Topic: General G-MAX AS-03 tires

[roxer]

Tire Rack has a sale on these tires and I was thinking of putting them on my wife's Sky RL.  She is an easy driver and does kill corners with it, so are these tires Ok?

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=General&tireModel=G-MAX+AS-03&partnum=445WR8GMAS03XL&autoMake=Saturn&autoYear=2008&autoModel=Sky+Red+Line&autoModClar=

[Sly Bob]

Seem to get good reviews but tread life doesn't seem to be their strong suit.

[Rogue]

If the car is strictly a DD I see no reason why you shouldn't give them a try. All the reviews are favorable.

[Sting Ya]

Just read a review on these in the latest issue of Grassroots Motor Sports (they put them on one of their Miatas) and they had good things to say about them and especially liked the wet weather handling

[roxer]

Seem to get good reviews but tread life doesn't seem to be their strong suit.

Yeah, I do agree.  Looking at the Hankook Ventus S1 noble2 too as I found it for $132 fo the tire-easy site.  A little more treadlife there and a lower price. 

[DaveOC]

Just read a review on these in the latest issue of Grassroots Motor Sports (they put them on one of their Miatas) and they had good things to say about them and especially liked the wet weather handling

Wow, you are quick. That issue didn't hit my mailbox until late yesterday afternoon.  Yep, they appeared to like the treadware rating also, and it was a good review, though a bit short.

[roxer]

What's the general consensus on UTQG rating (higher vs lower) and tire grip/performance? Are the lower rated tires better on road grip, or is it a non issue?

[Carey]

Seem to get good reviews but tread life doesn't seem to be their strong suit.

My comment is based entirely on having read a LOT of "user/owner" reviews -- and not on the specific tire you've asked about.

The range of tire/tread life for the EXACT SAME TIRE (again, not YOUR make/model, but rather mine [as well as others I was considering]) that owners/users gave was so incredibly extreme (from <30k to >100k!!!!) that I ended up deciding that it was probably impossible to really know what to expect.

I think the reasons include:
*  Different makes/models of cars on which the exact same make/model of tire was used
*  Different driving conditions (in terms of types of roads, road condition, mostly highway or mostly city street driving, mostly good weather vs bad weather, etc.)
*  Different driving styles (if you burn rubber all the time, your tires won't last as long as if you never do that)
*  Mistakes made by the reviewer
*  People with something critical to say seem to say it more often than people who had good experiences post their opinions
*  Etc.

I guess that's why a lot of people state their opinion and end with "YMMV" -- Your Mileage May Vary (which fits this subject PERFECTLY!:-)

[roxer]

Went ahead and snagged 4 Generals from tires-easy.com (thanks much for the heads up on that site!!!).  Awesome deal at $136 a tire and $13 shipping each. I'll report back after install with some pics and thoughts.  One of the features I liked was the rim protector.  The other tires I looked at didn't seem to have that like the original Goodyear tires. As little as she drives it, they should last her a good long time.