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General Altimax RT43 -- review

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Stevewoods, Sep 30, 2016.

  1. Stevewoods

    Stevewoods Senior Member

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    We have had some very, very, very heavy rainfall (did I say heavy :rolleyes:). Flooding, winter storm warnings, etc.

    I had a doe (a deer, a deer, a female deer....:mad:), dash out in front of me yesterday, I was going about 40 and there was heavy amount of water on the road. I am not going to try to speculate how close the deer was to the car, just to say pretty darn close.

    Slammed on the brakes in a panic stop, no problem, stopped quick. I was expecting impact. Did not happen. These tires also showed no sign of hydroplaning on road surfaces that usually lend themselves to that with other tires we have run.

    Still happy (well with the tires, rest of the world, meh).
     
    lrisius likes this.
  2. Stevewoods

    Stevewoods Senior Member

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    I think I should contact General Tire and see if I can get some cash for the free marketing I have been doing for them....but....

    Have had some very icy road conditions to deal with. I actually put tire chains on for a few days. Road was still pretty icy, but I thought I will live dangerously and take the chains off and see if these tires actually live up to their very favorable rating on TireRack for snow and ice.

    Well, they did. Excellent traction on sheets of ice and frozen snow.

    I know, I sound like a shill for the company. But if you look at my PriusChat history, you will see that is a pretty remote possibility.

    Anyway, have I said i LOVE these tires for the price..

    Good MPG, GREAT Price (when you have the rebate) and GREAT traction in varying conditions.
     
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  3. lrisius

    lrisius Member

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    Thanks for the update, Stevewoods.

    Our daughter has been through some pretty good snow up in Madison, WI with these tires on her Camry and is happy with them too. I'm pretty impressed with them. Even if they wear a little faster than some, they are relatively inexpensive and I think lower life is part of what you trade off for the winter grip.
     
  4. helenann00

    helenann00 Junior Member

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    Stevewoods - Did you get the General Altimax RT43 Standard Touring (T-speed rated) or the Grand Touring (H- or V-speed rated)?
     
  5. Stevewoods

    Stevewoods Senior Member

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    Tis the "T-rated."

    I actually have the "H-rated" on our second car and have not seen any difference in the two tires, but then again, I am not exactly the sort of driver I was when I was 18 years old, either.

    IIRC, the tire guys said at the time I bought them, there was not much real world difference. Of course, they were just trying to sell what they had in stock....
     
  6. cyberpriusII

    cyberpriusII Prodigyplace says I'm Super Kris

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    I have the T on my Prius. We had a nasty ice storm in the past week and the tires handled it much better than any of the other tires I have had on the Prius. If you want to know, google EUGENE OREGON ICE STORM and you will see what we put up with. I actually had it worse, since I am in the mountains.

    Anyway, I am very happy with these tires.
     
  7. Stevewoods

    Stevewoods Senior Member

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    Ah, my luck ran out with these tires recently.

    I bogged down in heavy snow. Had to chain-up. A bit tongue-in-cheek, actually, because I think they went further before bogging down than any other tire I have run recently would have gone. What do you expect in the mountains in January, after all.
     
  8. Noobprius

    Noobprius Junior Member

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    @Stevewoods I was just wondering how the tires were fairing. I am between these and the Cooper CS5 grand touring.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  9. Stevewoods

    Stevewoods Senior Member

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    The Cooper looks interesting. I just looked at Consumer Reports and they rate it pretty well. Overall, they give it a 62 vs. a 66 for the Altimax.

    Not much difference in the scores. The Cooper scores a good on Wet Braking and also a good on handling in the Consumer Reports testing. It scores very good on everything else, except for ice, where it scores poor. Depending where you live, that may or may not matter.

    Consumer's scores on the Altimax are much the same (good on wet braking and good on handling), but the Altimax scores an excellent in snow and a good for ice. If the winter stuff matters to you at all, I would give a nod to the Altimax. If not, based on Consumer Reports, they seem pretty much the same.

    Again, from Consumer's Reports for the Altimax:
    Highs
    It's an all-season tire with impressive snow traction
    Lows
    No shortcomings.
    CRs Take
    A good blend of all-season performance, comfort, and long tread life.

    For the Cooper:

    Highs
    Long tread life highlights a comfortable, quiet riding tire.
    Lows
    Long stops on ice relative to other all-season tires.
    CRs Take
    Long wear and good performance to tackle most weather conditions.

