Tests – · none yet Owners 61 · 11 reviews
General AltiMAX RT looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.
Head-to-head
Updated
General AltiMAX RT 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 11 + 1,371 owner reviews. How we score
AltiMAX RT43 leads, 68–64 Narrow edge
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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.
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64
Dry
AltiMAX RT43 +468Why this score
Source AltiMAX RT AltiMAX RT43 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 66 (est.) ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 62 68 AltiMAX RT: 60% × 65.6 (est.) + 40% × 62.2 = 64
AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 67.8 (est.) + 40% × 67.6 = 68
No road tests of dry for AltiMAX RT. 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 AltiMAX RT43. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).
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66
Wet
AltiMAX RT43 +470Why this score
Source AltiMAX RT AltiMAX RT43 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 67 (est.) ≈ 70 (est.) Reviews found online 64 70 AltiMAX RT: 60% × 67.2 (est.) + 40% × 64.3 = 66
AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 70.4 (est.) + 40% × 70.1 = 70
No road tests of wet for AltiMAX RT. 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).
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61
Snow
AltiMAX RT43 +364Why this score
Source AltiMAX RT AltiMAX RT43 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 65 (est.) ≈ 67 (est.) Reviews found online 54 60 AltiMAX RT: 60% × 65.3 (est.) + 40% × 54.1 = 61
AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 67.2 (est.) + 40% × 60 = 64
No road tests of snow for AltiMAX RT. 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).
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61
Comfort
AltiMAX RT43 +364Why this score
Source AltiMAX RT AltiMAX RT43 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 67 (est.) ≈ 67 (est.) Reviews found online 58 62 AltiMAX RT: 40% × 66.5 (est.) + 60% × 58 = 61
AltiMAX RT43: 40% × 67.3 (est.) + 60% × 61.9 = 64
No road tests of comfort for AltiMAX RT. 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).
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65
Noise
AltiMAX RT43 +469Why this score
Source AltiMAX RT AltiMAX RT43 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 66 (est.) ≈ 66 (est.) Reviews found online 62 73 AltiMAX RT: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 62.1 = 65
AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 72.8 = 69
No road tests of noise for AltiMAX RT or AltiMAX RT43. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
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63
Treadwear
AltiMAX RT43 +669Why this score
Source AltiMAX RT AltiMAX RT43 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests ≈ 65 (est.) 71 Reviews found online 62 67 AltiMAX RT: 60% × 64.8 (est.) + 40% × 61.6 = 63
AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 70.8 + 40% × 67 = 69
No road tests of treadwear for AltiMAX RT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
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63
Handling (owners)
Level63Why this score
Source AltiMAX RT AltiMAX RT43 Reviews found online 63 63
Scores at a glance
| Category | General AltiMAX RT | General AltiMAX RT43 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 64 | 68 |
| Dry | 64 | 68 |
| Wet | 66 | 70 |
| Snow | 61 | 64 |
| Comfort | 61 | 64 |
| Noise | 65 | 69 |
| Treadwear | 63 | 69 |
| Handling (owners) | 63 | 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.
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
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Recomputed
Headline score
64
/ 100
AltiMAX RT
68
/ 100
AltiMAX RT43
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A AltiMAX RT
Pros
- Affordable price point offering high value
- Quiet and comfortable ride quality suitable for large sedans
- Reliable all-around traction in both wet and dry conditions
Cons
- Subpar wet-weather performance reported by some users
- Premature tread wear down to 30,000 miles in isolated experiences
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
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Tire A
General AltiMAX RT
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Tire B
Positive
General AltiMAX RT43
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.
subaruforester.org
·2019-02-18
“I have used the Altimax RT43s on several cars over the past 10 years (' 97 Honda Civic , '99 Ford Contour, 2002 Honda Accord, 2005 Chevrolet Venture, 2013 Kia Soul) and have been very happy with them. Except for the Contour (which ate tires in spite of alignments), I typically got about 50K miles on them before they were down to 1/4 tread. We get some good snows here in the mountains of West Virginia, and they do pretty well considering they are not "winter" tires, and all of these previous vehicles were just front wheel drive. Pretty quiet, and smooth riding. The price is right, too. I get them at WalMart and get the lifetime balance/rotation for $10/tire. When our new ' 19 Forester (base) Bridgestone Ecopia 422+ tires get too worn, I will be changing to the Altimax again. Can't wait to see how they do in the snow with All-Wheel-Drive! .”
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.”
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 · General AltiMAX RT | B · General AltiMAX RT43 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All-Season Touring tires | All Season |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Tread depth | 10/32″ | 10 - 12/32″ |
| UTQG | 440 A A | 600 - 700 A A - B |
| Treadwear warranty | 70,000 mi | — |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | Black Side Wall - Raised Outline White Lettering |
| Max pressure | 44 psi | 44 - 51 psi |
Which one should you actually buy?
64
/ 100
General AltiMAX RT
68
/ 100
General AltiMAX RT43
Narrow edge: General AltiMAX RT43 — better treadwear, dry and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score. General AltiMAX RT rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 11 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Pick tire B
You want the longest tread life
General AltiMAX RT43 scores 69 vs 63 on treadwear.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
General AltiMAX RT43 scores 68 vs 64 on dry.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
General AltiMAX RT43 scores 70 vs 66 on wet.
Pick tire B
You want a quieter cabin
General AltiMAX RT43 scores 69 vs 65 on noise.
Tire A · General AltiMAX RT
Tire B · General AltiMAX RT43
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AltiMAX RT or AltiMAX RT43?
Which is better in the wet, AltiMAX RT or AltiMAX RT43?
General AltiMAX RT43, 70 vs 66 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, AltiMAX RT or AltiMAX RT43?
General AltiMAX RT43, 68 vs 64 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, AltiMAX RT or AltiMAX RT43?
General AltiMAX RT43, 64 vs 61 on our snow score.
Which is quieter, AltiMAX RT or AltiMAX RT43?
General AltiMAX RT43, 69 vs 65 on our noise score.
Which is more comfortable, AltiMAX RT or AltiMAX RT43?
General AltiMAX RT43, 64 vs 61 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, AltiMAX RT or AltiMAX RT43?
General AltiMAX RT43, 69 vs 63 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