Head-to-head Updated

Bridgestone Turanza EL41 vs General AltiMAX RT43 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 0 + 1 road tests and 1 + 1,371 owner reviews. How we score

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Bridgestone Turanza EL41

Turanza EL41

All Season Premium Touring tires

Tests – · none yet Owners – · 1 review (needs 5)

General AltiMAX RT43
Tire BGeneral

AltiMAX RT43

All Season

± 7

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

Best test result: #3 of 8 in 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires (tested tread life (miles))

“I have the General Altimax RT43 on 19s as my winter tires, and they are perfectly fine. For sure louder than oem, because there is no foam, but for wear, tear and handling, perfectly fine. I am not racing anyone or driving aggressively with those tires on anyway.”

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 EL41AltiMAX RT43
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online–68

    AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 67.9 (est.) + 40% × 67.7 = 68

    No road tests of dry for AltiMAX RT43. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. –

    Wet

    No comparison
    70
    Why this score
    SourceTuranza EL41AltiMAX RT43
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online–70

    AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 70.4 (est.) + 40% × 70.1 = 70

    No road tests of wet for AltiMAX RT43. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    64
    Why this score
    SourceTuranza EL41AltiMAX RT43
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online–60

    AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 67.2 (est.) + 40% × 60 = 64

    No road tests of snow for AltiMAX RT43. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. –

    Comfort

    No comparison
    64
    Why this score
    SourceTuranza EL41AltiMAX RT43
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online–62

    AltiMAX RT43: 40% × 67.4 (est.) + 60% × 61.9 = 64

    No road tests of comfort for AltiMAX RT43. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    69
    Why this score
    SourceTuranza EL41AltiMAX RT43
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online–73

    AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 72.9 = 69

    No road tests of noise for AltiMAX RT43. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. –

    Treadwear

    No comparison
    69
    Why this score
    SourceTuranza EL41AltiMAX RT43
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests–71
    Reviews found online–67

    AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 70.8 + 40% × 66.9 = 69

  7. –

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    63
    Why this score
    SourceTuranza EL41AltiMAX RT43
    Reviews found online–63
Scores at a glance
Bridgestone Turanza EL41 vs General AltiMAX RT43: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryBridgestone Turanza EL41General AltiMAX RT43
Relative Score – 68
Dry – 68
Wet – 70
Snow – 64
Comfort – 64
Noise – 69
Treadwear – 69
Handling (owners) – 63

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

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
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Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
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Recomputed
Headline score

Turanza EL41

± 7

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 EL41

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 EL41

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/XVcrosstrek ·1 upvote ·2019-06-20

“I've had RT43s on for the past 35k or so. They've been pretty good. I will probably only get another 10-15k on them, but will probably replace with another set.”

r/TeslaModel3 ·6 upvotes ·2020-01-02

“Replacement tires I have about 25k miles on my original tires (LR AWD, 18” Aeros) and evening though I have rotated then every 6-7000, I am not going to make it past 30k. So, anyone have any recommendations for replacements? Should I go for the standard Michelin’s? Anyone used anything else? For the record, Ian not concerned with the foam and road noise is fine. I’d like something less expensive, longer wearing, or both, without sacrificing much in the way of performance. For my usage, wet weather handling is more important than high performance. I drive it hard occasionally, but I am most concerned with how it performs on day-to-day commute and driving. (70 mile commute, round trip, 3-days/week). Thanks. Edit: thanks for the info everyone. I talked to my local tire guy and he recommended General Altimax RT43s. He also said the sound dampening foam is mostly a gimmick (which is what I suspected). He quoted me $198 (his prices include EVERYTHING). I could get them from Tire Rack for $152 and local install for $30 + 3 (disposal) which would save me a mere $13 per tire. But based on past experience with this tire shop, it is easily worth the extra $13 for convenience and peace of mind if I need flat repair or warranty claims. Related to that, he said the RT43 is a 60k tire but I should only expect 40-50 on my Model 3 and at best a $15 credit per tire. Frankly, I’d be happy with 40k. Probably going to keep the current rubber for another month, then get the Generals.”

odyclub.com ·2013-12-21

“Update -- in the middle of a snowstorm tonight, the Altimax RT43 did very well. The best description for the RT43 in snow would be "predictable" -- if there is a bit of slide the steering response is easy to control. Better handling overall than the Optimo H727, now over 800 miles and still very quiet.”

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 EL41 B · General AltiMAX RT43
CategoryAll Season Premium Touring tiresAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger 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 EL41

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 EL41
Tire B · General AltiMAX RT43

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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.

Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.

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