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 + 11 owner reviews. How we score
Defender LTX M/S is ahead, 79–68
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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 83 · 11 reviews
Best test result: #2 of 13 in 2022 Consumer Reports All Season Truck Tires (tested tread life (miles))
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
| Source | AltiMAX RT43 | Defender LTX M/S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 68 (est.) | ≈ 75 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 68 | 84 |
AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 67.8 (est.) + 40% × 67.6 = 68
Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 74.7 (est.) + 40% × 84.3 = 79
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 Defender LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).
| Source | AltiMAX RT43 | Defender LTX M/S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 70 (est.) | ≈ 79 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 70 | 86 |
AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 70.4 (est.) + 40% × 70.2 = 70
Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 78.8 (est.) + 40% × 85.6 = 82
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 Defender LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
| Source | AltiMAX RT43 | Defender LTX M/S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 67 (est.) | ≈ 72 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 60 | 77 |
AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 67.1 (est.) + 40% × 59.9 = 64
Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 72.5 (est.) + 40% × 76.6 = 74
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 Defender LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).
| Source | AltiMAX RT43 | Defender LTX M/S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 67 (est.) | ≈ 70 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 62 | 78 |
AltiMAX RT43: 40% × 67.3 (est.) + 60% × 62 = 64
Defender LTX M/S: 40% × 70.5 (est.) + 60% × 77.7 = 75
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 Defender LTX M/S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
| Source | AltiMAX RT43 | Defender LTX M/S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 66 (est.) | – |
| Reviews found online | 73 | – |
AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 73 = 69
No road tests of noise for AltiMAX RT43. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
| Source | AltiMAX RT43 | Defender LTX M/S |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests | 71 | 75 |
| Reviews found online | 67 | 86 |
AltiMAX RT43: 60% × 70.8 + 40% × 67 = 69
Defender LTX M/S: 60% × 75.4 + 40% × 86.3 = 80
| Source | AltiMAX RT43 | Defender LTX M/S |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews found online | 63 | 82 |
| Category | General AltiMAX RT43 | Michelin Defender LTX M/S |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 68 | 79 |
| Dry | 68 | 79 |
| Wet | 70 | 82 |
| Snow | 64 | 74 |
| Comfort | 64 | 75 |
| Noise | 69 | – |
| Treadwear | 69 | 80 |
| Handling (owners) | 63 | 82 |
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.
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
AltiMAX RT43
Defender LTX M/S
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
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 | Defender LTX M/S | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tested Tread Life (Miles) | Treadwear | 82% #3/8 · 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires | 84% #2/13 · 2022 Consumer Reports All Season Truck Tires | – | Different tests |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #2/8 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires | #3/13 2022 Consumer Reports All Season Truck 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
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
| Attribute | A · General AltiMAX RT43 | B · Michelin Defender LTX M/S |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All Season | All Season |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | SUV and 4x4 |
| Tread depth | 10 - 12/32″ | — |
| UTQG | 600 - 700 A A - B | 720 - 800 B A |
| Sidewall | Black Side Wall - Raised Outline White Lettering | — |
| Max pressure | 44 - 51 psi | — |
General AltiMAX RT43
Michelin Defender LTX M/S
Winner: Michelin Defender LTX M/S — better handling, wet and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score. Michelin Defender LTX M/S rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 11 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 82 vs 63 on handling.
Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 82 vs 70 on wet.
Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 79 vs 68 on dry.
Michelin Defender LTX M/S scores 75 vs 64 on comfort.
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Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 82 vs 70 on our wet score.
Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 79 vs 68 on our dry score.
Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 74 vs 64 on our snow score.
Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 75 vs 64 on our comfort score.
Michelin Defender LTX M/S, 80 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
