General Altimax Arctic Impressions

[ItMightBePizza]

Today, got in the tire/wheel combo I had ordered, but no call for snow for the week. Damn.

Oh well, here are some shots. Full test to come when there is weather.

I went with General Altimax Arctic 185/60/r15 mounted and balanced on Unique 83 series steelies.

I don't really see too many direct shots of the tread of these tires.

They are pretty aggressive! Closer to a Yokohama Geolandar than a winter weather tire, I suppose that's why they get such nice reviews. These are miles away from the Blizzaks I had.

You can still see how aggressive the GAA is in it's profile shot.

Some gripes on the Tire Rack stuff, which doesn't really bother me, but is irksome:

Half of the wheels were balanced on the inside, while half were done on the outside. (This is caused by two different people mounting and balancing. I suppose they did these in bulk to fulfill the backorder. NBD.) Also one of the rear wheels was shipped with it's valve core hanging out, and thus, flat as a pancake. There is a wheel weight on it, so I hope it remained balanced in transit.

Follow this up with some praise:

Tire Rack was fantastic to deal with, even through a backorder. I was notified immediately of a backorder (which I had known about from both the TR website and through the forums) via a phone call and was told that the wheels were stuck on a container awaitng customs (I work in the bicycle industry, oh do I know this feeling) and TR would ship ASAP. This was on the 10th December. On the 17th December, right on time, the parcels left the warehouse in South Bend, Indiana. The scheduled delivery date is 12-22-14. As you can see, I received my shipment two full days ahead of schedule on 12-20-14.

I'm sure this almost everything to do with major US carriers running on looney mode for the holiday season, but I'm satisfied thus far with the service I have received.

Valve core notwithstanding. (come onnnn).

Look at this space for the full road test and adverse weather impressions, once we get some snow here on the Island.

 

[ItMightBePizza]

FINALLY some winter weather here on my beloved island! The winter wheels are on the car and we are ready to start the winter review!

First, let me say that in the dry at operating pressure, the very skinny Altimax Arctics I bought for my Fiesta are very different from the Potenzas which come factory. I feel this should go without saying, but there it is. If you're looking for an all rounder that allows compromise, then look elsewhere.

In the dry, the tires are much quieter at highway speeds. This is due to soft compound and tall sidewalls. However, at low speeds on new tarmac, the tires do hum bercause they are very very aggressive. The confidence level goes way down in hard cornering and the Fiesta ST's natural lift-throttle oversteer is amplified dramatically.

You can see just how narrow I specced these tires. More on this choice later on. It's important, so stick with me.

The tires don't lose grip really, but they do deform under hard driving in the dry. Wet conditions are much better for these tires, and the car is extremely playful with thin winter rubber.... Perhaps Ford have dialed in some rally-like handling for those of us brave enough to explore the outer threshold of grip in loose conditions?

The colder, the better with the Altimax Arctic. We are in negative Fahrenheit temps tonight here on the island and these puppies just stick and stick.

The car looks totally different with pizza-cutter tires and small wheels on it. Almost weapons-grade utilitarianism here, the car conveys the no-nonsense winter beast mode quite nicely. Many modern cars do not look the part, whereas the Fiesta ST really carries itself well with steelies, as seen here getting lunch.

All told, even though the General's are the least expensive option from many stores, I feel like they outperform the two sets of Blizzaks I had owned in the past. We had a light coating of snow yesterday here so I did have the chance to drive them in icy and powdery conditions, however I will wait for final judgement when it puts more than an inch on the ground. As you can see, mudflaps are required for our muscular little hatchbacks, I have salt spray all over the side and underneath.

Still holdin out for the Rally Armor. I believe they are higher quality, and am a patient man. Plus, you know...

Just like me!

 

[bczracecar]

Good review of the tires! I've got the same tires on mine and I couldn't be happier with them. Yea, they feel a bit marshmallow-like but that's to be expected with any type of winter tire. They do great in the low temps and the snow.

 

[BRGT350]

I run the General's on my ST and love them for winter use. The last few days we have got about 20-24" of snow with a solid layer of ice under the snow from a rain/freezing rain mix that preceeded the snow. I put the ST in Sport Mode and the car performs great. The last few mornings I have been able to stop at stop lights while the car next to me slid into the intersection with the ABS going. Trucks slip and slide on the highway and the ST just passes them without issue. The tires are outstanding for the price!

 

[Mightymango]

I ran Blizzak WS-60s last year on the stock wheels and was REALLY disappointed. All my auto-x friends were running the Generals and I figured if they like them I probably will.

The traction is way better then the blizzak, when they slip it is more controllable and they grip better overall in braking situations.

I highly recommend the tires, even over the more expensive options.


On the FiST they do make the torque steer more pronounced.

 

[aballphoto]

Just got the same set up on my car yesterday. Car felt great under normal dry conditions. Surprisingly quiet, and I will say I am enjoying not feeling every little bump of the road, the extra sidewall helps.

