The General Altimax Arctic is a re-branded Gislaved Nordfrost 3 tire which is manufactured by Gisvaled in Germany. Both companies are owned by German Continental AG GmbH. That's right, it says Made in Germany right on the sidewall and those of you who are familiar with Gislaved know that they make some of the best studded winter tires money can buy. The quality and technology is right on par with Nokian, but Nokian charges three times as much for their tires. I have had 4 sets of these tires on 3 different vehicles. All FWD cars driving thousands of miles in winter conditions in the highest elevations of the Rocky Mountains passes and I-70. When it comes to winter driving it does not get any tougher than this in the continental US.
About the tires, I'll start with the not-so-good things first. Soft rubbery compound and studs make for sloppy steering feel, so I run a higher tire pressure in order to offset this effect a little. Noise with any studded tire is always an issue. Because of the soft compound and studs these tires have a lowly Q (99 mph) speed rating, so it is not intended to be a winter performance tire of any sort. If you get just a little bit of snow a few times a year, this is not the tire for you.
Now with the great things about this tire and reasons why I like them so much and keep buying sets of them. The rubber compound and thread pattern give you absolutely incredible traction in snow and ice. Deep snow is handled with ease as the thread clears itself while rotating. The compound stays soft and pliable in the coldest temperatures and the sipes stick to ice securely. Add studs and this becomes the absolute best value for the money on the market if you need a tire to handle the toughest winter conditions. They also last a very long time if you take care of them and keep checking the pressure as you should. Buy these tires if you drive on snow and ice frequently at least 4 months a year. Look elsewhere if you need a performance winter tire that can handle occasional snow.
About the tires, I'll start with the not-so-good things first. Soft rubbery compound and studs make for sloppy steering feel, so I run a higher tire pressure in order to offset this effect a little. Noise with any studded tire is always an issue. Because of the soft compound and studs these tires have a lowly Q (99 mph) speed rating, so it is not intended to be a winter performance tire of any sort. If you get just a little bit of snow a few times a year, this is not the tire for you.
Now with the great things about this tire and reasons why I like them so much and keep buying sets of them. The rubber compound and thread pattern give you absolutely incredible traction in snow and ice. Deep snow is handled with ease as the thread clears itself while rotating. The compound stays soft and pliable in the coldest temperatures and the sipes stick to ice securely. Add studs and this becomes the absolute best value for the money on the market if you need a tire to handle the toughest winter conditions. They also last a very long time if you take care of them and keep checking the pressure as you should. Buy these tires if you drive on snow and ice frequently at least 4 months a year. Look elsewhere if you need a performance winter tire that can handle occasional snow.
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