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General AltiMAX HP looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

General AltiMAX HP vs Michelin Defender LTX M/S — 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 11 + 11 owner reviews. How we score

Defender LTX M/S is ahead, 80–51

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General AltiMAX HP
Tire AGeneral

AltiMAX HP

Summer

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 43 · 11 reviews

Michelin Defender LTX M/S
Tire BMichelin

Defender LTX M/S

All Season

± 7Provisional

Tests – · 1 test Owners 83 · 11 reviews

Best test result: #2 of 13 in 2022 Consumer Reports All Season Truck Tires (tested tread life (miles))

Category by category

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

  1. 53

    Dry

    Defender LTX M/S +26
    79
    Why this score
    SourceAltiMAX HPDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 58 (est.)≈ 75 (est.)
    Reviews found online4584

    AltiMAX HP: 60% × 58.5 (est.) + 40% × 45 = 53

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 74.7 (est.) + 40% × 84.3 = 79

    No road tests of dry for AltiMAX HP. 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 Defender LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 55

    Wet

    Defender LTX M/S +27
    82
    Why this score
    SourceAltiMAX HPDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 59 (est.)≈ 79 (est.)
    Reviews found online4986

    AltiMAX HP: 60% × 58.7 (est.) + 40% × 48.8 = 55

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 78.9 (est.) + 40% × 85.6 = 82

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

  3. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    74
    Why this score
    SourceAltiMAX HPDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online–77

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 72.4 (est.) + 40% × 76.6 = 74

    No road tests of snow for Defender LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 49

    Comfort

    Defender LTX M/S +26
    75
    Why this score
    SourceAltiMAX HPDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 63 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online4078

    AltiMAX HP: 40% × 62.9 (est.) + 60% × 40 = 49

    Defender LTX M/S: 40% × 70.5 (est.) + 60% × 77.6 = 75

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

  5. 48

    Treadwear

    Defender LTX M/S +32
    80
    Why this score
    SourceAltiMAX HPDefender LTX M/S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 56 (est.)75
    Reviews found online3686

    AltiMAX HP: 60% × 55.7 (est.) + 40% × 36.2 = 48

    Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 75.4 + 40% × 86.3 = 80

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

  6. 37

    Handling (owners)

    Defender LTX M/S +45
    82
    Why this score
    SourceAltiMAX HPDefender LTX M/S
    Reviews found online3782
Scores at a glance
CategoryGeneral AltiMAX HPMichelin Defender LTX M/S
Relative Score 51 80
Dry 53 79
Wet 55 82
Snow – 74
Comfort 49 75
Treadwear 48 80
Handling (owners) 37 82

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

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

Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
± 8

AltiMAX HP

± 7

Defender LTX M/S

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 HPDefender LTX M/SΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #47/54 2013 54 Tyre Braking Test #3/13 2022 Consumer Reports All Season Truck Tires – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A AltiMAX HP

Pros

  • Excellent value for the price point
  • Reliable dry road grip and handling
  • Quiet and comfortable ride quality

Cons

  • Fragile sidewalls prone to impact damage
  • Short tread life and rapid wear
  • Inconsistent wet weather performance
All owner themes in the AltiMAX HP review

Tire B Defender LTX M/S

Pros

  • Exceptional tread life and long-term durability, often exceeding 60,000 miles
  • Smooth, quiet, and comfortable highway ride quality
  • Strong traction and secure handling in wet, dry, and moderate snow conditions

Cons

  • High initial purchase price compared to competitors
  • Subpar off-road performance, specifically struggling in mud, sand, and loose gravel
  • Limited ice performance compared to dedicated winter tires
All owner themes in the Defender LTX M/S review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · General AltiMAX HP B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
CategorySummerAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverSUV and 4x4
UTQG—720 - 800 B A

Which one should you actually buy?

General AltiMAX HP

Michelin Defender LTX M/S

Winner: Michelin Defender LTX M/S — better handling, treadwear and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score. General AltiMAX HP rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 11 reviews), so read this result as provisional. Michelin Defender LTX M/S rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 11 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 82 vs 37 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 80 vs 48 on treadwear.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 82 vs 55 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 79 vs 53 on dry.

Tire A · General AltiMAX HP
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Tire B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S
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AltiMAX HP or Defender LTX M/S?

Which is better in the wet, AltiMAX HP or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 82 vs 55 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, AltiMAX HP or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 79 vs 53 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, AltiMAX HP or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 75 vs 49 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, AltiMAX HP or Defender LTX M/S?

Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 80 vs 48 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