General Truck Tires

Initial Review, 5,000 Miles on Tires
April 07, 2013

I have always prefered a Michelin tire, and have had great service from them over the years. The prices are high, and I have wondered if part of that is paying for the name? A few years ago, we purchased a new truck with General tires on it, and the tires performed flawlessly. In fact those 11 year-old Generals were are currently on a farm trailer, and show no signs of dry rot, or other problems. After much thought, I decided to give these Generals a try. These tires are very quiet and smooth. They have great resistance to hydroplaning, which is a feature that I like a lot. The tires are not great in the snow, but than a V-8 powered RWD car is not so great in the snow either. I have a designated AWD winter vehicle, so winter traction does not matter to me. We live in the mountains with lots of winding roads, and tires get punished around here. I have the car set up with a stiff aftermarket suspension, so it rides harsh and corners like a sports car. The car no longer handles like a traditional Crown Victoria. Infact this car has seen an AutoCross track more then once... The OE tires where very soft and the car had a tendency to oversteer with them on it. These tires take the curves very well. So far they have passed the test. I plan to purchase three more sets, one for my wife's Crown Vic, and two sets for our two vintage Pontiac Trans AM show cars. For the price, nothing else compares. General seems to have hit the mark!

Initial Review, 5,000 Miles on Tires
April 02, 2013

Bought these almost 1.5 years ago for my wife's Audi A6 Quattro AWD and it became an absolute tank in the snow. Nothing could stop it. Turn the traction control off and it just dominated the roads. Truly forged a path for plow trucks to follow in the February snow storm where New England saw upwards of 3 (THREE) feet of snow. I was beside myself with this tire being labeled as "All-Season". Props to Audi on their AWD powertrain and all that, but these tires just showed to up perform, and they did just that. The roads have dried up now and the ride is still very smooth. Our two kids (3.5 and 7mo) both pass out from the smoothness and quietness of the ride. Had a 4 wheel alignment done at the time of installation.

Initial Review, 17,000 Miles on Tires
April 17, 2013

A good tire for the price, a little noisier than expected, but if I wanted a quiet tire I would have gone with michelins. Previously had pirelli scorpion atr's, they were the best tires I ever had on my truck, did everything far beyond my expectations, but the price jumped up $300 for the set so I started looking at other options. Decided to try these out, I liked the all terrain tread for the snow and driving on the beach. So far holding up well, probably get 35 to 40,000 out of them, not bad for the way I drive. A lot of tread squirm for the first 2-3,000 miles but settled in after that, had to slow down a lot for the on/off ramp almost felt like I was going to lose it, but never lost traction though. But, after 2-3000 miles the uneasiness went away and the back end didn't fell like it was going to pass me anymore. They definitely don't handle like the pirelli's they replaced, it helps to remind me I'm driving a full size truck and not a sports cars. I'm sure I added about 10,000 miles to the life of the tires because of it. Not necessarily a bad thing.

Initial Review, 40,000 Miles on Tires
February 08, 2013

I bought these tire for the 2011/2012 winter season. The first winter I had them they were brilliant. Supurb grip in any snow condition. I plow parking lots but yto get to work ( where the plow truck is) is 22 miles. when I would travel to work I would pass 4x4 trucks as if they were standing still. I also never bougt a set of all seanon for the rest of the year. They feel a little soft in spring, summer, and fall. But they do the job. Noise: there is some but expected. just a slight hum nothing drastic. once again it is winter in chicago and the tire still have good tread, even though I drove druring warmer months. I took the malibu out during the first big snow and the tires still preform very well, not as good as new but pretty close. It is very difficult for me to get it to spin-out it just want to hug the road as if there was no snow.

