GT Radial Champiro UHP A/S vs Lexani RFX tires

The tire market is changing quickly, with lots of new up-and-coming brands that are hitting the market. Along with that shakeup in the number of brands of tires that are available, many tires now offer the kind of features, performance, and value that you used to only find in premium-brand top-tier tires. That includes things like generous treadwear coverage, advanced tread compounds, next-generation internal construction, and modern tread designs for low noise and year-round performance. All those features also mean tires that can deliver performance and value that’s on par with top-brand tires but at a surprisingly affordable price.

That’s where we get to this matchup of the GT Radial Champiro UHP A/S vs Lexani RFX. Lexani and GT Radial might be less familiar brands to many American drivers, but our team at SimpleTire has been pretty impressed with the product line from both of these companies. Both the Lexani RFX and the GT Radial Champiro UHP A/S are ultra-high-performance all-season tires that deliver year-round versatility (unlike true ultra-high-performance tires that have to be swapped out when temperatures get colder). Both tires come in at a surprisingly affordable price point, and both tires would make an excellent choice for a wide variety of sedans, coupes, minivans, SUVs, and crossovers.

Both the GT Radial and the Lexani have their own sets of strengths and weaknesses, of course. In the course of this head-to-head comparison, you’ll see us refer to the tires’ SimpleScore ratings. If you’re not familiar with SimpleScore, it’s the proprietary system that the SimpleTire team has developed to assign a numerical score for the categories of traction, handling, and longevity, as well as an overall average SimpleScore for the tire. We look at reviews, specs, and other data points, then cook that down to a 1-10 rating. For the GT Radial Champiro UHP A/S and the Lexani RFX, the SimpleScore ratings breakdown as follows:

GT Radial Champiro UHP A/S:

• Traction: 7.9
• Handling: 8.0
• Longevity: 7.9
• Overall average SimpleScore: 7.9

Lexani RFX:

• Traction: 7.6
• Handling: 7.8
• Longevity: 8.0
• Overall average SimpleScore: 7.9

On a scale of 1-10, those are all some pretty solid numbers. But of course, SimpleScore is a 30,000-foot view, the kind of thing that gives you at-a-glance information on how a tire performs. To get a closer look, let’s go into a little more depth with this comparison:

GT Radial Champiro UHP A/S tires

While the GT Radial Champiro UHP A/S is designed for year-round performance, it’s also loaded with the kind of features and performance that you’d expect to find with a summer or UHP tire. Its specially engineered silica-rich tread formulation strengthens grip and traction in wet weather as well as delivering low rolling resistance and excellent wear properties. A built-in rim protector on the sidewall is designed to guard the rim and tire against accidental curb scrapes and abrasions.

Its symmetrical all-season tread features a solid, continuous center rib that gives the Champiro UHP A/S excellent straight-line stability at highway speeds as well as quick, direct steering response. Circumferential and angled grooves help resist hydroplaning by evacuating water from the tire’s contact patch on wet roads. Large, reinforced shoulder blocks give the Champiro UHP A/S excellent cornering ability as they stand up to the inertia and forces of hard maneuvers, and notches along the shoulder blocks work as a system with the tire’s other tread elements for wet-weather traction.

The tread pitch of the GT Radial Champiro UHP A/S is randomized and computer-tuned to neutralize certain frequencies and resonances to keep road noise to a minimum. GT Radial covers the Champiro UHP A/S with a 45,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty. All those features come with a price that starts at $93.99, making the Champiro UHP A/S a top-notch value in a performance all-season tire.

Lexani RFX tires

The Lexani RFX is another affordable performance-oriented all-season tire, but it has some material differences from the GT Radial Champiro UHP A/S. For starters, the Lexani RFX is a run-flat design, meaning that it incorporates a reinforced sidewall that’s capable of supporting the vehicle’s entire weight. A run-flat tire can enable the driver to keep going as far as another 50 miles at 50 mph, even in the event of a complete loss of inflation pressure.

The Lexani RFX is designed around a silica-infused tread compound for improved rolling resistance, wear properties, and wet-weather grip. Speaking of wet weather, a combination of circumferential grooves with multiple large blades and angled grooves help to enhance performance on wet pavement. The grooves of the Lexani RFX have a unique stepped design to further boost wet or dry traction, and an innovative port design at the shoulder helps keep road noise, vibration, and harshness to a minimum. Like with the GT Radial, straight-line road manners and steering response get a boost from a solid center rib design. Lexani covers the RFX with a 50,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty. Starting at $111.96, the Lexani comes in at a slightly more spendy price point compared to the GT Radial.

