tirewheelguide
Head-to-head Updated

General Altimax Arctic 12 vs General Grabber Arctic — 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 1 + 0 road tests and 33 + 18 owner reviews. How we score

Grabber Arctic is ahead, 71–66

Check price on Amazon · Grabber Arctic or Altimax Arctic 12 on Amazon
Add your size for an exact match
/R

Both Amazon links then search this exact size.

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

Category by category

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

  1. 49

    Dry

    Grabber Arctic +17
    66
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Grabber Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests47≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online5365

    Altimax Arctic 12: 60% × 47.2 + 40% × 52.9 = 49

    Grabber Arctic: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 64.6 = 66

    No road tests of dry for Grabber Arctic. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 68

    Wet

    Grabber Arctic +6
    74
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Grabber Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests66≈ 73 (est.)
    Reviews found online7275

    Altimax Arctic 12: 60% × 65.9 + 40% × 72.3 = 68

    Grabber Arctic: 60% × 72.9 (est.) + 40% × 74.8 = 74

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

  3. 76

    Snow

    Grabber Arctic +1
    77
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Grabber Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests74≈ 74 (est.)
    Reviews found online8082

    Altimax Arctic 12: 60% × 74 + 40% × 79.8 = 76

    Grabber Arctic: 60% × 74 (est.) + 40% × 81.6 = 77

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

  4. 65

    Comfort

    Grabber Arctic +3
    68
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Grabber Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests69≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online6267

    Altimax Arctic 12: 40% × 68.8 + 60% × 62 = 65

    Grabber Arctic: 40% × 68.3 (est.) + 60% × 67.1 = 68

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

  5. 69

    Noise

    Altimax Arctic 12 +3
    66
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Grabber Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests72≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online6365

    Altimax Arctic 12: 60% × 72.4 + 40% × 62.9 = 69

    Grabber Arctic: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 64.8 = 66

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

  6. 71

    Treadwear

    Altimax Arctic 12 +1
    70
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Grabber Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online7472

    Altimax Arctic 12: 60% × 69.2 (est.) + 40% × 73.9 = 71

    Grabber Arctic: 60% × 68.4 (est.) + 40% × 71.6 = 70

    No road tests of treadwear for Altimax Arctic 12. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

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

  7. 65

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Grabber Arctic
    Reviews found online65–
Scores at a glance
CategoryGeneral Altimax Arctic 12General Grabber Arctic
Relative Score 66 71
Dry 49 66
Wet 68 74
Snow 76 77
Comfort 65 68
Noise 69 66
Treadwear 71 70
Handling (owners) 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
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

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

Recomputed
Headline score
± 8

Altimax Arctic 12

± 7

Grabber Arctic

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.

DisciplineCategoryAltimax Arctic 12Grabber ArcticΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #9/10 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test #4/8 2022 Consumer Reports Winter/Snow Truck/SUV Tires – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Altimax Arctic 12

Pros

  • Outstanding grip and traction in heavy snow, slush, and ice
  • Excellent value and affordable price point compared to premium winter tires
  • Impressive tread life and long-term durability across multiple winter seasons

Cons

  • Noticeable road noise, which can increase as the tires wear
  • Slightly soft, squishy, or vague handling characteristics on dry pavement
  • Higher rolling resistance resulting in a minor decrease in fuel economy
All owner themes in the Altimax Arctic 12 review

Tire B Grabber Arctic

Pros

  • Exceptional traction and handling in snow and slush
  • Great value and affordable price point compared to premium competitors
  • Reliable cold-weather performance on wet and icy surfaces

Cons

  • Moderate road noise when studded or on dry/slightly wet pavement
  • Average performance on hard-packed ice unless studded
  • Directional/rotational tread pattern may limit tire rotation options for some drivers
All owner themes in the Grabber Arctic review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · General Altimax Arctic 12 B · General Grabber Arctic
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverSUV and 4x4
Sizes available388
Rim diameters15″ – 19″16″ – 20″
Tread depth12/32″12/32″
SidewallBlackwallBlackwall
Max pressure51 psi51 psi
Sizes in common00

Which one should you actually buy?

General Altimax Arctic 12

General Grabber Arctic

Winner: General Grabber Arctic — better dry, wet and comfort. Pick the General Altimax Arctic 12 if noise matters most to you. General Grabber Arctic rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 18 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

General Grabber Arctic scores 66 vs 49 on dry.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

General Grabber Arctic scores 74 vs 68 on wet.

Pick tire A You want a quieter cabin

General Altimax Arctic 12 scores 69 vs 66 on noise.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

General Grabber Arctic scores 68 vs 65 on comfort.

Tire A · General Altimax Arctic 12
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · General Grabber Arctic
Check price on Amazon

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

Altimax Arctic 12 or Grabber Arctic?

Which is better in the wet, Altimax Arctic 12 or Grabber Arctic?

General Grabber Arctic, 74 vs 68 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Altimax Arctic 12 or Grabber Arctic?

General Grabber Arctic, 66 vs 49 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Altimax Arctic 12 or Grabber Arctic?

Neither, by our numbers: 76 vs 77 on the snow score, within 3 points.

Which is quieter, Altimax Arctic 12 or Grabber Arctic?

General Altimax Arctic 12, 69 vs 66 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Altimax Arctic 12 or Grabber Arctic?

General Grabber Arctic, 68 vs 65 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Altimax Arctic 12 or Grabber Arctic?

Neither, by our numbers: 71 vs 70 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.

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