General G-Max RS vs Yokohama Advan Apex V601 tires

If you’ve got a sports sedan, coupe, or crossover and you really want to push the envelope and get the most out of that vehicle’s handling and braking properties, there’s nothing better for the job than a set of ultra-high-performance (UHP) summer tires. UHP tires are specialized; they’re designed with a tread pattern and internal construction that enhances the tire’s stiffness and rigidity for a boost in high-speed stability. That rigidity also means that summer tires can keep their tread firmly planted on the road, resisting the “tread squirm” and deformation that goes along with the inertia and momentum as the vehicle tries to keep tracking forward during hard maneuvers. Their shoulders are also stiffened and reinforced for the same reason, helping to keep steering predictable and neutral even as you push the vehicle to the limits of its handling on corners. The chief drawback of summer tires is that they use a tread compound that’s softer and more pliable – sometimes almost as soft as a pencil eraser, soft enough to leave an indentation for a few seconds when you press a thumbnail into it. That softness also means a tread formulation that’s “sticky” and adheres to the pavement like glue on hot days, but when the thermometer drops these tires will also stiffen up and lose their traction (think a flexible running shoe or rubber boot vs a hard rubber hockey puck). If temperatures are below 40-45 degrees F, tire manufacturers advise against using summer tires, meaning owners will have to have the tires dismounted and exchanged for all-season tires when the weather gets colder.

We’re going to take a look at the General G-Max RS and Yokohama Advan Apex V601 today. The General and the Yokohama are both high-performance summer tires that are designed for exhilarating performance and are a great fit for vehicles like the Audi A6, Nissan GTR, Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Corvette, or BMW 6 Series. The General and Yokohama both have their own strengths and weaknesses, similarities and common ground in their design and performance, along with some pretty notable differences.

In the course of this head-to-head matchup, you’ll see us make frequent reference to the SimpleScore of these tires. If you’re not familiar with SimpleScore, it’s the proprietary system that the SimpleTire team has come up with to give you an at-a-glance idea of a tire’s capabilities. We look at reviews, specs, and other data points and cook down that information into a numerical score for the categories of handling, traction, and longevity, along with an overall average SimpleScore for any given tire. For the General and the Yokohama, the SimpleScore rankings are:

General G-Max RS

• Traction: 8.7
• Handling: 8.5
• Longevity: 8.0
• Overall average SimpleScore: 8.4

Yokohama Advan Apex V601

• Traction: 8.6
• Handling: 8.8
• Longevity: 8.1
• Overall average SimpleScore: 8.5

As you can see from those SimpleScore numbers, the General G-Max RS and the Yokohama Advan Apex V601 are two tires that compare well to each other and are pretty closely matched in all the SimpleScore categories. While SimpleScore is handy, it doesn’t tell the whole story in detail, of course. Let’s get into some deeper insights with this head-to-head comparison.

General G-Max RS tires

General Tire designed the G-Max RS around the weight, center of gravity, power, torque, and braking performance of today’s sporty sedans, coupes, and crossovers. The G-Max RS starts with a next-generation tread compound designed for unbeatable traction on wet or dry pavement, even wear and short braking distances. The tread pattern of the G-Max RS is designed with General’s StabiliTred Technology package, a redesigned contact patch that puts a bigger, flatter footprint on the pavement for improved weight distribution, traction, braking, and long, even wear.

A solid center rib gives the G-Max RS superb straight-line stability and crisp, direct steering response and driver feedback. General’s SmartGrip Technology suite includes wide, deep circumferential grooves that give water a path away from the tire’s contact patch to resist hydroplaning on wet days. Wide-angled notches in the tire’s intermediate ribs work as a system with circumferential grooves and open shoulder slots to provide extra biting edges for traction on wet pavement.

Internal construction details of the General G-Max RS include a single-ply polyester casing with high turn-up at the sidewall for extra stiffness, along with a twin steel belt package and two-ply polyamide reinforcement ply for extra stability at high speeds. Like many other General tires, the G-Max RS has General’s SmartMonitor feature, with the words “Replacement Tire Monitor” molded into the tire’s center rib. As the tire wears down to a minimum legal tread depth of 2/32”, the words “Replace Tire” will be revealed, alerting the driver that the tire has worn down to its wear bars. SimpleTire’s price on the General G-Max RS starts at $122.99 per tire.

