Pirelli P7 All Season Plus 3 vs General Altimax RT45 tires

Headquartered in Milan, Italy, Pirelli is the fifth-largest tire manufacturer serving for over 150 years. Its premium range of tires is suitable for passenger cars, CUVs, SUVs, pickup trucks, and commercial vehicles. General, on the other hand, was founded in 1915 in Akron, Ohio, and makes high-quality tires for sedans, coupes, minivans, CUVs, SUVs, light trucks, Jeeps, racing cars, and even commercial vehicles.

Coming from these two tire manufacturers, the Pirelli P7 All Season Plus 3 and General Altimax RT45 tires are popular all-season tires that we will compare today. While the P7 All Season Plus 3 tires are suitable for coupes and sedans, the Altimax RT45 is built for coupes, sedans, CUVs, SUVs, and minivans. These General and Pirelli all-season tires are built and designed for use in dry, wet, and light winter weather conditions, and they both look great. But, which of the two tires is suitable for your drive?

Using our advanced tire rating system, SimpleScore, we will compare Pirelli P7 All Season Plus 3 vs General Altimax RT45 tires and compare their traction, handling, and longevity performances.

Pirelli P7 All Season Plus 3 tires

The Pirelli P7 All Season Plus 3 was launched in November 2021 and is an all-season tire that features an advanced asymmetrical tread pattern. The tire is optimized for long-lasting use and enhanced comfort. It provides outstanding year-round traction and grip in dry, wet, and light winter conditions. Thanks to the Italian tire maker’s cutting-edge technology, the tire provides high-end handling and ride control. The 3D siping technology of the tire boosts handling and road grip year-round and there is an outstanding tread life warranty offered to let you enjoy the ownership experience and drives.

The tire is awarded an excellent overall SimpleScore rating of 9.3 because of its long-lasting tread life, exceptional traction performance, and responsive handling.

General Altimax RT45 tires

The General Altimax RT45 all-season tire made its debut in July 2022 and features a symmetrical tread pattern that ensures solid year-round performance in dry, wet, and light snow conditions. General has optimized the Altimax RT45 to provide enhanced ride comfort, quieter rides, optimum handling performance, and strong traction. Additionally, some features contribute to improved fuel efficiency and better braking, and the tire is also backed by a worthy tread life warranty that we will be discussing later in this review.

Overall, the Altimax RT45 boasts an admirable SimpleScore of 9.0, thanks to its excellent tread life, enhanced handling, and dependable traction.

Pirelli P7 All Season Plus 3 vs General Altimax RT45 tires on traction

Let’s start with learning about the surefootedness and road grip abilities of these tires and find out how they perform on the overall traction front.

The P7 All Season Plus 3 scores an excellent 9.5 SimpleScore rating on a scale of 10. The use of 3D sipe technology and multiple tread grooves ensures better traction and grip to offer a top-notch driving experience. Then, there are full-depth sipes that increase traction until the tread wears to its last usable level. The four wide grooves on the tread force water out from the contact patch area to prevent hydroplaning and offer better wet grip. The wider footprint of the tire allows the larger area to come in contact with the surface, allowing multiple tread elements to offer better traction performance.

Contrarily, the Altimax RT45 secures a great 8.7 SimpleScore rating in traction, indicating the tire is engineered for a dependable traction performance. The dense siping of the tread increases grip in dry, wet, and light winter conditions, while the wider grooves funnel water and slush out of the surface, preventing hydroplaning, and boosting traction on slippery roads. Additionally, for commanding drives on dry roads, there are shoulder blocks with sharper edges.

Undoubtedly, the Altimax RT45 has great traction offering ability, it is the P7 All Season Plus 3 that scores higher and surpasses the traction performance of its counterpart.

ADVANTAGE: Pirelli P7 All Season Plus 3

Pirelli P7 All Season Plus 3 vs General Altimax RT45 tires on handling

To drive with optimal control on roads in varying conditions, your tire also needs to have the right ability to maneuver well. So, let’s check out the handling performance of these tires to unlock their steering cornering, lane-changing, stability, and acceleration abilities.

The P7 All Season Plus 3 scores a 9.3 SimpleScore in handling, assuring remarkable ride control and steering response. Pirelli’s proprietary feature 3D technology and optimized tread pattern boosts handling performance on dry and wet roads, while the full-depth tread sipes provide the required controllability throughout the tread life. The wider and flatter footprint contributes to a sharp steering response and increased stability. Likewise, the all-season compound improves braking efficiency. The solid shoulder blocks of the tire are engineered to absorb cornering pressures and enhance handling performance.