    I am very happy with the Altimax and I got it for whatever I said earlier. Just rotated them (I do it myself) and while it has only been six months, they look great. So, while not being able to comment personally on the Cooper, I would wonder how it does on MPG.

    The Altimax, as I mentioned earlier, rivals the Continental LRR tires for MPGs. If the Cooper does as well mpg-wise, I would say, on paper anyway, it's a wash if winter traction is not an issue.

    If the Cooper is not as thrifty with the gasoline, it might be worth paying a bit more for the Generals.

    Oh, if price is an issue at all, make sure you check if any one of the brands is running a rebate, or if they will be running a rebate. Seems like each brand runs rebate offers at the same time each year. I timed my General purchase to catch their end of summer rebate. I just googled something like General tire 2015 rebates and saw when they ran them the year before....yep, they ran them the same time in 2016. Goodyear does the same. You'd feel pretty stupid missing out on $75 by a week or so.
     
    #29 Stevewoods, Feb 23, 2017
    Last edited: Feb 23, 2017
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  10. Stevewoods

    Stevewoods Senior Member

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    O.K.

    Time for an update.

    Just had a total idiot pull in front of my car on a horrible rainy day. Lots of standing water on the road. I was going about 40 mph. Had maybe 40 yards (a wild guesstimate) to avoid slamming into the other car.

    The Altimax took it in stride. Fantastic braking in the wet.

    Still VERY IMPRESSED with these tires.

    You other guys go for the overpriced Michelin and the somewhat overpriced Conti's.

    I am sticking with the Altimax. (pun intended).

    But seriously. Reasonable price, good MPG and great traction and handling.

    Tell me where I am missing it here.
     
    #30 Stevewoods, Apr 24, 2017
    Last edited: Apr 24, 2017
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  11. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    nothing, i like overpriced tires.:cool:
     
  12. Bobalan

    Bobalan Junior Member

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    I've had these tires (Altimax) for about two months 3k miles. Only issue is the mileage seems about 2-3 MPG worse than the EP422s. What pressure are you running your tires at? I'm at 40 psi in the front and 38 in the back same as the EP422s. Did notice the max on the Altimax was 51 psi the EP422s were only 44 psi.
     
  13. Stevewoods

    Stevewoods Senior Member

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    I run dead-on at the factory recommended PSI (which escapes me at the moment).

    Does not seem to matter what tires I put on, once I have them for a few weeks they all get pretty much the exact same MPG.
     
  14. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    Which is?
     
  15. Stevewoods

    Stevewoods Senior Member

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    43 mpg spring/summer/winter/fall. But, a lot of that is in the very hilly Seattle streets. Pretty much all surface street driving. Lots of stops and goes.

    I should say the General MPG bounced around a bit for the first few months, but that is so subjective....

    My wife drives it, and she was kind of moody for much of last fall. :eek:

    But, now seems pretty much at 43.
     
    #35 Stevewoods, Jun 8, 2017
    Last edited: Jun 8, 2017
  16. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    Thanks for the data point. It is useful to know.
     
  17. Noobprius

    Noobprius Junior Member

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    Sorry to resurface an old thread, but I just want to give my input on the rt43s. They really are a great tire. I have had no complaints. They have great traction no matter what conditions are, I have never hydroplaned or even heard a squeal from them. I tend to get anywhere from 43-50 mpg, depending on how I drive. My only complaint is that they have a very bad ball but of thrwing rocks, actually broke both "mudflaps", those little plastic things on the wheelwell edge. Other than that, they are great!
     
  18. Stevewoods

    Stevewoods Senior Member

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    I haven't had a rock throwing issue, and I do drive some short stretches of gravel road almost daily, but there may be a difference in how different types of soil cling to the treads.

    Still a great tire with very good treadwear.

    Lots of folks only want to spend $$$ on the Chubby Tire man or the Conti's, however.
     
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  19. lrisius

    lrisius Member

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    I put a set on our v a month ago and am happy. They are quieter than the factory tires and have done well in the snow we have had. No idea on gas mileage- too many short winter trips with warm up times to get an accurate estimate. 16's for my v cost about $440 all in at Discount Tire. The set on my daughter's Camry are still doing well.
     
  20. bltman

    bltman Junior Member

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    I had my winters on my v but needed something new for the summer. Purchased these at a local tire shop and had them installed last Thursday. By Saturday we had a freezing rain storm, ice pellets and overall wet, slushy and frozen roads in Toronto. These handled amazing for all seasons and I can't recommend them enough.