Subjective Review: General Tire - Altimax Arctic 12

I just purchased a set of winter tires and wheels for my 2021 CX-5 GTR and after 500 miles here are my impressions of this combination.

Description: General Tire - Altimax Arctic 12 235/60 R18 (Studded) mounted on Sport Edition wheels w/new TPMS sensors

First of all, I always get taller, narrower profile tires for winter use and would have gone with a 17” if the tire had been available in that size. I have used the General Altimax Arctics on various vehicles before and they have been a good winter tire. These new tires are proving to be everything I have come to expect from them. Our winter conditions tend to be pretty nasty from November well into March. The roads surfaces don’t melt off like they do in the Lower 48 states. The roads here are packed snow, frost, ice, and even water on ice at times, and that is why studded tires are allowed up here in Alaska during the winter months. Some people like to debate studded vs non-studded winter tires, but when it comes to ice, the studded tire provides more grip…hands down. This tire transforms the CX-5 into a real winter animal. They provide lots of grip when accelerating from a stop and the stopping power is quite good, too. Cornering is fun, as the grip is predictable, though I wish the CX-5 AWD had a bit more rear bias. Like all the studded tires I have driven, they feel a bit weird on bare pavement; I describe the steering as slightly “nervous”. Still, the trade-off is worth it. In comparison, though not apples to apples, I have a set of studded Firestone Winterforce II tires on my 4WD Chevy Colorado and they are pretty pathetic in regards to traction. I would have gone with the Altimax on that rig but the required tire size was not available.

So, I really like these tires on the CX-5. They provide a lot of confidence in what can be in intimidating conditions.

You can get a more technical review by going to a site like Discount Tire or Tire Rack, but as I found out with the Firestones, technical data doesn’t always translate to the real life experience.
 
I just purchased a set of winter tires and wheels for my 2021 CX-5 GTR and after 500 miles here are my impressions of this combination.
Thank for the review.


Description: General Tire - Altimax Arctic 12 235/60 R18 (Studded) mounted on Sport Edition wheels w/new TPMS sensors
Nice!

First of all, I always get taller, narrower profile tires for winter use and would have gone with a 17” if the tire had been available in that size.
So if you prefer taller, narrower profile tires for winter use, which seems to be a common knowledge for winter tires, why did you choose 235/60 R18 winter tires which is wider than stock 225/55R19?
 

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