this case 215/60R16. This is called Minus One sizing.

Front tires on an all-wheel drive (AWD) vehicle often wear more quickly than those on the rear axle. Why? Because your front tires handle most of the braking and steering.

According to our research and methodology, the top 10 tire brands are Michelin, Continental, Goodyear, Bridgestone, BFGoodrich, Cooper, Yokohama, Pirelli, General and Hankook.

The longest lasting tires in Consumer Reports' tests are the Pirelli P4 Four Seasons Plus. They claim 90,000 miles, and Consumer Reports estimates they'll go 100,000.

This is due to the soft rubber compound used by tire manufacturers. The average mileage for tires is 50,000 miles, but soft compound OE tires do not last that long. A new set of OE tires won't be able to handle the driving conditions for long without deforming.

The PZero summer tires record the shortest distance at 149 feet, and the winter tires need the most room to stop -- an extra 56 feet.

When General Tire penetrated the tire business in 1915, more than 300 companies were making tires at the time. However, General took a different approach. They decided to bypass the original equipment market and focus on premium replacement tires instead.

That amount is on the rise, as more factories are being constructed in America. BFGoodrich, Bridgestone, Continental, Cooper, Firestone, General, Goodyear, Hankook, Kelly, Kumho, Michelin, Mickey Thompson, Nexen, Nitto, Toyo, and Yokohama currently manufacture tires here in America.

With more than 100 years of experience in the tyre industry and as part of Continental - a leading tyre manufacturer based in Germany - General Tire delivers products you can rely on.

Does driving slower make tires last longer? ›

Higher driving speeds cause more heat to build up in the rubber, breaking down the tire more quickly than at slower speeds. Similarly, taking turns at slower speeds and avoiding skidding on turns also helps the tire last longer.

According to Tire Review, new tires should always go in the back. Rear tires provide the vehicle stability, and if they have little tread, then stability is lost.

TyrFil™ RePneuTV is a high performance ballistic NO FLAT technology formulated specifically for the military and armed forces. RePneuTV eliminates flat tires in the most hazardous operating environments. With RePneuTV NO FLAT technology, tires withstand .

The General Altimax RT43 (T) has 80,000 miles of tread life in CR testing.

A Chinese tire company would use the approved legal amount of material to make theirs 7-8 out 10. But that doesn't mean it's a bad quality tire. This tire might simply have a shorter lifespan than a more expensive brand. That's pretty much the main difference.

On average, people drive between 12,000 to 15,000 miles a year, which means the average good quality all-season tire will last somewhere between three and five years, depending on maintenance, driving style and conditions, etc.

In fact, there are only two genuine American brands: Goodyear and Cooper. The largest foreign tire companies with plants in the US include Michelin, Pirelli, Continental, Bridgestone, and Yokohama.

Michelin Tires is owned by a combination of public shareholders, Michelin family members, and company employees. Public shareholders own 94% of the French tire company. This is known as a public float and allows the company access to additional revenue introduced by those investing in company stock.

Which tires are from Russia? ›

Seven international tire makers have factories in Russia: Bridgestone Corp., Continental A.G., Michelin Group, Nokian Tyres P.L.C., Pirelli Tyre S.p.A., Titan International Inc. and Yokohama Rubber Co.

“Chinese truck tyres are of a good standard, but they are obviously not premium products. We therefore recommend them for vehicles that cover shorter distances. They also work well on vehicles that are not operated in the harshest road and weather conditions.

Snow & Ice

While all-season tires are not designed for exclusive driving in snow and icy conditions, the AltiMAX tires holds its own. Our RT43 review found that even in snow, the same traction technology that makes this tire great in wet makes it a great tire for light snow.

The easiest way to tell if you have directional tires is to physically look at the tires on your vehicle (or online, or at the store) and if it has a directional tire arrow printed on the sidewall, then your tire is directional.

Tire Rigidity

Soft tires wear faster but offer a gentler ride, more grip, and better braking. Hard tires, on the other hand, last longer and are better suited for difficult conditions, like rough terrain and/or high speeds.

The rubber on tires can be softer or harder. Softer tires are going to grip the road better, which will provide more traction and improve braking.

It's kind of a dirty little secret that the cheaper the tire, the noisier it's likely to be. Inferior materials and less care in the design process are at fault in these cases. Wear Creates More Noise — It's also a fact that as tires wear, they become noisier.

All-weather tires will perform well even in winter, even in heavy snow and ice conditions. However, All-Weather tires will only have traction in light snow and are therefore not ideal for use in areas with severe winters.

That means all-season tires won't provide the same amount of extreme grip and sharp handling of a summer tire. Likewise, an all-season tire is not designed to handle extreme winter conditions like trekking through snow or driving on ice. Think of all-season tires like tennis shoes.

Why are all season tires not good for winter? ›

The Tread Rubber - In extreme cold temperatures, the tread rubber of an all season or summer tire stiffens and becomes less able to provide sufficient traction. To combat this, tread rubber compounds of winter tires are designed to remain flexible, allowing the tire to grip the road better.

Radial Tire Disadvantages

Poor transport handling, since low lateral stiffness causes the tire sway to increase as the speed of the vehicle increases. Increased vulnerability to abuse when overloaded or under-inflated. The sidewall tends to bulge which could cause damage and puncture.

"For drag radial tires, such as our M&H Racemaster, you should never run below 24 psi on the street, and keep pressures above 15 psi at the track. The normal range of pressures, depending on the vehicle's weight and suspension setup is 15-20 psi." Weight is the biggest factor.

"Radials offer lower fuel consumption, better traction and flotation and improved cut resistance in the tread area, and run much cooler than bias." "Radial advantages are pretty much across the board," agrees Wright. Typically they offer longer tread wear and a smoother ride.

All-wheel-drive systems deliver power to all four wheels at the same time, or they automatically engage torque to all four wheels when needed. That's why all-wheel drive is best for driving on snowy and icy roads.

BEST Car Colors:

White, yellow, orange – In 2013, white was the world's most popular car color. At night, white is the most visible, but the study also noted that a lime-yellow stands out better against cloudy skies and snowy backdrops than white does.

Wear Bright Colors

Yellow, red and navy are perfect colors for winter photography! But, don't do too much color. Stick with one item to pop with color, either the hat, jacket, gloves or boots. Mix it up on different days to get multiple different looks.

Tire Rack also recommends that drivers expecting to encounter snow-covered roads consider replacing their tires when they reach approximately 5/32" of remaining tread depth to maintain good mobility.

30 to 35 PSI is generally recommended as the ideal tire pressure for winter temperatures, but the exact recommended pressure varies depending on the type of vehicle and how low the temperature drops. Ultimately, it's important to check your vehicle's owner's manual and go with the recommended tire pressure provided.