General Altimax 365AW vs Firestone Weathergrip tires

A member of the German conglomerate Continental, General Tire is a renowned tire maker that first rolled out in 1915 and has a presence in almost all the categories of tire types – all-season, all-weather, winter, all-terrain, and more. On the other hand, another all-American tire brand Firestone carries a similar experience in building tires as the General brand. A subsidiary of the Japanese tire manufacturer Bridgestone, Firestone needs no introduction in the North American market. With a reputed name in motorsports, Firestone rolls out tires for passenger cars, SUVs, CUVs, and light trucks in various categories, like General. Under all-weather tires, the Altimax 365AW and Weathergrip are two of their most promising alternatives.

Designed for passenger cars, CUVs, and SUVs, the General Altimax 365AW and Firestone Weathergrip offer improved resistance to changing weather conditions of dry, wet, and moderate to severe snow and ice. Whether traction, grip, stability, or handling, both tires return superb performance year-round. With special all-weather compounds, these tires resist uneven wear and offer long-lasting tread with uniform wear throughout their lifecycles. With the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certification assuring improved low-temperature performances, which of these two is a better option? Let’s compare General Altimax 365W vs. Firestone Weathergrip tires based on our proprietary SimpleScore to know the right choice.

General Altimax 365AW tires

Launched in May 2021, the General Altimax 365AW is a capable all-weather tire that offers stunning performance in dry, wet, and moderate to extreme winter weather conditions of ice and snow. With the special rubber compound, the Altimax 365AW remains composed at low temperatures as its rubber maintains flexibility in sub-freezing conditions. With a symmetric tread pattern, the General all-weather tire offers increased resistance to uneven wear for a longer service life. While the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certification ensures enhanced winter performance, the Visual Alignment Indicators alert drivers about any possible misalignment leading to longer wear. It is backed by a 60,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty.

Scoring an 8.7 SimpleScore, the General Altimax 365AW offers great grip, traction, stability, handling, and tread life.

Firestone Weathergrip tires

Introduced in May 2019, the Firestone Weathergrip is suitable for coupes, minivans, CUVs, and SUVs thanks to its symmetrical tread pattern that helps deliver optimum grip, traction, stability, handling, and longevity. While open shoulder slots boost water evacuation from the contact patch to resist the risk of hydroplaning, the 3D full-depth sipes on ribs lead to improved control and snow traction. For enhanced snow performance, the Weathergrip features Snow Traction Claw Technology on the inside and outside tread blocks on intermediate ribs. With the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certification, the Firestone all-weather tire assures great control and performance on ice and snow. Backed by a 65,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty, the Firestone Weathergrip is also covered by an industry-leading trial 90-Day Buy & Try Guarantee program.

Scoring the same 8.7 in SimpleScore, the Firestone Weathergrip promises to be a go-to all-weather tire for great traction, handling, stability, and wear performance.

General Altimax 365AW vs Firestone Weathergrip tires on traction

Traction allows your vehicle to keep in consistent contact with the surface without skidding. All-weather tires are designed to offer fantastic traction on dry, wet, and snow.

With an 8.7 traction score, the General Altimax 365AW features an all-weather rubber compound that ensures flexibility of the tread is maintained even in low temperatures. The Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certified tire also comes with effective longitudinal and connected lateral grooves for quick removal of water and slush from the tread for enhanced grip and traction on dry, wet, and snow.

The Firestone Weathergrip scores the same 8.7 in traction thanks to the 3D full-depth sipes and Snow Traction Claw Technology that allow increased grip on snow and wet surfaces. The outer tread has an open tread pattern for effective water evacuation to resist hydroplaning and boos wet traction.

With the same scores, the traction section ends in a tie.

ADVANTAGE: Tie

General Altimax 365AW vs Firestone Weathergrip tires on handling

Better control and stability are a must in slippery conditions of ice and snow. The Altimax 365AW and Weathergrip claim to offer great handling in dry, wet, and winter weather conditions.

The General Altimax 365AW scores 8.7 thanks to a unique rubber compound and an optimized tread pattern that allows improved steering response and control on dry, wet, and snow. The solid outer tread and consistent center rib return great handling performance.

With a symmetrical tread pattern, the Firestone Weathergrip scores 8.6 in handling thanks to its dense siping, wide lateral grooves on shoulders, and alternate tread elements on the center tread.

As visible above, it is indeed a close battle, but the General pips the Firestone by a slight margin.

ADVANTAGE: General Altimax 365AW

General Altimax 365AW vs Firestone Weathergrip tires on longevity

Defined by the number of years or miles a tire can survive, longevity is a potential selection criterion for most buyers. Both all-weather tires assure great durability and longevity throughout their tread life.

Boasting its highest score (9) in this comparison, the General Altimax 365AW offers great value thanks to its innovative rubber compound that limits uneven wear and promotes uniform wear. Backed by a 60,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty, the Altimax 365AW features Visual Alignment Indicators that curb irregular wear by alerting the driver about the tire condition (aligned/misaligned).

Finally creating some firepower, the Firestone Weathergrip puts a 9.2 longevity score on the board. Thanks to the 3D full-depth sipes on all ribs, the Weathergrip promotes even wear throughout its lifecycle. It gets an industry-leading 90-day Buy & Try Guarantee scheme along with a solid 65,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty.

With a better longevity score, the Firestone Weathergrip pips the General Altimax 365AW.

ADVANTAGE: Firestone Weathergrip

When to use each

All-weather tires offer an incredible combination of performance and tread life. Be it dry, wet, or moderate to extreme winter weather conditions of ice and snow, they prove to be extremely handy thanks to their innovative tread compound that makes it happen besides their selective tread pattern. If you want a longer service life and do not drive over anything beyond light snow, all-season tires are made for you that perform year-round.

For drivers who usually experience 45 degrees Fahrenheit or less in their region, you need dedicated winter tires to sail you through heavy snow and slush in sub-freezing conditions.

Which one should you choose?

To conclude, the General Altimax 365AW wins the handling battle while the Firestone Weathergrip gets an edge in the longevity department. However, the traction rivalry ends in a tie here. With the score level, some drivers may consider warranty as the dealbreaker. In such a case, the Firestone is better than the General with a 65,000 mile warranty vs 60,000 mile warranty. Let’s check their prices:

Comparing the prices of the 225/50R18 95H tire size, the General Altimax 365AW costs around $189 per tire, and four such tires cost $756, while the Firestone Weathergrip costs around $204 per tire, and four such tires cost $816 (a difference of $60).

Based on SimpleScore, you should choose the General Altimax 365AW if you:

• Drive vehicles like the Toyota Camry, Subaru Outback, Mercedes-Benz ML350, and Chrysler 300
• Want better handling (8.7 vs 8.6)
• Need an affordable tire

You can opt for the Firestone Weathergrip if you:

• Drive vehicles like the Chevrolet Equinox, Nissan Versa Note, and Hyundai Tucson
• Need a long-lasting tire (9.2 vs 9.0)
• Want a longer mileage warranty (65,000 vs 60,000 miles)

Still not sure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help as our helpful agents are more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.