General Snow Tires

Initial Review, 4,500 Miles on Tires
May 08, 2012

I bought these tires because I need to drive my Miata in all four seasons. The wet traction/lack of hydroplaning and the traction in snow has been quite impressive. They are a little noisy, at least at first, and they do numb steering response some. If I ever get to where I don't need to drive my car in bad weather I will go to a more responsive tire.

Initial Review, 30,000 Miles on Tires
May 17, 2012

Let me start by saying that I absolutely LOVE this tire. I have been running this tire on my "winter beater" Saturn for 3 seasons already. I live in NW PA and I drive all over the state for my job. I bought this tire primarily for it's ability to get me through the regular lake-effect snowstorms that we are famous for in the northeast. I have been absolutely amazed and pleased with the ability of this tire to get me through our frequent snow storms. I have regularly driven through drifts and fresh snow that my bumper is plowing through and the belly of the car is dragging through. I have never once gotten stuck with this tire.

Since this is a winter tire, I expected it to be good in the snow. But what really has amazed me is the treadlife. Although this is my "winter" car, most of the 30,000 miles of use has been on dry roads. I was expecting that these tires wouldn't last very long due to their very soft tread compound. I have been very surprised at how well they have held up. I might have rotated them once, but probably not more than that, yet the tread wear is very uniform across all four tires, and I still have about 40% tread life remaining. I will admit, given that this past winter was my 3rd season with these tires, I did notice a decrease in their ability to handle the snow. I would say that they still worked better than a new "all-season" tire, but I will be putting on a new set before the next snow flies.

In summary: Snow performance is outstanding, tread life has been much greater than I expected, they are louder than an all-season tire--but only slightly more, and if you remember that these are snow tires and not "performance" tires--you won't be disappointed with the handling. I recommended these to a co-worker who put them on his Accord, and he was very happy. I LOVE these tires!

Initial Review, 40,000 Miles on Tires
May 10, 2012

I have had these tires installed on my RAV4 for a couple of years and I would like the share my experiences with them. Given that I live in MA and we have poor road conditions and pretty extreme weather, I am sure I have put those tires in many tests.

For the first 2 years they worked like a dream: Wet, Dry, Snow, there's barely a difference for the way I drive (going slower on heavy snow, of course). I drove about 300 miles during a huge snow storm (all 300 in heavy snow) and my car was as steady as a snowmobile with these Tires and 4WD, and never lost traction in rain.
When running over a deep puddle with speed, with the original tires my steering wheel will go crazy and the car will go out of control, which was the major reason why I switched. With these tires, my car go straight and steady. If you live in an area that rains a lot, I would highly recommend these tires.

In Winter 2010, I was in NYC and we got caught with the biggest snow storm for NYC in a century. Most sedan were buried in snow when it was 3-4 feet high, while my car was one of the very few moving objects on the street. It almost felt like I was in a Video game on a Snow Rally track, but once again the tires and 4WD combined made driving possible, when other car owners were busy digging their car out, I drove by with a smile on my face.

After all the miles on the tires, Treadware is very significant and now it performs poorly on light snow, my car starts skidding with only an inch of snow even with 4WD. Still performs great in rain / wet / dry surface. I will not blame the tires as it seems to be right time for new ones anyways, and I am definitely choosing the same tires again unless I find a good deal on another decent tires. I don't want to overrate them, but they are good enough for me to write this long review to praise them, in compare to the OEM Bridgestone Dueler which is a total trash.

Initial Review, 43,000 Miles on Tires
May 13, 2012

Replaced OEM Bridgestone RE92s with these at 58,000 miles. Most dramatic change I have ever witnessed in any vehicle I have ever owned. Excellent handling all conditions except ice and deep snow (rare here.) Good feedback, generally quiet, treadwear on my all wheel drive vehicle has been excellent. Probably have close to 10,000 miles tread left. Very adept dry weather handling for an all season tire.

