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Continental TrueContact Tour 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 19 + 1,371 owner reviews. How we score

TrueContact Tour is ahead, 78–68

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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. 77

    Dry

    TrueContact Tour +9
    68
    Why this score
    SourceTrueContact TourAltiMAX RT43
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 74 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online8268

    TrueContact Tour: 60% × 73.9 (est.) + 40% × 82.3 = 77

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

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

    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. 83

    Wet

    TrueContact Tour +13
    70
    Why this score
    SourceTrueContact TourAltiMAX RT43
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 80 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online8870

    TrueContact Tour: 60% × 80 (est.) + 40% × 87.5 = 83

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

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

    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. 69

    Snow

    TrueContact Tour +5
    64
    Why this score
    SourceTrueContact TourAltiMAX RT43
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online6960

    TrueContact Tour: 60% × 69.9 (est.) + 40% × 68.5 = 69

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

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

    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. 76

    Comfort

    TrueContact Tour +12
    64
    Why this score
    SourceTrueContact TourAltiMAX RT43
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online7962

    TrueContact Tour: 40% × 70.9 (est.) + 60% × 79.1 = 76

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

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

    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. 73

    Noise

    TrueContact Tour +4
    69
    Why this score
    SourceTrueContact TourAltiMAX RT43
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online8273

    TrueContact Tour: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 82.3 = 73

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

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

  6. 79

    Treadwear

    TrueContact Tour +10
    69
    Why this score
    SourceTrueContact TourAltiMAX RT43
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 74 (est.)71
    Reviews found online8667

    TrueContact Tour: 60% × 73.5 (est.) + 40% × 86.1 = 79

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

    No road tests of treadwear for TrueContact Tour. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 80

    Handling (owners)

    TrueContact Tour +17
    63
    Why this score
    SourceTrueContact TourAltiMAX RT43
    Reviews found online8063
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental TrueContact TourGeneral AltiMAX RT43
Relative Score 78 68
Dry 77 68
Wet 83 70
Snow 69 64
Comfort 76 64
Noise 73 69
Treadwear 79 69
Handling (owners) 80 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.

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Neutral
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Less important
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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score
± 7

TrueContact Tour

± 7

AltiMAX RT43

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A TrueContact Tour

Pros

  • Extremely low road noise and a comfortable ride quality that absorbs bumps well
  • Impressive tread life and overall mileage durability
  • Reliable wet weather grip and cornering confidence

Cons

  • Some users reported a noticeable drop in fuel economy
  • Desire for improved water displacement grooves to better handle heavy rain
  • Limited performance in deep winter or heavy snow conditions
All owner themes in the TrueContact Tour 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 TrueContact Tour

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.

spyderlovers.com ·2022-08-17

“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.”
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.”
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.”
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 TrueContact Tour B · General AltiMAX RT43
CategoryAll Season Premium Touring tiresAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Tread depth11/32″10 - 12/32″
UTQG700 - 800 A A - B600 - 700 A A - B
SidewallBlack Side Wall - White WallBlack Side Wall - Raised Outline White Lettering
Max pressure44 - 51 psi44 - 51 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental TrueContact Tour

General AltiMAX RT43

Winner: Continental TrueContact Tour — better handling, wet and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score. Continental TrueContact Tour rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 19 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental TrueContact Tour scores 80 vs 63 on handling.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental TrueContact Tour scores 83 vs 70 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Continental TrueContact Tour scores 76 vs 64 on comfort.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Continental TrueContact Tour scores 79 vs 69 on treadwear.

Tire A · Continental TrueContact Tour
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Tire B · General AltiMAX RT43
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TrueContact Tour or AltiMAX RT43?

Which is better in the wet, TrueContact Tour or AltiMAX RT43?

Continental TrueContact Tour, 83 vs 70 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, TrueContact Tour or AltiMAX RT43?

Continental TrueContact Tour, 77 vs 68 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, TrueContact Tour or AltiMAX RT43?

Continental TrueContact Tour, 69 vs 64 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, TrueContact Tour or AltiMAX RT43?

Continental TrueContact Tour, 73 vs 69 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, TrueContact Tour or AltiMAX RT43?

Continental TrueContact Tour, 76 vs 64 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, TrueContact Tour or AltiMAX RT43?

Continental TrueContact Tour, 79 vs 69 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