Tires - General Altimax RT43 - All season.

Tirerack ratings, for reference.

One note is that they're not low rolling resistance tires, so your mpgs will likely suffer when there's no snow, but you'll save on snow tires and in snowy weather.

 

Any update on these. I am considering them for my '08 Prius. If I read correctly, despite not being LRR, they get good mpg -- comparable to the Conti True Contact, which is LRR

 

Wife can't want, so went ahead and ordered the General Altimax RT43 for her 2008 Prius. $335 total cost (which includes a rebate, which I may or may not see). Seems to be an awesome price -- $130 less than the conti I was considering.

 

Well have driven just over 50 miles on the General Altimax Rt43 (T-rated) and they are getting exactly the same mpg as the Goodyear Fuelmax that they replaced (46.6) and about 3 mpg better than the other two tires I previously had on the car -- both of which were LRR.

Running at the Toyota factory specified PSI. Handling, well, I have only gone 50 miles, mix of highway and urban. While these are not rated as LRR tires, they are doing pretty well so far.

 

so, is this whole lrr thing bogus?

 

I really don't know, Bisco (look at my avatar).

I do know that Continental's True Contact, on TireRack testing gets 0.3 better mpg than the General Altimax RT43. The Conti is LRR, the General is not. General is owned by Continental, by the way.

Looking on tire rack at their tests of each tire, in the exact same BMW sedan, the General hit 32.3 mpg and the Cont hit 32.6 mpg.

The Altimax is costing me $335 -- the True Contact would cost me $470.

I have not researched enough to know why/how tire makers decide to proclaim a tire is LRR. Is it a bit like all the supermarket products that proclaim to be "natural," which really does not mean anything?

Or do they have to meet some standard -- and who decides if they meet that standard. Is it like the UTQG (Temperature A, Traction A, Treadwear 700), which is basically decided by the maker?

Interesting questions? I do know that I was considering the True Contact, but when I saw the $ difference as well as the mpg figures, for me, the General was the choice -- I mean 0.3 difference in mpg....

Anyway, an LRR -- what does it really mean -- thread might be a good idea. But, knowing this forum, there probably is one around somewhere already.

 

i don't recall ever reading the definition. let me try doc google.

update: u.s. dept of energy, alternative fuels data center. 3 gov agencies have been tasked with developing regulations for passenger vehicle tire fuel efficiency standards by december 2017. with some exceptions.

 

Good research! I poked around a bit but did not find anything that said anything!

So, all these tire posts on PriusChat are relying on LRR ratings, which, apparently do not necessarily mean anything??

Is that what I am seeing. WOW!

When looking for a new tire, I went by the TireRack review of the tire's performance on the track, as well as by the comments by actual buyers before I decided on the RT43. Threw out the $500-plus tires.

Sort of glad I went with the General tire now. I may regret it later, but the Goodyear FuelMax it replaces was no stellar performer.

Having said that, there was the Goodyear TripleTred on my Camry and that tire is pretty awesome, but it is now in the $500 plus range, so as a replacement -- you guessed it-- RT43.

The ratings on the RT are impressive for a tire that costs so little -- well, sort of little.

 

interestingly, the gov dot site links tire rack. so mfg.'s are doing their own testing for now, and tyre rack is testing, but they can't define the term. i guess we'll just have to wait. there was also a c/r article that said lab testing and real world weren't necessarily compatible.

 

This is like the tire world's dirty little secret!!!!

 

they are like mattresses.

 

Good thread, fellas. LRR tires bogus? Misleading? Marketing ploy? Just plain bunk? (Reminds me of the 2016 Prius Two "Eco" model... but don't get me started on that! My Three gets just as good gas mileage, or better.)

I agree, I don't think the "LRR" tires are all that their hyped-up to be. Gas mileage improvement, if any, might be just minimal? Or none.
There are hundreds of articles and various opinions on the internet about LRR tires.
What You Need To Know About Low-Rolling-Resistance Tires on Edmunds.com

I don't think I will buy a new tire based on if it's "LRR", or not. Like everybody else, I just want a good tire that performs decently under various conditions. Wet, dry, braking, ride, noise.

 

dot gov said all new vehicles come with lrr tyres, but after market purchases weren't regulated yet.

 

TireRack says they're LRR:

Michelin X-Ice Xi3

I'm sure LRR snow tires are not in same league as an all season LRR. Also, the definition is very loose and wide. Just curious: were your snow mounted on separate rims? Reading between the lines I think not. If they're loose tires, consider getting some corolla steel rims or similar, get them mounted. Makes swaps much easier, easier on your oem rims.

 

So do you guys believe there really is such a thing as LRR tires? Or is it just a "name" a tire company slaps on there (and a few more PSI, as in the Two Eco's case.) What is the actual "physical" difference between a LRR tire and a standard all-season tire? Any MPG difference?

The same Dunlop tire I saw on the Two Eco, was also on regular Two models, and Threes, and a couple of Four models. (They just increase the PSI on the Eco model. What a crock.)