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Last updated 9/22/2025 - Originally published 9/22/2025
Written by SimpleTire, Expertly reviewed by Brett Antosh
Winter tires are essential if you live in frigid areas where the temperature is below 45 degrees Fahrenheit for most of the year, with deep ice and snow conditions. Among the oldest tire brands, General Tire rolls out high-quality tires for a variety of vehicles ranging from passenger cars and minivans to SUVs and light trucks. Similarly, Yokohama is a well-known Japanese tire brand that has been among the most rapidly growing brands across the globe, and manufactures tires under different categories like all-season, all-terrain, mud-terrain, rugged-terrain, winter, and UHP.
The Altimax Arctic 12 from General and the iceGUARD iG53 from Yokohama are capable winter tires that offer great value and adequate performance in low-temperature conditions. Both tires are Three Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) certified, which means they can take on deep ice and snow without any complaints. Let’s pit the General Altimax Arctic 12 and Yokohama iceGUARD iG53 against each other to know which one better suits your needs. Based on our proprietary SimpleScore, we compare the tires against their traction, handling, and longevity traits to know whose buying makes more sense. Keep reading.
General Altimax Arctic 12 tires
Launched in 2017, the General Altimax Arctic 12 is a studdable winter tire that’s designed for passenger cars, CUVs, and minivans and offers great steering response, control, braking, and traction in challenging winter conditions. The General winter tire is Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) certified, assuring its strong performance on snow and ice. While a special winter-specific rubber compound remains flexible in freezing temperatures, an aggressive tread design with wide grooves and dense sipes enhances traction on slippery surfaces. For extra biting power on ice, the Altimax Arctic 12 gets optional studs (check local laws before opting). The directional tread pattern of the General Altimax Arctic 12 provides enhanced straight-line stability and cornering control in harsh winter conditions.
With an overall SimpleScore of 8.5, the General Altimax Arctic 12 delivers strong performance in traction, handling, and tread life, making for a reliable winter tire.
Get General Altimax Arctic 12 tires at the best deals for your vehicle here
Yokohama iceGUARD iG53 tires
Introduced in 2019, the Yokohama iceGUARD iG53 is a reliable, studless winter tire that offers fantastic control, grip, braking, acceleration, and durability in moderate to severe winter conditions. Designed for passenger cars and minivans, the Yokohama winter tire’s advanced rubber compound and unique tread pattern, with a large number of biting edges, provide great traction and a shorter stopping distance on ice and snow. The iceGUARD iG53's high-density sipes and slush-grooves help to evacuate water and slush from the contact patch, enhancing grip and stability. It’s Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certified, which means it offers reassuring performance in severe winter conditions.
With an 8.3 overall SimpleScore, the Yokohama iceGUARD iG53 delivers adequate grip, traction, and handling in severe winter conditions.
Get Yokohama iceGUARD iG53 tires at the best deals for your vehicle here
General Altimax Arctic 12 vs Yokohama iceGUARD iG53 tires on traction
In wintry conditions, traction is the difference between a skid and grip. The Altimax Arctic 12 and iceGUARD iG53 promise consistent grip and traction in extreme winter conditions. One emerges as quite impressive, while the other just makes the cut.
With an 8.6 traction score, the General Altimax Arctic 12, with its arrow-shaped center tread, grips the surface firmly, making braking and acceleration a hassle-free affair. With the 3PMSF certification, the General winter tire features deep and wide grooves for quick water and slush evacuation to avoid the risk of hydroplaning and boost traction. Moreover, the winter tire can be pinned with TSMI #12 studs (wherever permitted by law) for extra biting edges and improved grip in slick conditions.
On the other hand, the Yokohama iceGUARD iG53 scores an 8.3 in traction thanks to its advanced tread design that utilizes 3D sipes for effective grip and traction in moderate to severe snow. While the zigzag circumferential grooves clear water and slush from the tread to boost wet performance, the advanced absorptive rubber compound of the Yokohama tire is designed to remove the thin water layer from the ice for increased grip and traction.
