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Head-to-head Updated

Bridgestone Turanza EL400 RFT vs General AltiMAX RT43 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

Check price on Amazon · Turanza EL400 RFT Check price on Amazon · AltiMAX RT43
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Tire BGeneral

AltiMAX RT43

All Season

Tests – · 1 test Owners 67 · 1,371 reviews

“Due to the mass of positive reports, I have ordered an RT43. Only 8744 on the original Kenda rear and it is at the wear bars on the sides and the wear bars are almost gone near the center.”

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. –

    Dry

    No comparison
    68
    Why this score
    SourceTuranza EL400 RFTAltiMAX RT43
    Reviews found online–68
  2. –

    Wet

    No comparison
    70
    Why this score
    SourceTuranza EL400 RFTAltiMAX RT43
    Reviews found online–70
  3. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    64
    Why this score
    SourceTuranza EL400 RFTAltiMAX RT43
    Reviews found online–60
  4. –

    Comfort

    No comparison
    67
    Why this score
    SourceTuranza EL400 RFTAltiMAX RT43
    Reviews found online–65
  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    69
    Why this score
    SourceTuranza EL400 RFTAltiMAX RT43
    Reviews found online–73
  6. –

    Treadwear

    No comparison
    69
    Why this score
    SourceTuranza EL400 RFTAltiMAX RT43
    Professional tests (TWG score)–71
    Reviews found online–67
  7. –

    Handling

    No comparison
    65
    Why this score
    SourceTuranza EL400 RFTAltiMAX RT43
    Reviews found online–65
Scores at a glance
CategoryBridgestone Turanza EL400 RFTGeneral AltiMAX RT43
Relative Score – 68
Dry – 68
Wet – 70
Snow – 64
Comfort – 67
Noise – 69
Treadwear – 69
Handling – 65

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

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Recomputed
Headline score

Turanza EL400 RFT

AltiMAX RT43

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Turanza EL400 RFT

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

Tire B AltiMAX RT43

Pros

  • Excellent value and lower price point compared to premium brands like Michelin
  • Quiet and smooth ride quality with minimal road noise
  • Strong wet and dry traction with dependable hydroplaning resistance

Cons

  • Occasional balancing difficulties or vibrations reported by some users
  • Softer sidewalls can lead to slightly spongy handling or reduced cornering sharpness
  • Winter and snow performance can diminish notably as the tread wears down
All owner themes in the AltiMAX RT43 review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Bridgestone Turanza EL400 RFT

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Tire B

General AltiMAX RT43

Positive

Community sentiment for the General AltiMAX RT43 is predominantly positive, with reviewers praising its comfort, strong winter and wet weather capability, and solid value as a budget-to-midrange touring tire. However, critics frequently point out soft sidewalls, tramlining on grooved surfaces, and mediocre handling or dry grip under aggressive driving. Tread life reports are mixed, with many reaching 50,000 to 80,000 miles while others report premature wear around 30,000 miles.

r/CX5 ·2 upvotes ·2026-03-18

“Anyone running General RT45? Looking to replace the shitastic Toyo A36 on my 2023 PP that I just picked up. Was going to try to make them last until fall, but having picked a screw in one, im probably going to bite the bullet and change them now. I ran the RT43 on both my NA Miata as well as my 5-GT and was happy with them. Tire Rack is running a $140 rebate on a set of 4 right now. Just curious as to people's thoughts. Or, should I just bite the bullet and go with Continental Cross Contacts? Read more”
r/cars ·1 upvote ·2017-04-10

“I've personally installed the RT43's on my own family members cars. They were great. Great in the snow, rain, and they are quiet. I don't think they're in the same class as a Michelin Premiere, but for the price they are great tires.”
subaruforester.org ·2019-02-18

“I have used the Altimax RT43s on several cars over the past 10 years (' 97 Honda Civic , '99 Ford Contour, 2002 Honda Accord, 2005 Chevrolet Venture, 2013 Kia Soul) and have been very happy with them. Except for the Contour (which ate tires in spite of alignments), I typically got about 50K miles on them before they were down to 1/4 tread. We get some good snows here in the mountains of West Virginia, and they do pretty well considering they are not "winter" tires, and all of these previous vehicles were just front wheel drive. Pretty quiet, and smooth riding. The price is right, too. I get them at WalMart and get the lifetime balance/rotation for $10/tire. When our new ' 19 Forester (base) Bridgestone Ecopia 422+ tires get too worn, I will be changing to the Altimax again. Can't wait to see how they do in the snow with All-Wheel-Drive! .”
Top themes
#value and pricing#snow and winter traction#wet grip and hydroplaning#soft ride comfort#soft sidewalls and handling#tramlining on grooved roads#treadwear and longevity

Based on 261 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Bridgestone Turanza EL400 RFT B · General AltiMAX RT43
Category—All Season
Vehicle type—Passenger Car / Crossover
Tread depth—10 - 12/32″
UTQG—600 - 700 A A - B
Sidewall—Black Side Wall - Raised Outline White Lettering
Max pressure—44 - 51 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Bridgestone Turanza EL400 RFT

General AltiMAX RT43

Only General AltiMAX RT43 has enough test and review data for a Relative Score, so there is no head-to-head winner yet.

Tire A · Bridgestone Turanza EL400 RFT
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · General AltiMAX RT43
Check price on Amazon

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How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.