Yokohama Advan Apex V601 tires

Yokohama has decades of experience in the motorsports world and in designing tires for performance vehicles, and they bring that all to the table with the Apex V601. The Yokohama Advan Apex V601 starts with an advanced high-silica tread compound for long wear and great traction on wet or dry roads. Its slightly asymmetric tread pattern includes an extra-wide outside rib for unmatched cornering control, a solid center rib, circumferential grooves, and optimized groove angles for enhanced traction on wet roads.

Like the General, the Yokohama features a polyester casing held together with a twin steel belt package and a spiral-wound nylon cap ply for improved high-speed stability. Yokohama covers the Advan Apex V601 with a 25,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty. SimpleTire’s price on the Yokohama Advan Apex V601 starts at $150.97 per tire.

General G-Max RS vs Yokohama Advan Apex V601 tires on traction

With SimpleScores of 8.7 for the Yokohama and 8.6 for the General in the traction category, these tires are obviously pretty closely matched. Both deliver secure and capable traction on wet or dry pavement, and both offer braking that’s precise and secure. The Yokohama’s slight edge in traction is thanks to that silica-rich tread formulation, the kind of tread compound that many manufacturers have adopted to ensure better grip and long, even wear. It’s a pretty tight margin between the two, but our decision:

ADVANTAGE: Yokohama Advan Apex V601

General G-Max RS vs Yokohama Advan Apex V601 tires on handling

Here’s a category where the difference between the two tires is a little more clear-cut, with a SimpleScore of 8.8 for the Yokohama vs 8.5 for the General. The high-turnup sidewall and reinforced shoulders of the General are great design features, as is the redesigned contact patch, but the Yokohama’s wide outside rib toward the shoulder and sticky tread compound figure into its cornering ability and overall handling properties – the kind of cornering that’s precise and predictable even when pushed hard. The Yokohama can go into a controlled and manageable drift with a little goose of the throttle, then back on track again easily and effortlessly – in other words, the kind of handling that’s enthusiastic and confident but also secure and stable. Our call:

ADVANTAGE: Yokohama Advan Apex V601

General G-Max RS vs Yokohama Advan Apex V601 tires on longevity

Again, with a SimpleScore of 8.1 for the Yokohama and 8.0 for the General, longevity is a pretty close call. Both tires offer great wear properties (for a summer tire, at least), but the Yokohama is covered by a 25,000 mile manufacturer’s treadwear warranty, which is a rarity for any summer or UHP tire. The General G-Max RS, on the other hand, doesn’t have treadwear coverage at all. Though it’s a tough decision, our call is:

ADVANTAGE: Yokohama Advan Apex V601

When to use each

First off, we should probably mention when not to use these tires. If you’re driving a nice well-mannered Buick crossover or a grocery-getter like a Dodge minivan or a Toyota Camry, these aren’t likely to be the right tires for you. They’re only usable in warmer weather and are not suitable for colder days, and they will need to be removed, stored, and swapped for all-season tires when temps are below 40-45 degrees F. They’re not known for a forgiving ride or low noise, and long, even treadwear isn’t a strong point either. In other words, for a daily driver, road trip, or commuter duties, high-performance summer tires like the General G-Max RS and Yokohama Advan Apex V601 aren't a great option.

If, on the other hand, you like to push the envelope and find out the limits of your car’s performance on twisty roads or freeway onramps, the General G-Max RS and Yokohama Advan Apex V601 could both be great choices. They’re nimble, responsive, capable tires that can handle just about the hardest driving you can throw their way. If you’re a driver who likes pulse-quickening performance and an exhilarating experience behind the wheel, you’ve come to the right place with these tires.

Which one should you choose?

Before we wrap things up here, we should clarify that the SimpleScore ratings are a 30,000 foot view that doesn’t tell the whole story of what a tire can offer. The General G-Max RS is an excellent performance tire, especially for its price point, and we are admittedly fans of General’s wear indicator technology and some of their other design features. General has been making inroads in tire innovation and performance for a long time, and the G-Max RS is a great example. That having been said, we tend to think that the Yokohama Advan Apex V601 has a slight edge in all those categories, including a 25,000 mile warranty that you won’t find on many tires in this category. At the end of the day, the SimpleTire team’s nod would have to go to the Yokohama as the better tire, better performer, and better value.

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.