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 + 1 road tests and 1,371 + 805 owner reviews. How we score
G-MAX AS-05 leads, 70–68 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.”
Tests – · 1 test Owners 68 · 805 reviews
Best test result: #2 of 19 in 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance All-Season Tires (tested tread life (miles))
“18 ST on freshly refinished snowflakes and general g-max as-05 tires. Tire rack mobile install is awesome.”
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
| Source | AltiMAX RT43 | G-MAX AS-05 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 68 (est.) | ≈ 69 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 68 | 71 |
AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 67.8 (est.) + 40% × 67.6 = 68
G-MAX AS-05: 60% × 69.3 (est.) + 40% × 71.2 = 70
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 G-MAX AS-05. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).
| Source | AltiMAX RT43 | G-MAX AS-05 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 70 (est.) | ≈ 71 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 70 | 71 |
AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 70.4 (est.) + 40% × 70.2 = 70
G-MAX AS-05: 60% × 70.6 (est.) + 40% × 70.6 = 71
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 G-MAX AS-05. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
| Source | AltiMAX RT43 | G-MAX AS-05 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 67 (est.) | ≈ 64 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 60 | 51 |
AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 67.1 (est.) + 40% × 59.9 = 64
G-MAX AS-05: 60% × 64.3 (est.) + 40% × 51.1 = 59
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 G-MAX AS-05. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).
| Source | AltiMAX RT43 | G-MAX AS-05 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 67 (est.) | ≈ 68 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 62 | 66 |
AltiMAX RT43: 40% × 67.3 (est.) + 60% × 62 = 64
G-MAX AS-05: 40% × 68.1 (est.) + 60% × 65.8 = 67
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).
No road tests of comfort for G-MAX AS-05. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
| Source | AltiMAX RT43 | G-MAX AS-05 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 66 (est.) | ≈ 66 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 73 | 68 |
AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 73 = 69
G-MAX AS-05: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 67.9 = 67
No road tests of noise for AltiMAX RT43 or G-MAX AS-05. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
| Source | AltiMAX RT43 | G-MAX AS-05 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests | 71 | 77 |
| Reviews found online | 67 | 73 |
AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 70.8 + 40% × 67 = 69
G-MAX AS-05: 60% × 77 + 40% × 72.7 = 75
| Source | AltiMAX RT43 | G-MAX AS-05 |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews found online | 63 | 70 |
| Category | General AltiMAX RT43 | General G-MAX AS-05 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 68 | 70 |
| Dry | 68 | 70 |
| Wet | 70 | 71 |
| Snow | 64 | 59 |
| Comfort | 64 | 67 |
| Noise | 69 | 67 |
| Treadwear | 69 | 75 |
| Handling (owners) | 63 | 70 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.
AltiMAX RT43
G-MAX AS-05
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.
| Discipline | Category | AltiMAX RT43 | G-MAX AS-05 | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tested Tread Life (Miles) | Treadwear | 82% #3/8 · 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires | 87% #2/19 · 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance All-Season Tires | – | Different tests |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #2/8 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires | #3/19 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance All-Season Tires | – | Different tests |
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.
“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 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”
“I haven't tried the Contis, but I took my RT43s off last month after wearing them down to 4/32 after ~50K miles (5K miles rotations.) While hydroplane resistance was good, everything else about the tire was pretty bad. Dry grip was abysmal and the sidewalls were way to soft. Wet grip was decent when rolling but from a stop and/or while turning felt quite dangerous if I was pulling out into traffic (one wheel peel like crazy.) The Sumitomos A/S P02s I had before were better in every way except noise. No idea on the snow performance, I run dedicated snows in the winter.”
Based on 261 community posts
Community members widely regard the General G-Max AS-05 as an outstanding value for an ultra-high performance all-season tire, often praising its responsive steering, strong dry handling, and wet grip as a cheaper alternative to Continental and Michelin. However, opinions on road noise are polarized, ranging from quiet to noticeably loud, and snow/winter performance is frequently cited as mediocre or limited to light conditions.
“General Tire G-MAX AS-05 I just ordered a set of General Tire G-MAX AS-05 for my Bolt. Tirerack.com says that this is an "Ultra High Performance All-Season" tire. With 28,000 miles of wear on the factory tires, I can feel it starting to hydroplane in heavy rain. I'm swapping before something worse than "starting to hydroplane" happens. And I'm looking forward to it being a lot more fun to drive. :-) General Tire G-MAX AS-05”
“I had the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3's on my GTI and didn't care for them much. Overrated, period. The + version might be better? I have 4 Continental SureContact RX's on my GTI and they are the best UHP all-season tires I've had. They aren't known for being superb in class in the snow like the Conti DWS06's are. But they grip excellent in the rain and perform great cold or hot. Every other all-season I've had gave up traction in hot summer weather except for the Conti's on my car and the Generals Gmax AS-05 on my wifes Audi. Those Generals are made in Portugal by Continental. They have a tad more road noise than my tires but are better otherwise. I'm done assuming Michelin and top tier high dollar tires are always better.”
“I'm a tire dealer. If you can get the General GMax AS05 in your size... Get them. They are so underrated. Im on my 2nd set. That is the only time I've repeated a tire purchase. The most interesting thing about them is the noise at extreme cornering. There isnt any squeal. They make a low pitched hum. And they are cheap. General is a sister of Continental .”
Based on 88 community posts
| Attribute | A · General AltiMAX RT43 | B · General G-MAX AS-05 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All Season | All Season |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Tread depth | 10 - 12/32″ | 10/32″ |
| UTQG | 600 - 700 A A - B | 500 A - AA A |
| Treadwear warranty | — | 50,000 mi |
| Sidewall | Black Side Wall - Raised Outline White Lettering | Black Side Wall |
| Max pressure | 44 - 51 psi | 50 - 51 psi |
General AltiMAX RT43
General G-MAX AS-05
Narrow edge: General G-MAX AS-05 — better handling, treadwear and comfort. Pick the General AltiMAX RT43 if snow matters most to you.
General G-MAX AS-05 scores 70 vs 63 on handling.
General G-MAX AS-05 scores 75 vs 69 on treadwear.
General AltiMAX RT43 scores 64 vs 59 on snow.
General G-MAX AS-05 scores 67 vs 64 on comfort.
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Neither, by our numbers: 70 vs 71 on the wet score, within 3 points.
Neither, by our numbers: 68 vs 70 on the dry score, within 3 points.
General AltiMAX RT43, 64 vs 59 on our snow score.
Neither, by our numbers: 69 vs 67 on the noise score, within 3 points.
General G-MAX AS-05, 67 vs 64 on our comfort score.
General G-MAX AS-05, 75 vs 69 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
