General Altimax HP

Status
Not open for further replies.
I really shouldn't emphasize the snow ability so much. Anything would be better in snow than the OE Bridgestone EL400-02 that is on the car now. And I'm retiring this week, so I won't 'have' to go anywhere when it's snowing unless it's an emergency.
I was just focusing on snow because I felt sure that the tire would be more than adequate in all other categories. I'm pretty easy on tires except for the occasional entrance and exit ramp push. So snow was the only thing I was uncertain about. But again, they would have to be better than waht I have now.
I'll probably order in the next week or two to make sure I don't run into an 'out of stock' situation. I think the gift card is only good for 'in stock' purchases.
 
The concept of an "all-season" tire is a huge misconception.

They are really three-season tires with rubber compounds that stay pliable in winter temperatures.

No all season design can competently handle snow in any significant depth (not even the ContiExtremeContact, which I've had and can recommend). Granted, some fail much more miserably than others. But for genuinely capable snow performance, you need a winter-only tire, with a tread patterned for snow. TR's A/S snow and ice ratings are nice, but they are the least important in my considerations.

If there's that much snow on the ground, I'm not going out in it anyway.

That aside, these nifty little Generals pretty much do it all . . . so far.
 
Well, one update after 200+ miles.

These tires may have an outrageously loud drone at a certain cruising speed. I won't say what the speed is, but it is right around the highway speed I like to drive. Not sure if it's the tire(s) or something else in the vehicle. But within a three to four MPH window, it sounds like a loud tractor trailer. Go above or below that window, and it is quiet as a mouse.

Otherwise, these tires give 95% of the performance of a G-009, but with 10x the comfort.

I'll report further later.
 
Thanks for the update. Very interesting. Keep us posted. I haven't ordered mine yet.
Just remembered, isn't General giving a 30 day test ride? If you spend a lot of time driving at that droning speed, you might consider sending them back.
 
Last edited:
I have got 350 miles on mine and it's quiet as a mouse at all speeds. Volvohead, what size do you have on your car? Also the tires that I have were built on 2208 and 24080...fresh from the factory.
 
Last edited:
Interesting observation: I had thought that these Generals were out of Continental's new Brazilian factory. But peering at the sidewalls this afternoon, they are stamped Made in France.

From my limited understanding of Conti's history, this is either a Continental facility built 45 years ago, or an old Uniroyal plant that they acquired in the late '70s.

Still, a French-made tire for under $50 . . . truly a poor man's Michelin.
 
Originally Posted By: tangojetta
I have got 350 miles on mine and it's quiet as a mouse at all speeds.


Man I can't wait to get mine's this Thurs mounted. Can't come soon enough. My Falkens are so loud I routinely listen to my radio 4-5 levels above when they were new.
 
Left Tire Rack with a new set today. Great tire for the first hundred miles!
My Nokians had 5/32 left, but were getting hard and the ride matched.
 
Ok, into these for over 500 miles now. They're broken in. Now I can comment at length.

Overall, a great tire. Very, very comfortable, very quiet (with caveat), and very grippy with decent feel. Not as tactile as the 40 series Pilot Sports on the R, but very comfy while being communicative. Nice wet grip. Strong, predictable braking, with only a slight squirreliness at the absolute limit. Have not pushed the limit of the handling envelope, but there has been no need to so far. Slight wandering at higher speeds compared to a top shelf HP or UHP, but nothing all that significant or noticable. Stomps all over any other touring class tire I've had.

At the bargain price (a small fraction of a Michelin Primacy), there should be a stampede on these; they're that good.

Did I say they were comfortable? They really absorb road shocks extremely well. Where our Pilot Sports will ping over a hole, these Generals are silent and very absorbent. Great long trip tire.

Only gripe is a loud drone around a certain speed previously mentioned. Other than the drone speed, all you hear is the engine running at other speeds. With close to 200k on the car, it could also be a wheel bearing getting tired. But since I'm driving to save fuel now, I don't cruise at that speed much. And I don't feel like futzing to the bottom of it, so it is not much of an issue.

Whether they'll still perform this well at 20 or 30k is unknown. But time will tell.

So I'll probably keep these lovely Generals.

As they say, "Sooner or later . . ."
 
Volvo - Thanks for the update. Much appreciated. I'll be ordering four in the next week or two while my size is still in stock and the $50 deal is still on.
I'll update this thread after I get a few miles on mine.
 
I just put the altimax RT's on both cars & really like them. Quiet & during one of our monsoon season torrential rains did not notice any pulling even when going thru deep puddles of standing water in the road at 45-50 mph. They do like to pick up small pea sized stones used to sealcoat the roads which isn't a problem, next time I have it on the lift I'll spend a couple min getting them out.
 
OH MY!
I can hear again in my car.
Mounted them this AM - Altimax HP.

Sooo quiet. Absorbs road divets easily.
Feel like I am floating on air...so fans of UHP - riding on your rims types - need not buy these.

I had the Falken 512 UHP A/S prior & with my long commute of ~60 miles round trip, it was just getting dangerous & tiresome.

I can't wait to see if these will last past 40k with the same quiet, floating performance.


Now for the rebate paperwork.
 
Well, mine's going back to the installer on Wednesday.

The right front thumping drone has become unbearable and now starts at under 55. And the car is not stopping straight. It's either a bad tire or a wheel bearing. But none of this happened before these tires were put on.

Interestingly, the right front is a different production lot number from the other three, although I'm told by both the installer and TR that shouldn't make a difference.

Other than that, the tires are excellent. Although this glitch makes me wonder whether I should have just stuck with Michelins.
 
Volvo - Sorry to hear that this has become such a problem. Are you taking all four tires off, or just the one?
Now you've got me hesitant to make my order. Please keep us posted.
 
It seems to be just the one corner. The rest of the car is dead quiet. It could be a wheel bearing, but I highly doubt it.

TR says they'll stand behind it if it's one bad tire, or I can exercise my 30 day return option on the whole set.

I like the tires a lot and will keep them. A comparable set of Primacys are 3x the price. But I don't like that I'll likely be spending more than the replacement tire price to get to the bottom of the problem. Or that there may now be an 900 mile wear spread across the set.

If you can't afford Michelins, these are still the tires to get. But this is the risk you run at this price point. QC tends to suffer more in a sub $75 tire. Were these Michelins, I'd be looking a lot harder at the bearings.
 
Thanks. It's reassuring to know that you like them enough to keep the set. I'll probably go through with my order in the next few weeks.
 
Originally Posted By: Volvohead

If you can't afford Michelins, these are still the tires to get. But this is the risk you run at this price point. QC tends to suffer more in a sub $75 tire. Were these Michelins, I'd be looking a lot harder at the bearings.


Totally agree that we take chances on performance & quality @ this price point as there had to be design & production compromises with General.

Michelin is a known entity & they can command a bigger price because they provide predictability to buyers.

That said, I've been reading a lot of good things about Generals on the net...not @ the level of Michelin but pockets of good comments here & there.

btw, coming from a UHP to a HP tire though is quite a 80's Cadillac feeling.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

C
  • Locked
General Altimax RT43 User Review
2
Replies
26
Views
17K
9050lx
N
  • Locked
Time again for new tires. General altimax rt43
2
Replies
27
Views
17K
GaleHawkins
F
  • Locked
What happened to cheap tires for a cheap car?
2 3
Replies
53
Views
18K
faramir9
G
  • Locked
General Altimax RT Review
Replies
13
Views
15K
951Indy
B
  • Locked
Help Me Pick Tires For My 2008 Nissan Altima Coupe
2
Replies
38
Views
36K
Volvohead
Back
Top Bottom