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
May 01, 2012

Compared to the OEM tires Im very impressed so far, handle well, quieter, and light snow traction is fantastic. You wont be disappointed!

Initial Review, 15,000 Miles on Tires
May 03, 2012

i drive a car with terrible suspension alignment is out over one degree on driver rear and these tires have held up grate i also have them on a 2007 Toyota Camry SE they work very well in the winter once its got a little hotter than 65F these tires can ware fast but i loved them in the snow and the rain as well they r a bit loud and get louder with miles but if u can deal with a little road noise there amazing for the snow rain and ice as of dry performance they are not very responsive and don't handle very well but they are WINTER tires so its ok worth the money i will buy again if the tread ever wares down

Initial Review, 300 Miles on Tires
December 01, 2008

Replaced my Bridgestone Potenzas with these tires. These General Altimax Tires are like night and day compared to the Potenzas. I purchased the Outback late last winter for its AWD, reliability, safety and versatility. I was however extremely disappointed with the handling and ride from the start. All of my disappointment has faded after making the change to the Altimax HP tire. The Altimax tires not only make the ride much more civilized but also make the car handle much better around corners/turns. The Bridgestone Potenzas were very harsh and did not hold true around any tight corners. Dry and wet traction is great. Traction in approximately 4" of snow/sleet was very good as well as we just got our first snows up in Wisconsin. I will provide an update when these tires have seen more miles and more driving conditions.

Initial Review, 8,500 Miles on Tires
April 18, 2012

These tires are fantastic for a sports car that is driven regularly or for long distances. They certainly don't have the dry traction level of a dedicated summer tire, but for spirited country driving are way more than adequate. Another plus is that they communicate well when they are reaching their traction limit with progressive breakaway, and regain traction fairly easily. Their wet-weather traction is probably the most impressive part, with traction that feels very close to what is available in the dry. I have had them in the snow once, and did well considering that a Corvette is hardly a proper vehicle for driving on snowy roads. All things considered, I will almost definitely by another set of these when my current set are finished.

Initial Review, 500 Miles on Tires
March 29, 2009

the tire is quieter than oem goodyear rsa's. it has not made the civic a quiet car just a little quieter. i can still hear a white noise sound at hwy speed. rough asphalt is still loud. bumps are more muted than oem tires.I'm really doubtful a tire exists that could completely mute road sounds or bumps in a civic. the tire was easily balanced with the lightest weights. it tracks straight even in grooved pavement. i have not experienced a soft sidewall feel when exiting hwy at cloverleafs(as some reviews have reported)but i don't push my car hard either. it seems to have great responsiveness. in wet conditions it's excellent. great wet traction, and hydroplaning resistance. I'm tempted to drive too fast in the wet. it's the best wet traction of any tire i have ever driven with. no idea about snow or ice as i'm in central tx. the price was $200 less than i would have paid for the michelin or bridgestone top grand touring tire. maybe those tires would have less tread noise but i doubt it would be worth $200 to find out.i'd consider this tire a "best buy" for locations that don't get snow.

Initial Review, 800 Miles on Tires
April 22, 2012

I puschased these studded tires for winter driving only, I have found that these tires work excellent in deep snow and ice, I drove up in the high country in the snow with the stock wrangler st tires and the did pretty good but after buying the gabber 2`s I know how bad the stock tires really are. after the good year tires need to be replaced I will purchase another pair of these tires. I feel these tire`s work awesome and are a great value for the money plus I personally like to buy products made in america.

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
April 19, 2012

Installed on aftermarket wheels with H&R sport lowering springs and konis on a euro model. They do well in the rain and the dry performance is very good considering the long life compound used and the relatively low price up front. I think they are slightly louder than average due to the harder compound at highway speed, but I'm willing to put up with a little noise if they last a long time. With an aggressive alignment, you will have to rotate them more often, but then you would with any tire in that situation. They did not do well in deep snow as they became packed pretty quickly- but with a light snow they did just fine with my limited slip rear end.

