Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus vs General Altimax RT45 tires

The US market has been a darling of all-season tires as they contribute to over 90% of total passenger vehicle tire sales. The Italian tire maker, Pirelli Tire has been instrumental in designing some great all-season tires that offer superior control, excellent traction, and incredible tread life with a dash of its racing legacy. On the other hand, the American tire maker General Tire has been producing quality tires for over a century for passenger cars, CUVs, SUVs, commercial vehicles, and pickup trucks. The P4 Persist AS Plus from Pirelli and the Altimax RT45 from General are two quality all-season tire lines that promise great performance year-round, and so a comparison is imperative.

The Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus and the General Altimax RT45 promise excellent traction, handling, comfort, control, and durability in dry, wet, and light snowy conditions. Backed by solid limited manufacturer tread life warranties, the P4 Persist AS Plus and the Altimax RT45 are perfect year-round companions for your coupe, sedan, minivan, SUV, and CUV. So which one will you go for? Let’s compare the Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus vs. General Altimax RT45 based on our proprietary SimpleScore system and find out the winner.

Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus tires

Engineered for use on passenger cars, minivans, CUVs, and SUVs, the Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus offers superior traction, grip, handling, and stability throughout the year. The wide grooves of the Pirelli all-season tire help clear water quickly to reduce the risk of hydroplaning and boost wet performance. While the notched center rib returns exceptional handling and stability with greater control, its optimized pitch sequence reduces road noise and vibration levels substantially to return a quiet and comfortable ride quality. Thanks to the dense sipes, the all-season tire features extra biting edges for effective grip and traction in wet and light snow. Made with a special rubber compound, it restricts uneven wear and promotes uniform wear throughout its lifecycle. It is backed by a strong 85,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty, ascertaining its long-lasting tread.

Boasting an excellent 9.3 average score, the Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus has everything to qualify as an ideal all-season tire.

General Altimax RT45 tires

Developed for coupes, sedans, CUVs, SUVs, and minivans, the General Altimax RT45 features a symmetric tread design that offers increased traction, grip, handling, and confident control in dry, wet, and light wintry weather. With an advanced rubber compound and cutting-edge technologies, the General tire returns improved durability and a long-lasting tread life. Available with either a black or outlined white letter sidewall for visual appeal, the Altimax RT45 features Replacement Tire Monitor and Visual Alignment Indicators that alert the driver about the tire condition - be it misalignment or excessive wear. While the optimized tread pattern keeps the noise levels in check, the limited manufacturer tread life warranty of up to 75,000 miles brings peace of mind. Additionally, the General tire also comes with a long 45-day satisfaction trial as well.

With an 8.9, the General has a strong contender against the Pirelli in the name of the Altimax RT45.

Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus vs General Altimax RT45 tires on traction

Tire traction is one of the basic functions of a tire, with its performance directly linked to your safety. Whether P4 Persist AS Plus or Altimax RT45, both ensure improved traction and grip on paved roads.

With an exceptional 9.4 traction score, the Pirelli all-season tire offers superior grip and traction on different surfaces thanks to its wide circumferential grooves that clear water from the tread to mitigate the risk of hydroplaning and improve wet performance. Moreover, the dense siping boosts the grip in wet and snow by creating extra biting edges.

On the other hand, the General tire scores 8.6 thanks to its symmetric tread pattern that features wide longitudinal grooves for effective removal of water from the tread for consistent traction on wet surfaces, zeroing the risk of losing control. Multiple sipes further provide additional biting zones for improved grip on dry, wet, and light snow.

With an excellent traction score, the Pirelli is way ahead of the General and wins the ‘gripping’ battle.

ADVANTAGE: Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus

Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus vs General Altimax RT45 tires on handling

Handling is another critical aspect of a tire as it keeps the vehicle under control and limits the chances of any mishap by oversteer or understeer.

Continuing its phenomenal run, the P4 Persist AS Plus achieves a 9.1 out of 10 in handling thanks to its notched center rib and optimized tread pattern that boosts steering response and stability on different driving surfaces.

On the other hand, the General Altimax RT45 features a solid center rib and strong outer tread for confident handling in dry, wet, and light snow. The sipes, too, aid in boosting steering response and stability. As a result, the Altimax RT45 receives a handling score of 8.7.

With a better handling score, the Pirelli wins the handling tussle as well.

ADVANTAGE: Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus

Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus vs General Altimax RT45 tires on longevity

All-season tires are primarily preferred for their extensive service life and longer manufacturer’s tread life warranties. The Pirelli and the General tires both come with strong tread life warranties and superb scores.

The P4 Persist AS Plus has an optimized tread pattern that evenly distributes the driving pressure across the contact patch for uniform wear. The special rubber compound of the Pirelli tire promotes longer wear while resisting uneven wear. The solid 85,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty demonstrates its long-term performance and excellent durability. Based on the above, the Persist AS Plus carries an incredible longevity score of 9.6.

Going a notch higher for the first time in this comparison, the General Altimax RT45 produces ‘ultimate’ longevity performance by scoring a near-perfect 9.8 out of 10. While the advanced rubber compound resists uneven tread wear, the Replacement Tire Monitor and Visual Alignment Indicators ensure the driver is alerted beforehand about the tire condition. It is backed by a 75,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty for T- and H-speed rated sizes and a 65,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty on V-rated sizes.

The Altimax RT45 turns the table around and finally beats the P4 Persist AS Plus with a sensational longevity score.

ADVANTAGE: General Altimax RT45

When to use each

All-season tires are designed to offer excellent handling, grip, comfort, traction, and durability around the year in different weather conditions. They come with a long service life and solid limited manufacturer tread life warranties. While the Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus is an ideal option for someone looking for superior traction and handling, the General Altimax RT45 is great for longevity seekers.

If you want year-round performance and better traction, grip, control, and handling in moderate to severe snow, you should go for all-weather tires that are made for unpredictable weather conditions. However, if the temperatures remain below 45 degrees Fahrenheit around the year, choose winter tires as they are engineered to handle sub-freezing temperatures without any dip in their performance. However, they can’t be used in warmer conditions as they wear faster.

Which one should you choose?

To sum up, the Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus is way ahead of the General Altimax RT45 in traction and handling while the latter is ahead of the former in longevity. Let’s compare their prices to see which tire is ideal for you.

Comparing their prices for the 195/65R15 91H tire size, the Pirelli costs roughly $149 per tire, and four such tires cost $596, while the General tire costs approximately $105 per tire, and four tires cost $420 (a difference of $176)!

Based on SimpleScore, you can pick the Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus if you:

• Drive vehicles like the Honda CR-V, Volvo XC60, and Hyundai Santa Fe
• Prefer better traction (9.4 vs 8.6) and handling (9.1 vs. 8.7)
• Want a longer limited manufacturer tread life warranty (85,000 vs 75,000 miles)

You can go for the General Altimax RT45 if you:

• Drive vehicles like the Mazda CRX-5, Subaru Outback, and Toyota Camry
• Want a more affordable tire
• Prefer an aesthetically appealing outlined white letter sidewall
• Want superior longevity (9.8 vs 9.6)

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