Initial Review, 20,000 Miles on Tires
February 10, 2013

I live in Long Island NY and we just got hit by the blizzard, where I live got hit the hardest and we got 34" of snow. I work 40 miles away from home and I left during the worst of the storm. I was passing stuck suv's and trucks left and right. I cannot believe how great these tires are. As I was passing cars that were stuck I can just see them staring at me wondering how is that little civic passing my 4wd suv? well all I can say is winter tires, that's how. I did not get stuck once, going up hills and through deep unplowed roads. I am sold on these tires for life and I will always buy them from now on. If you have a lowered civic, or just a basic fwd car I HIGHLY suggest these. Everyone knows how bad this blizzard was and these tires made it great for me. I was even passing plow trucks that got stuck. I have these tires in low profile 215 45 17 tire size so I can imagine how much better they would be with a larger sidewall but these are the best winter tires money can buy!! Highly suggest you buy them if you have a fwd car or truck!!

Initial Review, 42,000 Miles on Tires
March 14, 2013

Our Touareg came with 255/60-17 tires from Dunlop. They were throw-aways well before 20K miles. The corners wore off quickly and they became very noisy. This is with the tires inflated to their maximum suggested cold pressure. The replacements were the same size, but from Goodyear. They, too wore the corners off in about 20K to 25K miles and became noisy. Again tire pressure was maintained at the top end of the cold pressure range. The third set was yet another manufacturer and the same size. Same story.

So, for tire set #4, I went to the alternate size 235/65-17 and bought the Generals. It was my guess that the wear problem was suspension related relative to the tire width. These narrower profile tires were better in snow, wet and hard pack/ice. They handled just fine on a 5000 pound truck, but not quite as responsive as the wider, lower profile tire. They've been more than acceptable for towing (5000# fully loaded car trailer) and fine for City/Highway driving. Further, they've been far more comfortable and quiet throughout the 40+K miles so far.

We've gotten more than twice the milage out of these Generals than we got out of any of the previous tires. The product is excellent, but the change in tire profile is what has saved these tires. They aren't as wide and haven't sheered off the corners at all. Treadwear across the entire face is very uniform.

So, if you own a Touareg and are fed up with tire wear, noise and harsh ride, consider going to the taller, narrower profile. There's not much downside and the improvement is very good. Further, the speedometer is spot-on accurate with these tires compared to the original lower profiles. I gave the Altimax Generals mostly 9s with a couple of 8s and 10s. These have by far been the best tires yet in about 120K miles of driving. They probably will see us through the Summer and Fall, but will be replaced before next Winter.

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
March 11, 2013

This is my second set of these tires. My first set I had on an Acura RSX and they handled amazingly well with that car. So I purchased for my new FWD Mazda 3 Hatchback and mounted them on my stock rims. These tires are amazing in the snow. The car handles like an AWD car now with these tires.

I did some winter camping with friends that had 4WD trucks and to get to the campsite, you had to drive up a pretty steep snow covered dirt road, then drive down a snowmobile trail. The combination of these tires, traction control and manual transmission helped me get up the hill and to the campsite no problem. My friends with the 4WD trucks were making fun of me for wanting to try it, until I got to the top of the hill....they were pretty impressed.

For the price/functionality...buy these tires.

Initial Review, 5,000 Miles on Tires
March 01, 2013

Replaced General Grabber HT's. They were a decent tire on the highway but that is about it. After 30k they were useless. I picked these up prior to winter and they have preformed very well so far. Great in rain and snow. Decent in mud as well. The ride quality is not the best but the price was right and the warranty is there. Tire looks good on the truck too. Looking forward to seeing how they hold up.

Initial Review, 18,000 Miles on Tires
February 11, 2013

1 1/2 years and the first group of red letters peeled off. Rest of the red letters pretty much faded to pink. Tread about 50% with 18,000 miles. Little noisier then I hoped. They'll probably end up on my plow truck that hardly ever leaves the farm.

