General  Altimax Arctic 12

I have had earlier model / version of this tire as well. Best winter tire for the dollar and outperform the higher priced "winter performance" tires! I go straight from sticky summer autocross tires to these when the weather changes. Great ski tire! These are also excellent rain tires. I will continue buying these for years to come. Excellent value, performance, and peace of mind.

On my second winter in Northern New York with these tires. My car handles great in the snow with them. Last winter I got to test out the deep snow traction when we were hit with a heavy snow fall that totaled 3ft. Drove in to, and home from work and the snow on the road was deep enough you could hear it scraping the undercarriage of the car. Did not get stuck at all. This winter has been more rain/wet so far and the tires grip the wet road as though it were dry. Can't really comment on tread wear just yet, but so far after 1 winter season, the treads still look new. I do not put them on until the tempurature stays below 40F (usually November) and take them off once the temp starts staying above 40F (Usually April) No complaints whatsoever with these tires. Would definitely buy again.

I drive for Uber in Denver, Colorado with General Altimax Arctic 12 studded tires keep me and my passengers safe during snow storms. The studded tires are a a blessing for the snow packed and icy roads. The studs do make the car ride noisy, I just turn on the radio. I drove 2 different model cars with the Altimax Arctic. This is my 3rd set of tires because of car upgrades. Other winter tires I purchased Michelin and Bridgestone only last 2 years in Colorado. The Altimax Arctic's on my car now are on their 2nd winter and still have plenty of tread and studs are still intact, even after driving 75 mph on Colorado E-470. Continental tire technology infused into the subsidiary General, how smart!

Great entry level snow tire. There is more sidewall that I was used to for my car, so it feels kind of gummy in corners when you are on dry pavement. Despite having only 4 inches of ground clearance I was never stuck on or off the road. The tires were very intuitive and complimented the AWD system in my car very well.

The tires aren't very quiet due to the larger tread, but it is maybe 1/8th more loud when they are not studded.

Great tires for ice and snow

I bought these tires in 2017. I swapped them in and out with summer tires for the central Pennsylvania winters of 17/18, 18/19, and 19/20. By March 2020, the summer tires were no longer usable, and when the pandemic hit, I lost my job and couldn't afford new tires. I was forced to leave the winter tires on my car and hope for the best. My mechanic warned me about driving them in the summer heat, but I had no other choice. These magic tires have somehow held up and passed every inspection since. Not only that, but they have been truly great tires. Beasts in the ice and snow, grippy on dry in any temperature, and only just recently started showing some symptoms of hydroplaning. One of them finally has a slow leak, the tread is almost past the point of passing inspection (though performance truly hasn't changed much), and I am just now purchasing a second set to be my year-round tires. Call me crazy, but they have beyond proven themselves.

I purchased and had installed on 12/26. Drove them up to Maine on a ski trip. The day I was set to return it snowed 5-8 inches overnight. When I hit the roads route 26 in Maine was barely plowed. The tires didn't disappoint in the ice and snow and slush and water. The tire is very quiet. Other winter tires I have had from Nokian are loud over certain pavements. These don't seem to make a loud or different noise over different pavements. My only criticism is their dry handling is a little squirmy but not surprising for any winter tire that has a soft compound. Pushing them fast through on or off ramps or highways cornering you will notice a difference from an all season, but to be expected.

