General Winter Tires

Initial Review, 12,500 Miles on Tires
April 10, 2013

This was my second winter with the arctics on my tdi sportwagon. The tires performed flawlessly all winter, for the price you pay you get more for your money than other more expensive tires. If you live in the snowbelt area and do not run seperate winter wheels and tires your only kidding yourself for foul weather performance! I have been running seperate winter/ summer wheel and tire packages from the tire rack since the late 80's! Great people selling great products at reasonable prices!

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, 10,000 Miles on Tires
April 06, 2013

These converted our AWD Montego to a winter half track. Studded these tires on their own wheels and they actually out performed the Blizzaks on our other car, for a lot less cost. They have the usual studded winter tire squirm and noise, but not as bad as others were before. But after getting a 3 foot blizzard and many other snow storms, these have proven themselves. And on ice? You can't beat studded tires in my opinion. Took Tire Rack's advice and went down an inch in wheel and tire size, but the taller sidewall gives us the same effective ground clearance, which is valuable in deeper snow. And that taller sidewall is more forgiving on Maine's frost heaved, potholed roads.

Our new Michelin hydro all seasons were downright dangerous in snow the previous winter, so glad we got them off for winter!

Initial Review, 15,000 Miles on Tires
April 11, 2013

These tires replaced the OE Dunlop run-flats that were on the '08 TT Roadster when we bought it. What a difference, the ride is much less harsh, traction is much better, and spirited driving is fun again. The control at highway speeds in heavy rain is exceptional due to the directional tread pattern. Due to the fact that I change to my other wheel/snow tires for the winter I can not comment on driving on snow and ice. Tread ware is very good after 15,000+ miles. When I bought these tires I had them sent to KO Tire in Elk Grove Village, IL for installation. They did an exceptional job and were very friendly and informative when I asked questions. These were both a winning experience.
Thanks Tire Rack & KO Tire !!

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
April 25, 2013

We had a very dry winter in Denver until April. I was quite pleased with this tire on dry pavement. It has very good traction for a winter tire and is amazingly quiet. I finally got to see it perform on the snow, and it met all expections. Easily the best snow tire i have ever driven. And the price is excellent, too.

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
February 07, 2013

We got about 9" of snow today and these tires made me feel safer than I ever have driving in a snow storm. When other people are slipping, these tires keep me rolling without an issue. They're as sturdy and surefooted in light, powdery snow as they are in the heavy, wet stuff we got today. In fact, I drove into a parking lot with about 6" of untouched snow, and it was like nothing for my tires. I've had Blizzaks in the past, and I'm not sure they could've handled that scenario without some spinning. I am a nervous winter driver, and I am so relieved to have a tire that makes me feel more confident on my long commutes to and from work in rural areas.

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, 1,600 Miles on Tires
February 09, 2013

This is the second set of winter tires that I've owned. The first were Yokohama tires that were really quite good. When I bought another vehicle, I decided to go with these because they were the #1 rated tire on in their category on Tire Rack, had plenty of positive reviews. They are really great on snow, wet and dry pavement, the only complaint I have is they seem to be worse on ice then the previous winter tires. We had more ice than usual on the roads this winter, otherwise it wouldn't be that much of an issue to me. If you get a lot of snow, these an excellent tire. If you get a lot of ice, you probably want to pick something else. I considered about a half dozen different tires when I was shopping, and these were a really good bang for the buck.

Initial Review, 50,600 Miles on Tires
April 08, 2013

I have a set of these Michelin LX4 on my Odyssey EXL. I had always been happy with Michelin in the past on my Honda Accords and Nissan. They are generally more quiet than any other tires of comparable costs, particularly when they get olders (35K+). This set performs well for the most part with no exception. I rotated my tires every 7.5K so they wear evenly and keep the pressure between 35 to 40 psi depending on the weather (high pressure during the winter months). They are very quiet on the city and highway unless the road surface have grooves but never pave up in some states. I'd say that we did about 30K on high way and 20K in city. They are probably good for another 4-5K in the summer before I have to replace them. The tires traction is very good in dry, wet or light snow conditions now that the tread had worn out but it is used to be good in 4-6 in" of snow too when it was newer. I will likely replace them with the Michelin Defender which has a better tire life (60K+) for almost the same price. I think if the Defender is quiet as this tire, I will be happy.

Initial Review, 7,000 Miles on Tires
February 13, 2013

I am from Montreal and ordered them and have them installed in the US. The whole process was smooth.

The tires are quite good for winter conditions. I get amazing traction in almost all situations. We have had a few serious snow storms and a few days of freezing rain. I have never had any problems accelerating, braking and cornering. I rarely engage the ABS. I don't have traction control but my tires don't spin even on ice. I use to drive a Nissan Rogue AWD for the winter with Michelin's x-ice and i can tell you that my Corolla with Altimax feels similar, my FWD combined with these tires are just as secure.
The noise level of these tires are however louder than my previous winter tires. That is expected with its aggressive tread design. Same reason why the dry traction and steering response is rated lower. Under hard acceleration, the steering input is often irresponsive. You should expect a .5-.7ms second delay between your steering input and the vehicle's action.