I would read people whining about these (or any) tires failing after 15K on them (on some front wheel drive car or minivans in super hot or cold climates) with caution. Like all tires, when they are on cars with alot of weight and steering on a front wheel drive vehicle in temp extremes- they will require more maintenance, frequent rotations and general care. Tread separation, blown-out sidewalls and etc. indicate design or quality problems. 50,000 mile tires that "wear out" in 15K? Likely due to "user error."

Initial Review, 200 Miles on Tires
April 18, 2012

I live overseas, so these tires were sent to a DPO. Just like when I ordered full wheel assemblies for my Civic four years ago, these tires arrives much faster than expected. Tire Rack has been outstandingly good to me and my cars, and I don't see myself ordering from anyone else anytime soon.

These tires are terrific! Great traction, great ride stability on rough roads, and great handling. I haven't had the chance to see how they handle snow and ice, so hence my N/A on winter/snow driving. They handle fine in the rain, about as well as I would hope and expect.

Initial Review, 44,900 Miles on Tires
April 13, 2012

I had these tires on my 2006 Honda Odyssey EX. They performed well in most condition except for very deep snow. The handling for the most part are good, particularly with the emergency stops. The tires are touring tires so they do not like cornering hard but again it is a big heavy van. They are very quiet in the first 25-30K and the noise level goes up a little but not so bad like the General tires I had on my old Nissan Quest. However, at 45K it looks like it will only last until 50K at best. For the touring tires, I expect them to last until 60K as my last set of Michelin on the Quest was good for 80K. In comparison, the OEM General had plenty to tread left at 50K but I can't stand the horrible noise and its poor performance in the snow, I have to replace it. I will have to replace them soon, likely with the Michelin Defenders or the Yoko Avid for better tread wear at the same price point. I saw these at Sam's but will probably order new tires at Tirerack.

Initial Review, 25,000 Miles on Tires
April 06, 2012

These tires lasted appx 25,000 miles on my Armada. Crummy handling, soft sidewalls, they roll and feel squishy when cornering.
Not good in the rain. No snow traction at all, and this truck is very good in the snow on other tires.
Thought I was saving money, but in the long run, I did not.

Initial Review, 2,000 Miles on Tires
April 11, 2012

I purchased the vehicle with these tires on it at the time; they had more than half their life remaining so I have kept them on since. I do really like the dry traction and the lack of hydroplanning, but this is an All-Wheel-Drive vehicle, so it can be difficult to tell at times. The light snow traction is excellent sicne we did have a dusting a couple of weeks ago here. Treadwear seems to be pretty good and the noise of the tires isn't too bad. They do have a tendency to flat spot in the mornings or when cooler outside, but this goes away after a bit of driving at highway speeds. Overall pretty pleased with them so far. Will update when time comes to get a new set.

Initial Review, 6,000 Miles on Tires
March 31, 2012

SNOW:I had purchased 2 of these tires last season and put them on the front of my FWD car. (For safety reasons follow the directions and install on the rear if you only buy 2.) But I will say the difference was night and day between the front GT Altimax and rear Allseasons with most tread left. I do enjoy playing in the snow with the car and using the ebrake for snow drifts. But with the amount of extra grip the snow tires had up front I could simply turn at speed and the rear allseason tires would slide out. That was great fun but not good for safety as in hard stops the rear would tend to try and swing around as well. The Grip difference between all seasons and snows is remarkable. This season I purchased another two snows and was confident anywhere I went.

DRY:As far as the GeneralTire's dry performance goes they are way to soft and eraser like for warm dry pavement. In slightly hurried starts the tires will peel out at power levels where the all seasons would leave safely. Handeling is completely acceptable for day to day/some spitired turns. But remember they are not performance tires. My car only has 125hp and the tires readily spin.

