Tests 69 · 5 tests Owners 73 · 3 reviews
Best test result: #4 of 20 in 2020 Auto Bild Performance Winter Tyre Test (snow traction)
Head-to-head
Updated
General Altimax Winter 3 vs Riken Snow — 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 5 + 4 road tests and 3 + 9 owner reviews. How we score
Altimax Winter 3 leads, 71–68 Narrow edge
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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
Snow +266Why this score
Source Altimax Winter 3 Snow Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 59 ≈ 67 (est.) Reviews found online 72 65 Altimax Winter 3: 60% × 58.7 + 40% × 71.5 = 64
Snow: 60% × 66.9 (est.) + 40% × 65.4 = 66
No road tests of dry for Snow. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).
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71
Wet
Altimax Winter 3 +467Why this score
Source Altimax Winter 3 Snow Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / 4 tests 69 64 Reviews found online 74 71 Wet Braking (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 2–0 85% 83% Altimax Winter 3: 60% × 69.4 + 40% × 74.4 = 71
Snow: 60% × 64.4 + 40% × 70.6 = 67
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78
Snow
Altimax Winter 3 +771Why this score
Source Altimax Winter 3 Snow Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests 78 ≈ 71 (est.) Reviews found online 77 71 Altimax Winter 3: 60% × 77.7 + 40% × 77.3 = 78
Snow: 60% × 70.5 (est.) + 40% × 70.5 = 71
No road tests of snow for Snow. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).
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69
Comfort
Altimax Winter 3 +564Why this score
Source Altimax Winter 3 Snow Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 69 (est.) ≈ 67 (est.) Reviews found online 69 63 Altimax Winter 3: 40% × 68.6 (est.) + 60% × 68.6 = 69
Snow: 40% × 67.4 (est.) + 60% × 62.5 = 64
No road tests of comfort for Altimax Winter 3. 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 Snow. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
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72
Noise
No comparison–Why this score
Source Altimax Winter 3 Snow Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 76 – Reviews found online ≈ 66 (est.) – Altimax Winter 3: 60% × 75.7 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 72
No owner ratings of noise for Altimax Winter 3. The owner half is the owners’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.
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70
Treadwear
Altimax Winter 3 +268Why this score
Source Altimax Winter 3 Snow Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 69 ≈ 67 (est.) Reviews found online 71 69 Altimax Winter 3: 60% × 68.9 + 40% × 70.6 = 70
Snow: 60% × 67.3 (est.) + 40% × 68.7 = 68
No road tests of treadwear for Snow. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
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72
Handling (owners)
Altimax Winter 3 +666Why this score
Source Altimax Winter 3 Snow Reviews found online 72 66 -
65
Efficiency
No comparison–Why this score
Source Altimax Winter 3 Snow Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 65 –
Scores at a glance
| Category | General Altimax Winter 3 | Riken Snow |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 71 | 68 |
| Dry | 64 | 66 |
| Wet | 71 | 67 |
| Snow | 78 | 71 |
| Comfort | 69 | 64 |
| Noise | 72 | – |
| Treadwear | 70 | 68 |
| Handling (owners) | 72 | 66 |
| Efficiency | 65 | – |
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
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Recomputed
Headline score
71
/ 100
Altimax Winter 3
68
/ 100
Snow
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.
In the overall rankings of 2 tests that ran both, General Altimax Winter 3 finished ahead 2 times and Riken Snow 0 times.
| Discipline | Category | Altimax Winter 3 | Snow | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | Wet | 85% | 83% | +2.2 | 2–0 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2022 Winter Tyre Market Overview · 215/55 R17 |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #35/56 | #43/56 | – | 2–0 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2022 Winter Tyre Market Overview · 215/55 R17 |
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A Altimax Winter 3
Pros
- Strong performance in snow and slush conditions
- Effective resistance to aquaplaning
- Competitive price-to-quality ratio
Cons
- Increased road noise at highway speeds
- Soft sidewalls resulting in vague handling and road feedback
- Mediocre emergency wet braking performance
Tire B Snow
Pros
- Exceptional snow, ice, and winter traction
- High value for the money in the budget tire category
- Low road noise compared to standard winter tires
Cons
- Reduced wet-weather braking performance during spirited driving
- Lower-tier classification compared to premium flagship winter tires
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · General Altimax Winter 3 | B · Riken Snow |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Winter | Winter |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 38 | 41 |
| Rim diameters | 13″ – 19″ | 15″ – 18″ |
| Sizes in common | 26 | 26 |
Which one should you actually buy?
71
/ 100
General Altimax Winter 3
68
/ 100
Riken Snow
Narrow edge: General Altimax Winter 3 — better snow, handling and comfort. Where the Riken Snow is ahead, it is by less than 3 points.
Pick tire A
You drive through snowy winters
General Altimax Winter 3 scores 78 vs 71 on snow.
Pick tire A
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
General Altimax Winter 3 scores 72 vs 66 on handling.
Pick tire A
You want the most comfortable ride
General Altimax Winter 3 scores 69 vs 64 on comfort.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
General Altimax Winter 3 scores 71 vs 67 on wet.
Tire A · General Altimax Winter 3
Tire B · Riken Snow
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Altimax Winter 3 or Snow?
Which is better in the wet, Altimax Winter 3 or Snow?
General Altimax Winter 3, 71 vs 67 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Altimax Winter 3 or Snow?
Neither, by our numbers: 64 vs 66 on the dry score, within 3 points.
Which is better in snow, Altimax Winter 3 or Snow?
General Altimax Winter 3, 78 vs 71 on our snow score.
Which is more comfortable, Altimax Winter 3 or Snow?
General Altimax Winter 3, 69 vs 64 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Altimax Winter 3 or Snow?
Neither, by our numbers: 70 vs 68 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.
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