Initial Review, 12,000 Miles on Tires
December 29, 2012

The General are great tires for wet NW, performs great last week crossing I90 Snoqualmie Pass to I97 Blewett Pass, a 780 mile trek in ice snow blizzard condition, from Seattle to Wenatchee and back, across the Cascade Mountains. Highway 2 was completely closed due to avalanche and huge trees blocking. With 9" snow fall that night and 21F temp at mile 47 many cars and trucks could not traverse the road. Many 4x4 spinning all 4 going nowhere, trucks with chains spinning at 5-10 mph, many two wheel drivers going up skiing were in the ditch, but the General kept going without losing traction or use of chains at 25-35 mph. I easily drove around a group of 4x4 trucks and commercial trucks in chains spinning out in front of me on an off camber turn. The 07 Expedition has Electronic Active Stability Control RSC, 4x4 and General Grabber HTS . I can see the Skid control light up on my dash but could not feel the vehicle losing traction or sliding. When I got to Eastern Washington, I tested the car in an empty parking lot to determine how much traction I had before the vehicle spinout, it took a lot of ham fisted driving at over 30-35 mph in 2-3" snow and ice before the car spinout, at 15-20 mph the electronic skid control would kick in and prevent the car from skidding even in turning braking maneuver. Amazing Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer with 4x4, RSC Active Skid Control and General Grabber HTS. It took 8 hours to drive 158 miles each way over the pass, the ham-fisted testing in the snow covered parking lot was only done so I know how far I can push the car before losing control. That is not the way I drive with my wife and two girls. Very quiet tires, my girls complain when other car's tires are too noisy driving along side of our car on the freeway. Great traction in wet and dry conditions. Good feed back in my steering wheel for such a big vehicle. Gave it an 8 for rock because it picks up too many pebbles then toss them, pack with clay mud will lose traction.

Initial Review, 100 Miles on Tires
January 22, 2013

These tires are absolutely fantastic! I purchased a set of 4 tires to replace my factory Dunlop SP5000 tires. Wow, what a difference! My truck drive like a car. Smooth and quiet, and a wonderful ride. I want to drive across country. Drove to South Carolina and back over Christmas, and through heavy rains. No problems and I was not even tired at all from the drive. I highly reccomend these to anyone.

Initial Review, 16,000 Miles on Tires
January 08, 2013

This is the 2nd set of tires I have had on my truck. At first I had a set of Nexen street tires on the beast. The winter of 2010-11 had me replace those things fast.
The wife and I are powder hounds and therefore need a tire that performs well in ice and snow. This is where this tire really just delivers. I can't tell you how many storms I have driven through in the Sierra Nevada both with these tires and with street tires. These make all the difference. No tire is great on ice unless you have studs and these are studdable but I like to keep a good amount of distance between me and the guy in front of me in icy conditioons and these perform just fine. These tires really shine in deep snow. So far the record is just below my knee which is about 10-12 inches or so. I was nervous for the first 500 feet but after that it was actually a little fun.
I have driven these on the beach and off road quite a bit as well. They aren't great in sand. They aren't great in mud but I haven't gotten stuck yet. Knock on wood. On dirt roads and rocks they are fine but my street tires were fine in those conditions as well. I haven't noticed any difference in gas mileage since I put them on.
I have driven them about 16k miles and the tread has worn a little more than I like but they come with a 60k warranty we'll see how that plays out. I have them rotated every 6k miles when I change my oil.
Overall a very solid tire. I know they will last longer than the Michelins I have on the BMW and I know they are made better. The balance weights on the tires is proof of that.
They perform where I absolutely need them too and that is to get me to the mountains and back so I couldn't be happier with my purchase.

