General Tire Altimax RT Finishes Number 1 in Tire Rack Testing

Standard Touring All-Season Tires set new standards for the class

The General Tire Altimax RT has been named the Number One Standard Touring All-Season Tire by Tire Rack. The Altimax finished first among four competitive brands.

Tire Rack cited the Altimax’s wet and dry traction and competitive ride comfort as pluses for the tire, concluding that it is “a Standard Touring All-Season tire with very good traction,” according to the company’s website.

“We are very pleased that the General Tire flagship Altimax RT performed so well in this test,” said Andreas Gerstenberger, executive vice president of sales and marketing, Continental Tire North America, Inc., General Tire’s parent company. “The Altimax is a key component in our rededication to the General Tire brand, and since its launch this past spring, the tire has continually delivered a smooth, comfortable ride and long tread life.”

The secret to the tire’s success, Gerstenberger added, is General Tire’s innovative Quad-Tech technology, which provides a combination of reliability, comfort, traction, and long tread life. Features of Quad-Tech technology include Visual Alignment Indicators (VAI®), which help consumers visually identify tire tracking irregularities so tires can be re-aligned to extend the tread life; Acoustic Modulation Sound Technology (AMST), a sound wave suppression technology which substantially reduces road tire noise; and a Twin Cushion Silica Tread Compound, comprised of unique high and low density.

Aside from the General Tire Altimax, Tire Rack tested three other  all-season touring tires from competing brands.  All tires were tested on a 2006 BMW E90 325i Sedan, with new, full tread depth 205/55R16 tires mounted on 17x7.5" wheels. Results for the test can be seen by visiting the following link, http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=96

Standard Touring All-Season tires were defined as “Intended for use on sedans, coupes, minivans and crossover vehicles…designed to combine good ride comfort, low noise levels, long wear and year-round traction, including in light snow. Standard Touring All-Season tires are typically available in the S- and T-speed rated sizes and place more emphasis on ride comfort and long treadwear compared to their higher speed rated Grand Touring All-Season tire cousins,” according to Tire Rack.

For more information visit www.generaltire.com. General Tire, part of Continental Tire North America, Inc., (www.continentaltire.com), based in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a group company of Germany-based Continental Corporation, a leading supplier of brake systems, chassis components, vehicle electronics, tires and technical elastomers. In 2007 the corporation realized sales of EUR 14.9 billion (USD 20.2 billion). At present it has a worldwide workforce of about 85,000.

To download Altimax RT images in high and low res, click here