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Head-to-head Updated

Continental Cross Contact A/T vs General AltiMAX RT43 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews. Based on 0 + 1 road tests and 14 + 1,371 owner reviews. How we score

AltiMAX RT43 is ahead, 68–62

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General AltiMAX RT43
Tire BGeneral

AltiMAX RT43

All Season

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. 64

    Dry

    AltiMAX RT43 +4
    68
    Why this score
    SourceCross Contact A/TAltiMAX RT43
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online6268

    Cross Contact A/T: 60% × 65.5 (est.) + 40% × 62.2 = 64

    AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 67.8 (est.) + 40% × 67.9 = 68

    No road tests of dry for Cross Contact A/T. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).

    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 0.40).

  2. 64

    Wet

    AltiMAX RT43 +6
    70
    Why this score
    SourceCross Contact A/TAltiMAX RT43
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online6370

    Cross Contact A/T: 60% × 65.7 (est.) + 40% × 62.5 = 64

    AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 69.9 (est.) + 40% × 70 = 70

    No road tests of wet for Cross Contact A/T. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).

    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 0.56).

  3. 53

    Snow

    AltiMAX RT43 +11
    64
    Why this score
    SourceCross Contact A/TAltiMAX RT43
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 60 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online4160

    Cross Contact A/T: 60% × 60.4 (est.) + 40% × 41.3 = 53

    AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 59.9 = 64

    No road tests of snow for Cross Contact A/T. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.33).

    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 0.33).

  4. 65

    Comfort

    AltiMAX RT43 +2
    67
    Why this score
    SourceCross Contact A/TAltiMAX RT43
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online6065

    Cross Contact A/T: 60% × 67.6 (est.) + 40% × 60.4 = 65

    AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 68.4 (est.) + 40% × 64.7 = 67

    No road tests of comfort for Cross Contact A/T or AltiMAX RT43. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    70
    Why this score
    SourceCross Contact A/TAltiMAX RT43
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online–73

    AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 67.3 (est.) + 40% × 73.1 = 70

    No road tests of noise for AltiMAX RT43. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 65

    Treadwear

    AltiMAX RT43 +4
    69
    Why this score
    SourceCross Contact A/TAltiMAX RT43
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 65 (est.)71
    Reviews found online6467

    Cross Contact A/T: 60% × 65.2 (est.) + 40% × 64.4 = 65

    AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 70.6 + 40% × 67.3 = 69

    No road tests of treadwear for Cross Contact A/T. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).

  7. 62

    Handling (owners)

    AltiMAX RT43 +3
    65
    Why this score
    SourceCross Contact A/TAltiMAX RT43
    Reviews found online6265
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental Cross Contact A/TGeneral AltiMAX RT43
Relative Score 62 68
Dry 64 68
Wet 64 70
Snow 53 64
Comfort 65 67
Noise – 70
Treadwear 65 69
Handling (owners) 62 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 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
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score

Cross Contact A/T

AltiMAX RT43

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

The professional test results behind the scores

Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.

DisciplineCategoryCross Contact A/TAltiMAX RT43ΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #7/7 2017 Drive Out Off Road 4x4 Tyre Test #2/8 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Cross Contact A/T

Pros

  • Excellent on-road comfort and handling with acceptable noise levels
  • High potential longevity and mileage for many users, with sets lasting upwards of 50,000 to 80,000 km/miles
  • Competent dry and wet performance on paved surfaces

Cons

  • Susceptibility to punctures and fragile sidewalls reported by some drivers
  • Rapid, premature tread wear experienced by certain users
  • Poor traction and spinning issues in winter conditions such as snow and ice
All owner themes in the Cross Contact A/T review

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

Continental Cross Contact A/T

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.

forbbodiesonly.com ·2022-05-23

“While not a muscle car, my 96 Ford Ranger has 14x7 aluminum wheels. I ran a set of 225/70-14 Coopers on it with no problem. I got about 35K miles, if I remember correctly. I replaced them with General Altima RT43's when they wore out. Mainly just because the Generals were a few bucks cheaper on my little beater truck. But, I am liking these General tires pretty well too. They have white letters, but they don't look as "muscle car" as the Coopers. I will probably get a set of the Coopers in the near future for the 14"road wheels on my 67 Coronet. I currently have BFG's that look perfect. But, I bought them in 2003....”
bobistheoilguy.com ·5 upvotes ·2022-06-22

“I'll be passing on this; I was very disappointed in the RT43. Very soft sidewalls, dry grip was very subpar, wet grip was decent, hydroplane resistance was pretty good. It also tramlined and followed grooves like crazy - worse than the Yoko A13C that came OEM on the Evo - which was the previous top tramlining tire I used.”
fitfreak.net

“I will start by saying that I ordered a set of 4 from TireRack and although I found them just a little bit cheaper on other sites (after the fact), I have no complaints about it as I still only paid ~$70-ish per tire and received them within two days. Secondly, being that I live in New England, wet and snow traction is very high on my list of priorities and lucky for me, it snowed heavily 3 days after having them mounted. I was entering a parking lot that had not been plowed yet and know for a FACT my car would have just spun tires and left me stuck. But not with these. The car seemed to shake left and right a little until it made it to the pavement and easily made it through. I have never felt so confident in the snow before with my little Fit. And then last night. My wife and I went out to dinner and I decided to move my car as I spotted a better parking spot which required a fast and illegal u-turn. I pressed the accelerator hard which typically would squeal the tires but these gripped immediately and the Fit just took off. I strongly recommend them! Oh, and they're rated for a supposed 70,000 miles.”
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 · Continental Cross Contact A/T B · General AltiMAX RT43
CategoryAll-Terrain tireAll Season
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4Passenger 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?

Continental Cross Contact A/T

General AltiMAX RT43

Winner: General AltiMAX RT43 — better snow, wet and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score. Continental Cross Contact A/T rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 14 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

General AltiMAX RT43 scores 64 vs 53 on snow.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

General AltiMAX RT43 scores 70 vs 64 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

General AltiMAX RT43 scores 68 vs 64 on dry.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

General AltiMAX RT43 scores 69 vs 65 on treadwear.

Tire A · Continental Cross Contact A/T
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Tire B · General AltiMAX RT43
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Cross Contact A/T or AltiMAX RT43?

Which is better in the wet, Cross Contact A/T or AltiMAX RT43?

General AltiMAX RT43, 70 vs 64 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Cross Contact A/T or AltiMAX RT43?

General AltiMAX RT43, 68 vs 64 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Cross Contact A/T or AltiMAX RT43?

General AltiMAX RT43, 64 vs 53 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, Cross Contact A/T or AltiMAX RT43?

Neither, by our numbers: 65 vs 67 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, Cross Contact A/T or AltiMAX RT43?

General AltiMAX RT43, 69 vs 65 on our treadwear score.

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