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Last updated 7/03/2024 - Originally published 7/03/2024
Written by SimpleTire
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When it comes to choosing the best all-weather tires for passenger cars, the Italian brand Pirelli offers some of the most dependable tires, while the American manufacturer General continues to be a celebrated brand with a legacy spanning over a century. Both tires are engineered to deliver excellent performance in dry, wet, and winter conditions, providing year-round reliability. We pit their popular all-weather tires, the Cinturato WeatherActive and the Altimax 365AW, against each other to know which one performs better.
The Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive and the General Altimax 365AW are impressive all-weather tires, backed by a 60,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty each. They ensure long-lasting performance and durability in unpredictable weather conditions, offering reliable traction, handling, and longevity. So, which of these two brands would you go with? Let’s compare Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive vs. General Altimax 365W based on our proprietary SimpleScore and find the winner.
Introduced in the USA in 2022, the Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive is an excellent all-weather tire designed to offer excellent performance in dry, wet, and winter conditions. It is a Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certified tire backed by a 60,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty, promising quiet and comfortable rides. The durable all-weather tire features a special rubber compound that delivers strong traction in wet and snowy conditions without sacrificing dry performance. Thanks to its trumpet-shaped lateral grooves, the Cinturato WeatherActive reduces the risk of hydroplaning as it forces water and slush out of the tread. The zigzag central groove in this all-weather tire boosts handling and braking in snowy conditions, while its deep and continuous sipes ensure strong traction even as it wears down.
With an excellent SimpleScore of 9.6 out of 10, the Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive excels in traction, handling, and longevity.
Engineered for cars and SUVs, the General Altimax 365AW is a great all-weather tire providing superb traction, great steering response, and decent fuel efficiency. Backed by a 60,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty, the Altimax 365AW features a specialized all-weather rubber compound for improved performance in moderate to severe winter weather conditions. The Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certification ensures enhanced traction, handling, and control in icy and snowy conditions. The Altimax 365AW also comes with Visual Alignment Indicators that alert drivers about misalignment, thereby preventing irregular wear and prolonging its service life.
At 8.7, the overall SimpleScore of the General Altimax 365AW looks impressive, demonstrating its strong performance in traction, handling, and longevity.
Traction helps tires maintain consistent surface contact to prevent skidding. For a safe and controlled driving experience, a tire must offer superior traction in different driving conditions.
Thanks to its special rubber compound, the Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive boasts an outstanding traction score of 9.8 out of 10. Its trumpet-shaped lateral grooves and zigzag central groove boost stability and grip on wet and snowy roads, enhancing traction in different weather conditions. Deep and continuous sipes also bite into the road to generate strong traction, even as the tires wear down. Much like the Altimax 365AW, the Cinturato WeatherActive receives Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certification as well.
On the other hand, the General Altimax 365AW scores 8.7 in traction thanks to its all-weather rubber compound and Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certification that ensures reliable traction and grip in wet and moderate to severe winter conditions. The circumferential grooves with connected lateral grooves help in quick channeling of water and slush from the tread for improved traction.
A directional tread pattern on the Cinturato WeatherActive helps generate more traction than the Alimax 365AW’s symmetric pattern. While both tires offer excellent traction, the Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive is the clear winner with a higher SimpleScore.
ADVANTAGE: Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive
Handling is essential for a responsive and controlled driving experience, particularly amidst changing weather conditions. It helps drivers maintain stable rides in dry, wet, and snowy conditions. Both the Pirelli and General tires excel in handling, so let’s see how they compare.
The Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive returns an excellent handling score of 9.8, ensuring it delivers sharp and responsive control in various conditions. Thanks to its directional tread pattern, the Cinturato WeatherActive reduces road noises and vibrations to make rides quiet and comfortable for drivers and passengers. A V-speed rating shows that this tire is designed to be driven faster than the Altimax 365AW (H).
The General Altimax 365AW scores a commendable 8.7 in handling thanks to a specialized tread compound and design that provide predictable handling and stability on wet, dry, and snowy roads. Thanks to Visual Alignment Indicators, drivers enjoy better handling by preventing irregular wear in different road conditions.
The Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive beats the General Altimax 365AW and wins the handling section, too.
ADVANTAGE: Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive
The longevity of a tire determines its service life. Drivers look out for highly durable tires with a lasting tread life so that the tires deliver excellent performance over extended periods. Both the Pirelli and General tires offer impressive durability.
With an excellent longevity score of 9.2, the Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive promises uniform tread wear and a long-lasting design. Its advanced rubber compound and 3-rib tread block design not only provide improved traction but also boost its tread life. It is backed by a 60,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty. Additionally, deep sipes on the Cinturato WeatherActive ensure longer wear.
On the other hand, the General Altimax 365AW scores 9 in longevity thanks to its specialized rubber compound and Visual Alignment Indicators that prevent irregular wear for a longer service life and allow consistent year-round performance. It is backed by a 60,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty.
Despite a close contest in longevity, the Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive continues to register another win over the General.
ADVANTAGE: Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive
All-weather tires offer balanced performance in terms of traction, handling, grip, comfort, and longevity, serving as the ideal choice in unpredictable weather conditions. Ideal for a wide range of vehicles, including passenger cars and SUVs, they offer consistent year-round performance in dry, wet, and winter conditions. The Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive is the first choice due to its excellent traction, handling, and longevity in different weather conditions. If you want year-round reliability and better fuel efficiency, you may consider purchasing the General Altimax 365AW. However, if you live in an area with frigid conditions and the temperature remains below 45 degrees Fahrenheit, you need a dependable set of winter tires for your car.
You may consider buying an all-season tire for your car if you love comfortable rides and long tread life on dry, wet, and light snow. On the other hand, pick UHP tires for sporty rides in warmer weather conditions.
In a nutshell, the Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive does a clean sweep by 3-0 over the General Altimax 365AW, delivering superior traction, handling, and longevity performance. However, the General Altimax 365AW remains a great choice for drivers looking for all-weather performance and better fuel efficiency.
Comparing the prices of the 225/50R18 tire size, the Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive costs around $221 per tire, and four such tires cost $884, while the General Altimax 365AW costs around $189 per tire, and four such tires cost $756 (a difference of $128).
Based on the SimpleScore, choose the Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive if you:
You can opt for the General Altimax 365AW if you:
Still not sure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help, and our helpful agents will be more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.
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