NOISE: these tires are super quiet! quieter than my all seasons which is remarkable considering how agressive the tread is. In comparison hte Blizaks I've driven before were quieter but the difference is not worth the price increase!
BUY THESE YOU WILL NOT REGRET

Initial Review, 2,500 Miles on Tires
April 07, 2012

Tires have been great so far, very confidence inspiring in treacherous weather. I drive mostly twisty mountain roads in all conditions, and I have not experienced anything that this tire couldn't handle comfortably (I have AWD also). Wintry conditions are no problem, traction is seldom an issue. The wet traction is phenomenal. Dry cornering is as good as I would hope for from a winter tire, but still a winter tire. Slightly squirmy on straight, dry roads, but very tolerable. I realize that these are not meant for dirt roads, but where I live dirt roads are common and not always snow-covered. When the dirt roads are dry, these have no problems. When they are wet and soft or muddy, I have found it difficult to drive in a straight line. It almost feels like driving on a flat. I've only put 2,500 miles on them in mixed conditions, but they still look brand new with no noticeable tread wear. I look forward to using them for the next few seasons.

Initial Review, 17,000 Miles on Tires
November 18, 2011

Negotiated with M-B dealer to substitute these NON runflats for the factory set. I am glad I did.
In Colorado my biggest challenges are snowpacked and icy roads more than deep snow, with occasional bouts with the dreaded Black Ice. These tires are exceptional in those conditions, with much better road feel than my General Altimax studded, Michelin x-Ice2 and Blizzaks on other autos. I didn't pray for the day when I could finally get my winter tires off! Very impressive.
I started in November 2010 and experienced "all of the above" at a variety of temperatures from water on ice to powdery and frigid to black ice on I-80 at 75 mph with surprise BIG crosswinds. Exceptional tires that reduced the white knuckle cross country experience.
These tires are also pretty sporty in the dry, so I thought I'd wear them through the summer months because my 8-mounted-tires-per-vehicle habit has caused me to run out of winter tire storage.
We had lots more than usual 90+ temps, but the tread didn't melt away like other dedicated winter tires.
I have 6/32 tread left, which projects out to about 24,000 miles. Not bad for a winter tire pressed into hot summer service. We'll see if they get noisy when they get under 5/32, and how well they work in the wet.
We tow a 27' travel trailer and the tires are very stable with a load - inflated to the M-B recommended pressure of 38 lbs.
I also spent several days four wheeling on the legendary Ouray, Colorado extreme passes and I was really surprised how well the tread worked on rocks and other obstacles. Especially impressive on slick rocks in the rain! (Deflated to 28 psi.)
These are great tires for the difficult to predict Colorado driving conditions.

Initial Review, 8,000 Miles on Tires
April 11, 2012

I have owned my car for 11 years now and this was the first set of winter tires I purchased for it (previously only used all season tires) and the difference is phenomenal! These Altimax Arctic's stuck to the road like glue in the snow, both in acceleration as well as stopping. It handled the slush mounds on two lane highways with ease and I kept passing all the drivers going 25 MPH and wondering why there were so many cars in the ditch ;)
After a season of use, these tires still look like new and I expect/hope to get at least 3 or 4 seasons out of them (if I do not sell the car before that).
Road noise was hardly noticeable and actually quite less then some all season tires I've had (remember I have a convertible, so the car is not exactly quite inside).

Initial Review, 6,000 Miles on Tires
April 10, 2012

Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V1. Studless snow/ice tires + Tire Rack wheels. The normal size is 235/70/16 but Tire Rack highly recommended 225/75/16 for snow/ice. We live at Lake Tahoe, CA and get a very large amount of snow and low temperatures. Last winter was the largest snowfall in decades and we had to make many trips back and forth over the 7000-ft.+ mountain pases. These tires were nothing short of incredible, even in blizzard conditions. Other AWD/4WD vehicles equipped with "snow tires" were stuck and/or required chains. We never slipped, skidded or got stuck. The Blizzak low temperature rubber compound WORKS! I highly recommend this tire/wheel/size combination for this vehicle. Thank-you TireRack! Note: I change over to a set of General Grabber HTS's (also from Tire Rack) for warm weather.