Originally Posted By: SubLGT
Originally Posted By: carman594
What about the General Altimax Arctic? Those are supposed to be phenomenal tires, I wonder how they stack up to the R2 and Xi3.
I would like to see them in a comprehensive comparative winter test, but that is not likely to happen. The tread design dates back to around 2004, and is 3 generations behind the WS80, R2, Xi3 etc. Unstudded, they will be significantly behind the R2, etc on ice performance. In snow traction, they will probably be less behind the latest generation. If I had a strict limited budget, and cared only about snow traction, I think they would be my first choice for a quality tire.
I'm having a hard time deciding between the Altimax Arctic, Xi3, ExtremeWinterContact, and the WS70. It seems like you can't go wrong with any of them but I'm the type that tries the get the absoute best I can. I wish the R2s weren't so pricey, as I'd likely pick those!