GT Radial Champiro UHP A/S vs Lexani RFX tires on traction

The GT Radial and the Lexani RFX register SimpleScores of 7.9 (GT Radial) vs 7.6 (Lexani), making them fairly closely matched when it comes to the traction category. Both tires boast a silica-infused tread compound, circumferential grooves, and angled grooves for enhanced traction in wet weather. With similar suites of tread features, you’d expect performance to be just about identical, but the package of full-depth sipes on the GT Radial helps traction by multiplying the tire’s surface area and giving it hundreds of extra edges to bite through standing water or snow and slush. With that in mind, our call when it comes to traction is:

ADVANTAGE: GT Radial Champiro UHP A/S

GT Radial Champiro UHP A/S vs Lexani RFX tires on handling

When it comes to handling, the GT Radial Champiro UHP A/S has a SimpleScore of 8.0 while the Lexani RFX comes in with a SimpleScore of 7.8. Both tires have the bolstered, reinforced shoulder design that you need to resist tread deformation and “tread squirm” as a vehicle is pushed hard into corners or sharp maneuvers. Both have solid center ribs and similar tread patterns, but the sipe network of the Champiro UHP A/S helps with handling and steering response as much as it does with traction on wet or dry pavement. Our call when it comes to handling:

ADVANTAGE: GT Radial Champiro UHP A/S

GT Radial Champiro UHP A/S vs Lexani RFX tires on longevity

Here’s one where the comparison between the two tires is a little bit tighter, with the GT Radial having a SimpleScore of 7.9 for longevity vs 8.0 for the Lexani. The GT Radial is protected by a 45,000 mile warranty, while the Lexani RFX carries a 50,000 mile manufacturer’s warranty. That’s a slight leg up when it comes to warranty coverage, and of course, both tires are engineered with advanced silica-rich tread formulations. The Lexani, though, gives drivers the peace of mind that comes with a run-flat design, knowing that the tire will still be usable in an emergency even in the event of complete loss of inflation pressure. Our call when it comes to longevity:

ADVANTAGE: Lexani RFX

When to use each

If you’re the kind of driver who likes to explore the limits of your vehicle’s performance now and then but you’re still looking for an all-season tire that can perform year-round, both the Lexani RFX and the GT Radial UHP A/S could be an excellent choice for you. The key drawback to dedicated UHP and summer tires is that, while they offer cornering that’s sharp and precise and steering response that’s immediate, they also use a softer, stickier tread formulation that adheres to pavement well but will stiffen up and lose traction on colder days. Tire manufacturers advise against UHP tires if temperatures are below 40-45 degrees F. That’s not an issue with the Lexani RFX or GT Radial UHP A/S, as their silica-infused tread compounds are designed for year-round performance.

It’s true that, like most all-season tires, the Lexani and the GT Radial don’t deliver great performance in heavier winter conditions and neither one has the M+S rating for mud/snow traction or the 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake certification for severe winter service. Still, unless you live in a part of the country that sees snow that stays on the roads for days at a time, the Lexani RFX and GT Radial Champiro UHP A/S could either be a great fit for your sedan, minivan, SUV, or crossover. Both tires offer a quiet and composed ride on the highway with solid-feeling straight-line stability, predictable and accurate handling, short braking distances, and long treadwear coverage from the factory.

Which one should you choose?

Both tires offer great performance and value, and both come with tread features, construction details and materials that compare well with each other. Both come in at roughly the same price point, although one is a bit higher than the other. Both help cut fuel costs by lowering rolling resistance. We’re impressed with the run-flat design of the Lexani RFX (something you usually only see on much more expensive tires), but after looking at all the available info it’s our opinion that the GT Radial Champiro UHP A/S nudges past the Lexani when it comes to performance and value.

Steering response and cornering are a little more light and nimble with the GT Radial, and the advanced sipe pattern also gives it a bit of an edge when it comes to traction and overall handling properties. The GT Radial also comes out on top with the built-in rim protector, helping to guard your valuable wheels and tires against accidental curb scuffs. These are tires that are closely matched and compare well with each other, but our SimpleTire team feels that the GT Radial Champiro UHP A/S is the superior choice here.

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.