Initial Review, 300 Miles on Tires
January 04, 2013

I orginally encountered these tires three years ago when I put them on my 1997 Tacoma 4X4. I used them through three New York winters and was quite happy with their performance. In May of 2012, I purchased a new Tacoma with Dunlop Grandtrek AT20s installed. After looking at the tread on these passenger tires, I was underwhelmed, but decided to give them a chance. Who wants to cough up hundreds of dollars on new tires for a new truck? I used them until December and our first dusting of snow. I immediately called the tire store and ordered a set of the General Grabbers. The shop got them on literally minutes before we got hit with 10 inches of snow. If you've ever been to the Ithaca area, you know we have hills...lots of them! During the worst of the storm, the truck handled confidently. The tires are noisier on the highway, but I expect that from an LT tire. I no longer spinout on slight inclines and hydroplane in the rain. The Grabbers allow my truck to act like a 4X4 and get around in all sorts of weather which is why I bought her in the first place.

Initial Review, 6,000 Miles on Tires
January 10, 2013

Bought these to replace the POS Goodyears that came with the truck, even though they only had 15000 miles on them. Was a great decision. Fantastic tire for the price. Snow, slush, ice, mud, no problem. Can also cruise down a dry highway at 80mph with good handling and not bad road noise. I was a little concerned with the disclaimer "not rated for severe snow" I have no idea why they are not. I live on a dirt road outside of Ottawa ON. We have had a ton of snow this year, and I have yet to find anything that can slow these down.

Initial Review, 30,000 Miles on Tires
December 26, 2012

Very disappointed with these tires. The AT2 performance is dismal compared to the original AT. Feels like driving on ball bearings on gravel roads. Traction on packed snow or ice is so bad that the rear tires spin as soon as the brake is released if there is any incline at all. Have to use four-wheel-drive to get up the driveway unless the concrete is completely clear. Traction in deep snow or mud is almost nonexistent. Cannot climb out of muddy ruts and six inches of snow brings the truck to a halt, even in four-wheel-drive. Never had to pull out the chains when I ran the old ATs but they are showing wear from all the use with these AT2s. Traction was good on the slickrock out in Utah but traction on loose sand was only slightly better than mud or deep snow. It looks like they are on par with the original ATs in terms of tread wear. Got 85K out of the ATs and the AT2s have worn about 25 percent in 30K miles. Performance on dry roads is generally good but there is a noticeable sway on grooved concrete highways. Performance is consistent whether the truck is empty, carrying a full load or towing.

Initial Review, 100 Miles on Tires
December 31, 2012

Have not had these tires long. Placed my order at 7 pm and tire rack had my tires at my front door around 9 the very next morning. They are the best riding tires i have ever had on the truck, i will continue to buy only this tire. Snow storm hit first day i had the new tires on, drovearound all day with no problem. After the six inches accumulation ceased falling, i still had no problems with my 2wd s10. With previous tires, i wouldn't even consider leave the house in snow without considerable weight in my bed. With the at2, i had no problems with no weight. Even came to a dead stop on a steep hill that was un plowed, and made it the last 500 feet up the hill. Unimaginable with my previous tires. I then headed to our muddings hole, and encountered wet mud. Only got stuck once (2wd) but these tires dug me out of all kinds of mess. They grip awesome, and clean out real easy. And you can't even hear them on the highway

Initial Review, 5,100 Miles on Tires
January 04, 2013

These tires were standard equipment on my 2012 Toyota Tacoma Access Cab 4X4. I was skeptical when I received a 4X4 vehicle with a passenger tire on it. I decided to give them a chance and drove them for 5,000 miles. Their performance in the rain was disappointing to say the least. You end up spinning out at level intersections and on a slight hill it was even worse. In sand or gravel, I didn't feel confident that the truck was going to stay where I wanted it. After a dusting of snow here in Ithaca, New York, I felt like I was driving a Mini Cooper instead of a 4X4. I called the tire store and ordered a new set of General Grabber AT2s on the truck. The garage managed to get them on an hour before we got 10 inches of snow. The truck handles great and I have no qualms taking it out in the snow. No more slipping on wet pavement and sand and stopping on inclines is no problem. For the highway or someplace flat with no snow, the Dunlops would be fine, but if you live in a hilly, snowy area, you should find a better tire.