Depending on how long they'll last, probably will buy again.

Initial Review, 6,000 Miles on Tires
March 01, 2013

This is the first set of snow tires i've purchased, after trying to simply get by with all season tires in a region where it is quite snowy in the winter. The tires perform extremely well in the snow, and I've driven on snow covered highways, and up and down pretty steep hills. I would definitely buy the tires again, for a winter scenario. I've noticed a bit more "wander" with the tires, and they are noisy but the agressive tread is going to lead to increased noise. But overall, the snow traction is very very good. In fact, I think i have better traction with my Altimax-Arctic equipped FWD minivan now than my 4WD F150 (with very good tires) in the snow.

Initial Review, 37,000 Miles on Tires
March 14, 2013

After 30000 miles, the winter performance was gone. Stopping in light snow or ice has always been poor, but got noticeably worse after a few years.

Initial Review, 4,837 Miles on Tires
March 22, 2013

I ordered 2 sets of these tires ( both studded, hence the lower dry traction score and noise ) with new steel rims, one set for my brother who has the identical vehicle. I have just over 7780 kms on these, ordered October 15th, installed on the 22nd of October.

These tires are AMAZING in the snow, and equally competent on ice with the carbide studs. Wear seems to be non-existant, however I haven't measured the tread depth. The only downside to having studded tires though is the noise, which is more annoying at lower speeds in town, as well as reduced traction braking and accelerating on dry road in the winter.

With the traction control off, you can break them loose in wet snow, but it takes a bit of throttle to do so. With traction control on, this car is like a 4x4, I managed to climb about a 25 degree incline with about 5 inches of fresh wet snow ( back lane that didn't get plowed ) without losing forward momentum, although the traction light was flickering.

If you live in the snow belt, you need these tires. If you also have a lot of ice in the winter ( melt/freeze cycles + rain and snow ) you need them studded. What a difference over driving most of my life on all seasons.

Initial Review, 8,000 Miles on Tires
March 19, 2013

Got these for my WRX this winter.... And I have one piece of advice for prospective buyers.. Do not buy if you plan on sliding around in un-plowed parking lots. There is actually TOO MUCH grip in snow. These tires = NO FUN IN THE SNOW.

But if your driving tendencies are a little less spirited than mine I would HIGHLY recommend these to anyone. They are by far the cheapest brand name snow tire on the market. But by NO MEANS does that mean they lack in quality.

Where you will notice the difference immediately: Forward movement. Spinning your tires trying to climb over the city snow plow wake is a thing of the past. Also getting a rolling head-start at a stoplight is no longer needed. Its as if the snow isnt even there.
Where you will notice the difference later: Turning capability in snow. These tires have the best turning traction I have seen. (short of Nokian winter tires.. which are 2-3 times the price of these Generals.)

Last thoughts: If/when you buy these fantastic snow tires. Don't forget to get a couple sizes narrower than the stock spec. Contrary to popular belief, tires the width of a pizza cutter will do EVEN better in snow.

I cant wait to put these on every car I own next winter. Highly Reccomended

Initial Review, 3,000 Miles on Tires
February 21, 2013

Recently purchased these tires mounted & balanced on steel wheels by Tire Rack. If you need to get around in snow, sleet, or slush, you want real winter tires, not all-seasons. Had no problem in Winter Storm Nemo on unplowed roads, my car is an '05 Honda Civic 5 speed stickshift.

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
March 13, 2013

Bought this tire anticipating the worst, but was pleasantly surprised all around. Don't expect it to handle the deep snow very well, however it's not a winter tire so that should not be a surprise. As long as you keep it off the unplowed road after a 5+ inch snow fall you will be good.
It was far quieter than the Continental's these replaced, but does seem a touch softer when cornering.
Overall, for the money, these are the best tires I have purchased.

Initial Review, 2,000 Miles on Tires
February 13, 2010

These General Exclaim UHP tires are actually my second set purchased for my GTI 337. I was so impressed with my first set that replaced my factory Michelin Pilot Sports, that I felt compelled to do the same once again. I haven't had much time to really test this set yet given that I just installed them in December, and this has been a record setting snowfall this winter. This car and these tires aren't exactly snow ready. I am impressed how I managed to get around given 72 inches of snow so far this winter. I partly credit all of the features of my car like, electronic differential lock, traction control, ABS, and driver skills. I've been practicing all of my driving years in the snow. I wouldn't recommend it to the unskilled. The transition from my previous set of UHP's to the new set demonstrated a noticeable difference. Due to the full tread depth, hydroplaning resistance is spectacular again, along with wet traction, and ride quality. The dry traction, cornering limits, and steering responsiveness are lower than when well worn to eliminate tread squirm, but generally excellent all the same. I look forward to another spirited and agressive driving experience with these tires. I will keep you informed as always.

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.