With a better traction score, the General tire emerges as the ‘Altimax’ winner of this section.
ADVANTAGE: General Altimax Arctic 12
General Altimax Arctic 12 vs Yokohama iceGUARD iG53 tires on handling
You need precise steering response for increased control on ice and snow. The General and Yokohama winter tires offer a close battle, with one marginally scoring better than the other. Let’s analyse the handling attributes of the two.
Boasting an 8.3 in handling, the General Altimax Arctic 12 features an arrow-shaped center tread area for effective control, stability, and steering response. The numerous wavy and regular sipes on the General winter tire allow enhanced handling and stability in deep snow and ice.
Contrarily, the Yokohama iceGUARD iG53 scores an 8.4 in handling thanks to the network of 3D sipes and new-gen rubber compound that removes the watery film from the ice for increased control, stability, and steering response. Meanwhile, the unidirectional tread design with wider footprint puts more rubber on the ground for effective grip and handling.
The Yokohama iceGUARD iG53 nudges ahead of the General Altimax Arctic 12 in handling.
ADVANTAGE: Yokohama iceGUARD iG53
General Altimax Arctic 12 vs Yokohama iceGUARD iG53 tires on longevity
Longevity is influenced by tread compound, tire design, proper inflation, and driving habits. Both winter tires promise adequate tread life in extreme conditions. But here, too, one emerges as the winner.
Scoring an 8.6 in longevity, the General Altimax Arctic 12 assures prolonged service life thanks to the specialized tread pattern that promotes uniform wear throughout the lifecycle while resisting uneven wear. Also, the special rubber compound is tailored towards delivering longer wear in freezing temperatures.
The Yokohama iceGUARD iG53 achieves an 8.4 in longevity, which means you can count on that if you are looking for a winter tire with better tread life. It features two layers of rubber under the tread for extra durability, while hundreds of sipes help the Yokohama tire return with improved wearability in harsh winter conditions.
The Altimax Arctic 12 wins the longevity battle with a better score.
ADVANTAGE: General Altimax Arctic 12
When to use each
Winter tires are specially engineered to provide superior safety and performance in cold weather conditions. They feature a unique rubber compound that stays soft and flexible in temperatures below 45 degrees Fahrenheit, a key factor for maintaining grip on icy roads. The tread patterns are designed with deeper grooves and sipes, which bite into snow and ice for enhanced traction and shorter braking distances.
The General Altimax Arctic 12 should be used if you need better traction and tread life, while the Yokohama iceGUARD iG53 should be opted for if you prefer improved handling and control.
Which one should you choose?
In a nutshell, the General Altimax Arctic 12 is better than the Yokohama iceGUARD iG53 as far as the overall SimpleScore is concerned (8.5 vs 8.3). However, the General winter tire has an edge in traction and longevity, while the Yokohama tire is marginally ahead in the handling department. Let’s check out their prices to see which one is a better deal.
For the 225/50R18 size, the General Altimax Arctic 12 costs $190 per tire, while four tires cost $760. Similarly, the Yokohama iceGUARD iG53 costs $211 per tire, while four tires cost $844 (a difference of $84 on four tires).
Based on SimpleScore, you should choose the General Altimax Arctic 12 if you:
- Drive vehicles like the Ford Edge, Mazda CX-5, and Chevrolet Equinox
- Want improved grip and traction (8.6 vs 8.3)
- Need a longer service life (8.6 vs 8.4)
- Want a superb winter tire at an affordable price
- Prefer a studded winter tire
You should go for the Yokohama iceGUARD iG53 if you:
- Drive vehicles like the Acura TLX, Chevrolet Malibu, and the Honda Odyssey
- Want a winter with better stability and handling (8.4 vs 8.3)
- Prefer a studdles winter tire
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.