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Head-to-head Updated

General Altimax Arctic vs Kumho Solus KL21 — 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 + 0 road tests and 32 + 14 owner reviews. How we score

Altimax Arctic is ahead, 58–53

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Kumho Solus KL21
Tire BKumho

Solus KL21

All Season

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 46 · 14 reviews

Category by category

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

  1. 57

    Dry

    Altimax Arctic +5
    52
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax ArcticSolus KL21
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 61 (est.)≈ 58 (est.)
    Reviews found online5144

    Altimax Arctic: 60% × 60.8 (est.) + 40% × 50.6 = 57

    Solus KL21: 60% × 57.9 (est.) + 40% × 43.7 = 52

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

    No road tests of dry for Solus KL21. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 62

    Wet

    Altimax Arctic +6
    56
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax ArcticSolus KL21
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 64 (est.)≈ 60 (est.)
    Reviews found online5951

    Altimax Arctic: 60% × 64 (est.) + 40% × 58.5 = 62

    Solus KL21: 60% × 59.9 (est.) + 40% × 51 = 56

    No road tests of wet for Altimax Arctic. 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 Solus KL21. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 60

    Snow

    Altimax Arctic +8
    52
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax ArcticSolus KL21
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 65 (est.)≈ 61 (est.)
    Reviews found online5239

    Altimax Arctic: 60% × 64.7 (est.) + 40% × 52.2 = 60

    Solus KL21: 60% × 60.5 (est.) + 40% × 39.1 = 52

    No road tests of snow for Altimax Arctic. 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 Solus KL21. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 53

    Comfort

    Altimax Arctic +2
    51
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax ArcticSolus KL21
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 64 (est.)≈ 63 (est.)
    Reviews found online4643

    Altimax Arctic: 40% × 64.1 (est.) + 60% × 46.2 = 53

    Solus KL21: 40% × 63.5 (est.) + 60% × 42.8 = 51

    No road tests of comfort for Altimax Arctic. 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 Solus KL21. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 59

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax ArcticSolus KL21
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)–
    Reviews found online49–

    Altimax Arctic: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 48.9 = 59

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

  6. 57

    Treadwear

    Altimax Arctic +1
    56
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax ArcticSolus KL21
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 61 (est.)≈ 61 (est.)
    Reviews found online5050

    Altimax Arctic: 60% × 60.8 (est.) + 40% × 50.4 = 57

    Solus KL21: 60% × 60.6 (est.) + 40% × 49.9 = 56

    No road tests of treadwear for Altimax Arctic. 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 Solus KL21. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 47

    Handling (owners)

    Altimax Arctic +4
    43
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax ArcticSolus KL21
    Reviews found online4743
Scores at a glance
CategoryGeneral Altimax ArcticKumho Solus KL21
Relative Score 58 53
Dry 57 52
Wet 62 56
Snow 60 52
Comfort 53 51
Noise 59 –
Treadwear 57 56
Handling (owners) 47 43

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
± 8

Altimax Arctic

± 8

Solus KL21

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 Altimax Arctic

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and traction in deep snow, slush, and ice
  • High value and affordable price point compared to premium competitors
  • Reliable wet and dry handling during cold weather months

Cons

  • Handling and responsiveness drop off compared to dedicated summer or all-season tires
  • Some users report accelerated wear once the tire reaches 50% tread life
  • Minor tendencies toward understeer during hard cornering
All owner themes in the Altimax Arctic review

Tire B Solus KL21

Pros

  • Impressive treadwear and longevity reported by many users, with several achieving over 30,000 to 40,000 miles
  • Good ride comfort and low road noise under normal driving conditions
  • Affordable replacement pricing compared to premium tier brands

Cons

  • Extremely poor grip and significantly increased braking distances on fresh or compact snow and ice
  • Isolated reports of extreme premature wear or complete tread failure under 20,000 miles
  • Structural deformation issues reported by at least one user
All owner themes in the Solus KL21 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · General Altimax Arctic B · Kumho Solus KL21
CategoryWinter Touring tiresAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available15
Rim diameters17″17″ – 20″

Which one should you actually buy?

General Altimax Arctic

Kumho Solus KL21

Winner: General Altimax Arctic — better snow, wet and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score. Kumho Solus KL21 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 14 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

General Altimax Arctic scores 60 vs 52 on snow.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

General Altimax Arctic scores 62 vs 56 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

General Altimax Arctic scores 57 vs 52 on dry.

Tire A · General Altimax Arctic
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Tire B · Kumho Solus KL21
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Altimax Arctic or Solus KL21?

Which is better in the wet, Altimax Arctic or Solus KL21?

General Altimax Arctic, 62 vs 56 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Altimax Arctic or Solus KL21?

General Altimax Arctic, 57 vs 52 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Altimax Arctic or Solus KL21?

General Altimax Arctic, 60 vs 52 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, Altimax Arctic or Solus KL21?

Neither, by our numbers: 53 vs 51 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, Altimax Arctic or Solus KL21?

Neither, by our numbers: 57 vs 56 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