Continental Tire the Americas LLC has expanded its General Altimax tire line with the introduction of the Altimax RT43 all-season touring tire. It features two new tire technologies.
The tire was recently introduced to tire dealers and the media at Continental’s Texas Uvalde Proving Grounds.
“The Altimax RT43 replaces the Altimax RT, which was one of the products that revitalized the General tire brand in 2007,” said Joe Maher, passenger and performance product manager.
Maher said that in designing the Altimax RT43, the company wanted to improve winter performance and tread life.
“We have two new technologies in the General Altimax RT43, one for snow and one for wear,” Maher explained. “The snow technology is Peak Anti-Slip Sipe Design (PASD). The tire is designed with an all-season tread pattern, and we went after snow performance with a pattern so we wouldn’t have to utilize a soft compound that reduces wear. PASD technology increases the number of biting edges for traction on slippery roads.”
The second new technology is Low Surface Abrasion (LSA) technology, which results in construction elements that reduce tread distortion as the tire rolls. The result is less surface abrasion, which leads to even tread wear and extended tread life.
“For wear, we have LSA technology, a construction change,” said Maher. “Tread pattern distortion creates additional wear. We were able to reduce the distortion of the tread pattern. This is a big improvement for the General tire brand.”
The tire was designed for the needs of the United States market. It also will be available in Canada and Mexico.
“From a requirement standpoint, it really focuses on U.S. products with all-season capability and a very long-wearing tire,” Maher explained. “It’s designed around the concept of being a touring tire that is a power line product. We’re giving our dealers a tire that they can sell for lots and lots of different vehicles in one line of product.”
In addition, the tire features the Visual Alignment Indicator (VAI), a series of shallow sipes on both shoulders. When misalignment occurs, the sipes on one shoulder will wear off before the other. The VAI alerts the driver to the misalignment condition.
Continental backs the Altimax RT43 all-season touring tire with a 45-day customer satisfaction trial and a 75,000-mile limited tread life warranty. It comes in sizes ranging from 13 to 18 inches and has a UTQG wear rating of 600 for the 13- through 15-inch sizes and 700 for the 16- through 18-inch sizes.
The General Altimax RT43 will go on sale Aug. 1. ■