Will have RallyArmor flaps soon (Did I say that? )

 

[ItMightBePizza]

My how time flies, finally here on the island we have actual snow!

I must say the General Altimax Arctic really outperforms any winter tire i had ever tried before. It is stable and confidence inspiring to a degree that should normally command a much higher price tag. I will not be surprised to see future snow tires taking this direction in terms of tread pattern.

I have no real complaint with these tires at all. Thats pretty rare considering I can usually find fault with most anything!

I guess we will see how they wear as time goes on! Keep it here for the long-term results for these tires!

 

[kennybobenny]

Nice Review. I got the same package as you and would like to add a note about tire pressure: I'm new to performance cars, so I've never thought much about tire pressure and wasn't sure whether to inflate a different rim size tire (15" in this case) to spec. After driving on the tires at ~34psi (how they arrived) cautiously at first I inflated them to the recommended 39 front and 36 rear and they handle way better. It was hard to find any confirmation online, so I thought I'd chime in. I'm a complete newb, so apologies if I'm stating the obvious. Have yet to try them on the snow in WV and PA.

 

[MPA]

I inflated them to the recommended 39 front and 36 rear and they handle way better.

I just mounted mine yesterday, and will be giving this a try. Love the soft sidewalls and not feeling every bump, but it's still dry here

 

[commonplatypus]

I've been running these since November and have nothing but good things to say about them. I miss my summer rubber of course, but these have not exactly been terrible. I did end up with a puncture in the shoulder about a week back from some unknown cause, but Discount Tire took care of it without issue. Cost me a total of $15 to get it totally replaced. Not bad.

Total confidence in the snow doesn't begin to describe these tires. Dry confidence in slightly warmer temps leaves something to be desired but it is by no means "terrible", in my opinion.

For tires that cost me around $250 installed on a set of steelies I got for $200, I am floored at the bang for the buck I got here.

I have also tried running various pressures in the tires. Initially i had them stupidly running very low at just above 30 psi. I don't know why I didn't check this. To say the least I felt pretty foolish. So I inflated them up to the oem pressures and found them a bit... floaty and numb and almost too loose. I lowered it on down to 37 psi in the front and 35 in the back and it felt far better after that. I'd be interested in hearing other opinions on tire pressures, though.

 

[BRGT350]

I installed mine in November as well, but there have only been a few days with snow and it usually melts away by the afternoon. This is a huge change from last winter where we had 30+ inches of snow in November. Winter did finally arrive late last week with an ice storm and lake effect snow. The General's are doing great! I am running 37 psi front and 35 psi rear set at 50'F air temp. Always amazed at how much quieter, smoother, and lighter the car feels on the snow tires compared to my summer Yokohamas.

 

[STcub]

I've been very impressed with these tires as well. They have out performed many winter tires I've had in the past.

 

[ItMightBePizza]

Big weekend for us here in the northeast, gonna be hooning the island for the second season debut of these tires.... they don't look too bad!




Look for some more impressions later this weekend!

 

[commonplatypus]

Experienced something a bit alarming this past weekend. I was on the highway and ran over 80 MPH and the car began to shudder more and more violently as my increased in speed and I backed up. Totally fine below 80 MPH. Has anyone else experienced this on their Altimax Arctics? They really don't seem to like speeds above 80. I asked a friend of mine with the same tires and he is experiencing similar behavior.

 

[MPA]

I just saw 90+ with mine today and it was smooth as glass.

Had the tires out when it snowed the other night - when the road was just covered a little and they seemed pretty good.

 

[STcub]

Experienced something a bit alarming this past weekend. I was on the highway and ran over 80 MPH and the car began to shudder more and more violently as my increased in speed and I backed up. Totally fine below 80 MPH. Has anyone else experienced this on their Altimax Arctics? They really don't seem to like speeds above 80. I asked a friend of mine with the same tires and he is experiencing similar behavior.

i haven't experienced that. I've definitely got up to 100 on these with no issues.

 

[commonplatypus]

Damn, I wonder what it could be...

Maybe my tire pressure is just way off?

 

[MPA]

I don't think it'd be tire pressure unless they were really low - maybe balancing> did your friend get them from the same place or have the same shop mount/balance?

I think balancing because the only time I experienced what you're saying is when I had new tires mounted on my bike - only above 80 did I feel the front end start to vibrate a little. They re balanced and that was all it needed.

 

[commonplatypus]

I don't think it'd be tire pressure unless they were really low - maybe balancing> did your friend get them from the same place or have the same shop mount/balance?

I think balancing because the only time I experienced what you're saying is when I had new tires mounted on my bike - only above 80 did I feel the front end start to vibrate a little. They re balanced and that was all it needed.

This is something I'll look into. Thanks a ton!

 

[FatGuyInALittleCar]

Just to pile on... I have this setup, too. It's amazing for all the reasons already stated. Throw in the dollars and it is the best winter tire buy ever! Very confidence inspiring in cold, wet and snow!