For the first five winters of owning this car I ran a set of Goodyear UltraGrip Winter tires and was happy to get rid of them; they were perhaps the least effective set of dedicated snow tires I've driven on with several Hondas (three Accords, two Civics, and a CR-V) over the last 10+ years. A friend and many Tire Rack users recommended this General Altimax Arctic 12; there was a rebate, and I was trying to save a bit of money since I was also purchasing new alloy rims. I mounted them a few weeks ago and have driven them several hundred miles on cold but mostly dry paved rural highways. Not especially noisy, decent dry grip, and typically squishy (not bad) for snow tires on dry pavement. Last night Northern Michigan got its first real storm, about 8 inches of wet snow, so I looked forward to taking the Generals for a spin and then comparing them to the performance of the one-year-old Blizzak WS90s I have on my 2019 Civic. I did the same 15-mile rural twisty loop in each car in the same conditions. The Altimax Arctic 12s were great pulling through the length of my straight, unplowed driveway and powering through the plow-pile at the end of it. On the road, the crews had been through once earlier in the day, so there was about 4 inches of driven-through, 30-degree mashed-potato consistency snow remaining throughout the loop, with occasional drifts. Most impressive was the straight-line pulling power, even on a few mid-hill starts from 0 m.p.h. Non-panic stopping was also strong. However, the Generals don't corner so hot through the curves; certainly an improvement from the aforementioned 5-year-old Goodyears, but I was a little disappointed for brand new tires. The mediocrity was confirmed after making the same trip in the Civic. Yes, the Civic has more aggressive handling overall and a slightly lower-profile tire size, but I would've thought the wear would've evened things out. Nope--the used Blizzaks beat the new Generals. The Blizzaks may be worth the extra $100.

This is an excellent winter tire for the money. They offer excellent snow grip and are comfortable. They've gotten a little louder since when they were new, but that is to be expected. Still nothing terrible. The handling and cornering performance is what you'd expect from a winter tire - nothing special, but I've had winter tires that were way clumbsier than these. They offer a very accepable handling experience in my opinion. And the treadwear is fantastic, I estimate I'll get 16k-18k out of these before they need to be replaced.

The tires were well priced They arrived in a timely manner .
Great tire in the snow and rain
Noise level is minimal, and they provide a comfortable ride

Put these on my 2017 Equinox November 2017. Used all winter (7500 miles) in NE and tires still look new. Very impressive traction in any snow one would venture out into with a Front WD Equinox. 4-6 inches on unplowed roads - no concerns. Probably could do 8" on unplowed roads if necessary, but wouldn't be my choice of vehicle for this. Tires would pull through just fine, I suspect, but why bother.

I have to travel a 3/8 mile uphill incline of about 7% in a residential neighborhood to get to my home. Traction is mandatory as there is no room to get any momentum. These tires did and excellent job of pulling up this hill in both loose and hard packed conditions. hard pack, slush, powder were all handled well by this tire and standing water and wet roads just fine too.

Ice traction is a misleading category in my opinion. Nothing short of studs will be worth a darn. Having lived in snow country over 40 years, this has been my experience.

If you are looking for a very good snow tire (that probably could double as an all season tire) at a reasonable price point, this was and will continue to be my choice. I have ran the "top of the line" snow tires in the past, and while they may do marginally better in performance, their price point was much higher and longevity significantly less.

quiet, great performance, and great treadware - long lasting and even even on a car that is very tough on tires. No need to shop around, after a few winters I will definitely just buy another set of these

Over the years we have had Blizzaks and General Arctics for snow tires as well as General RT43's for summer tires. It is that history that led us to get the Arctics last year for the wife's Rav4. She previously had same for her Prius and was amazed how well just front wheel drive with snows did in the New England winters. I have them on my Fusion AWD and have fantastic results as well. She works nights as a CNA so needs reliable tires/transportation which is why when she leased her Rav we knew it would be Generals for winter use. This winter has not been as bad with snow as previous ones but we have had more ice storms than usual. The combination of the Rav AWD and the Generals (along with careful driving) has made sure she gets to and from work safely and without incident. She appreciates that the Generals are quieter and ride smoother than the OEM summers. She can be a little spirited with stopping so I'm glad for the traction the Generals provide both with snow and ice. This winter has forced her to reign in her driving somewhat but her confidence in the Generals shows when she drives herself rather than have me take her in. As we have dedicated summer and winter tires we expect to get at least 5+ seasons out of the Generals - I expect they will be replaced based on age long before they run out of tread. Anyone considering a good snow tire and can't afford Blizzaks (our previous 1st choice) will be very please to try the Generals and have both comfort and safety as a reward. Thanks General!