On the other hand, the Altimax RT45 scores an 8.7 SimpleScore in handling. The braking performance is improved by dense siping and the center ribs help the tire maneuver better and change lanes in no time. The all-season compound maintains contact with the road for improved stability, while the solid sidewalls resist cornering pressures. Even the acceleration ability of the tire is great and with a push on the throttle, the tire adapts to the speed limits to offer better performance. The sipes and sharper edges improve the braking performance of the tire and grooves that resist hydroplaning provide extra handling confidence in wet conditions.

When it comes to handling, the Altimax RT45 is admirable, but the P7 All Season Plus 3 leads with a higher score.

ADVANTAGE: Pirelli P7 All Season Plus 3

Pirelli P7 All Season Plus 3 vs General Altimax RT45 tires on longevity

Indeed, you would want a tire that covers more miles and ditches uneven or premature wear. In that sense, longevity performance checks become very important. So, here’s what we found when the P7 All Season Plus 3 and Altimax RT45 tires were compared:

Starting with the P7 All Season Plus 3, the tire scored a whopping 9.5 SimpleScore in longevity, indicating that the tire is engineered to wear at a slow rate and serve longer. The optimized rubber compound, durable construction, and reinforced casing prevent premature wear and tire deformation. The asymmetrical tread pattern prevents irregular wear and distributes driving pressures across the profile. The Scorpion AS Plus 3 comes with a 70,000-mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty, which explains in itself how durability the tire has been built to withstand driving pressures and last longer.

Conversely, the Altimax RT45 surprises with an excellent 9.7 SimpleScore rating in longevity. So, you can be rest assured that the tire would last longer and won’t disappoint with a premature wear. The optimized tread pattern prevents uneven wear for longer tread life, while the Replacement Tire Monitor lets the tire wear down to the visual appearance of “REPLACE TIRE” lettering alerting you to change the tire. The Visual Alignment Indicators assist you in visually inspecting the alignment to avoid the chances of uneven wear. Additionally, the robust rubber compound and solid construction help you enjoy the drives for a longer period.

You would think that the Pirelli tires discussed in this comparison would serve for a good number of miles, which indeed is correct to an extent. But, it is the Altimax RT45 that surpasses the longevity score of the P7 All Season Plus 3.

ADVANTAGE: Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3

When to use each

Both, the P7 All Season Plus 3 and the Altimax RT45 are all-season tires and therefore, they can be used in dry, wet, and light winter conditions. That being said, these tires aren’t Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certified and should not be used in moderate to severe winter conditions. If you live in a region where roads are typically covered with thick snow or ice, and the temperature remains below 45 degrees Fahrenheit then winter tires should be considered for use.

While the P7 All Season Plus 3 is available in 17- to 20-inch rim sizes, the Altimax RT45 is offered in 14- to 20-inch rim sizes.

Which one should you choose?

Looking at the overall SimpleScores of both tires, we found that the P7 All Season Plus 3 scored higher and was ahead of the Altimax RT45 with an overall score of 9.3 versus 9.0. But, it is to be noted that both tires have their own strengths that must be considered during purchase.

As far as pricing is concerned, the P7 All Season Plus 3 is available at a starting price of at least $148.98 per tire, while the Altimax RT45 comes at a starting price of at least $98.99 per tire. That means a set of four P7 tires will cost you at least $595.92, while a set of four Altimax RT45 tires will cost you at least $395.96.

Looking at SimpleScore, you must prefer the Pirelli P7 All Season Plus 3 if you:

• Drive mid-size car like the Honda Accord, a mid-size sedan like the Kia Optima, or a luxury CUV like the BMW X3.
• Want a tire that offers better traction (9.7 vs 8.7 in traction)
• Want a tire that offers better handling performance (9.3 vs 8.7 in handling)
• Need a tire that offers a standard 70,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty across all sizes.
• Are comfortable paying higher to buy an overall better tire

On the other hand, you must consider the Altimax RT45 if you:

• Drive a luxury sedan like the Hyundai Genesis, a full-size premium sedan like the Buick Lacrosse, or a compact SUV like the Toyota RAV4
• Need a tire that offers reliable performance but a comparatively lesser price
• Need a tire that lasts longer (9.7 vs 9.5 in longevity)
• Need a tire that offers up to 75,000 mile tread life warranty depending on the speed rating

The P7 All Season Plus 3 vs Altimax RT45 tires comparison looks justified when you analyze their competition in areas like traction, handling, and longevity, but it must be learned that your purchase decision should be based on factors like the vehicle you drive, your budget for tires, how and where you drive, and so on.

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.