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 1,371 + 326 owner reviews. How we score
Too close to call: AltiMAX RT43 68, Discoverer S/T Maxx 67.
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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.”
Tests – · none yet Owners 67 · 326 reviews
“Personally a huge fan of the Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx great on and offroad. Quite on road.”
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
| Source | AltiMAX RT43 | Discoverer S/T Maxx |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 68 (est.) | ≈ 70 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 68 | 73 |
AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 67.8 (est.) + 40% × 67.7 = 68
Discoverer S/T Maxx: 60% × 70.2 (est.) + 40% × 73.4 = 71
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).
No road tests of dry for Discoverer S/T Maxx. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).
| Source | AltiMAX RT43 | Discoverer S/T Maxx |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 70 (est.) | ≈ 72 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 70 | 73 |
AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 70.4 (est.) + 40% × 70.1 = 70
Discoverer S/T Maxx: 60% × 71.8 (est.) + 40% × 72.7 = 72
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).
No road tests of wet for Discoverer S/T Maxx. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
| Source | AltiMAX RT43 | Discoverer S/T Maxx |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 67 (est.) | ≈ 70 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 60 | 67 |
AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 67.2 (est.) + 40% × 60 = 64
Discoverer S/T Maxx: 60% × 69.5 (est.) + 40% × 67.4 = 69
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).
No road tests of snow for Discoverer S/T Maxx. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).
| Source | AltiMAX RT43 | Discoverer S/T Maxx |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 67 (est.) | ≈ 66 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 62 | 55 |
AltiMAX RT43: 40% × 67.3 (est.) + 60% × 61.9 = 64
Discoverer S/T Maxx: 40% × 65.9 (est.) + 60% × 54.6 = 59
No road tests of comfort for AltiMAX RT43 or Discoverer S/T Maxx. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
| Source | AltiMAX RT43 | Discoverer S/T Maxx |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 66 (est.) | ≈ 66 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 73 | 48 |
AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 66.5 (est.) + 40% × 73 = 69
Discoverer S/T Maxx: 60% × 66.5 (est.) + 40% × 47.5 = 59
No road tests of noise for AltiMAX RT43 or Discoverer S/T Maxx. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
| Source | AltiMAX RT43 | Discoverer S/T Maxx |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests | 71 | ≈ 66 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 67 | 66 |
AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 70.8 + 40% × 67 = 69
Discoverer S/T Maxx: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 66.2 = 66
No road tests of treadwear for Discoverer S/T Maxx. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
| Source | AltiMAX RT43 | Discoverer S/T Maxx |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews found online | 63 | 52 |
| Category | General AltiMAX RT43 | Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 68 | 67 |
| Dry | 68 | 71 |
| Wet | 70 | 72 |
| Snow | 64 | 69 |
| Comfort | 64 | 59 |
| Noise | 69 | 59 |
| Treadwear | 69 | 66 |
| Handling (owners) | 63 | 52 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
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.
AltiMAX RT43
Discoverer S/T Maxx
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
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.
“I keep seeing graphs like this with the off-brand tires and cannot be convinced that they would actually perform in a panic braking situation. The Laufenn takes 44 additional feet (three carlengths) to stop on a wet road from 50 MPH than the budget favorite, the General RT43; 77 feet (5 carlengths) longer than the Michelins . I am buying a set of the Michelin Premier A/Ss for my wife's car when the OE Continentals wear out (it came with the regular OEM-style ContiProContacts which are okay but kind of noisy - looks like they will last around 30-35k miles). Source = TireRack”
“Update -- in the middle of a snowstorm tonight, the Altimax RT43 did very well. The best description for the RT43 in snow would be "predictable" -- if there is a bit of slide the steering response is easy to control. Better handling overall than the Optimo H727, now over 800 miles and still very quiet.”
“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.”
Based on 261 community posts
The community generally praises the Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx for its exceptional dual-purpose performance, offering low road noise and strong traction across various off-road conditions like mud, rocks, and sand. Users note good handling while towing heavy loads, though some mention a slight softness or different feel during cornering that does not negatively impact overall safety. While initial purchase costs can be high, overall satisfaction is very high with many loyal repeat customers.
“Personally a huge fan of the Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx great on and offroad. Quite on road.”
“Interesting, I'm considering a Cooper Discoverer A/T3 Sport or Discoverer S/T Maxx in 245/70r16 for my Nissan. All of the reviews are excellent and have been recommended from friends using both types, one on little Suzuki Jimny and one on GC 2.7 diesel. According to them they are great both on pavement and off road, with GC driver being long time off roader.”
“I have 285/75-r16 on my f-150 and love them. I've put them through hell (rocks, mud, sand, rim breaking in half and truck skidding down the road on it) and the have held up amazing. My old set of cooper st's last around 60k and still had a little life left. Ill never run any thing but coopers now. and for the record i had that tire checked out by 3 different tire shops and they all said it was fine.”
Based on 11 community posts
| Attribute | A · General AltiMAX RT43 | B · Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All Season | All Season |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | SUV and 4x4 |
| Sizes available | — | 30 |
| Rim diameters | — | 16″ – 20″ |
| Tread depth | 10 - 12/32″ | 19/32″ |
| UTQG | 600 - 700 A A - B | — |
| Sidewall | Black Side Wall - Raised Outline White Lettering | Black Side Wall - Raised Outline White Lettering |
| Max pressure | 44 - 51 psi | 35 - 80 psi |
General AltiMAX RT43
Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx
Too close to call: General AltiMAX RT43 and Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx are within 2 points overall. General AltiMAX RT43 is stronger on handling, noise and comfort. Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx is stronger on snow and dry.
General AltiMAX RT43 scores 63 vs 52 on handling.
General AltiMAX RT43 scores 69 vs 59 on noise.
General AltiMAX RT43 scores 64 vs 59 on comfort.
Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx scores 69 vs 64 on snow.
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Neither, by our numbers: 70 vs 72 on the wet score, within 3 points.
Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx, 71 vs 68 on our dry score.
Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx, 69 vs 64 on our snow score.
General AltiMAX RT43, 69 vs 59 on our noise score.
General AltiMAX RT43, 64 vs 59 on our comfort score.
General AltiMAX RT43, 69 vs 66 on our treadwear score.
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
