$50 rebate (cash card) from General Tire on Altimax RT43

[murky]

Costco's tire service is to help them selling more tires which is one of the thousands items they sell. They have very average equipments and those tire "techs" have minimum experience on few tires due to very limited brands (4) they carry. A tire tech works for a dedicated tire shop such as Discount Tire Store knows much more on tires!

One "tire tech" I spoke to at Discount Tire thought that "T" was a higher speed rating than "H", presumably because its later in the alphabet. When I corrected him, he tried to tell me that if I'm not driving over 100MPH, the higher speed rating makes no difference.

I still use Discount Tire often, as they are convenient, easy to work with, and seem to have a lot of latitude on pricing.

 

[yrwei52]

⋯ I still use Discount Tire often, as they are convenient, easy to work with, and seem to have a lot of latitude on pricing.

Plus more advanced equipment ⋯

 

[Lbear]

One "tire tech" I spoke to at Discount Tire thought that "T" was a higher speed rating than "H", presumably because its later in the alphabet. When I corrected him, he tried to tell me that if I'm not driving over 100MPH, the higher speed rating makes no difference.

I still use Discount Tire often, as they are convenient, easy to work with, and seem to have a lot of latitude on pricing.

Like I mentioned, I never had an issue with Costco tire before and I've installed at least 5 sets of tires with Costco. Never out of balance, no rim damage, etc.

When I used Discount Tires many years ago, I had my rims damaged due to the tire tech not being able to mount the tire onto the rim properly. It turned ugly and I vowed never to return. I also had tires out of balance with Discount Tire.

I believe it always comes down to hit or miss with these places. Gone are the days of pride of work for MOST of these places, not all, but most. What could be a good DT place in one place, could be a poor DT in another place, there are no universal measures here.

 

[Lbear]

Now, back to the tires. What is a good PSI for the Altimax tires? I was thinking 45psi HOT for the tires. Less rolling resistance and higher load capacity at that psi.

 

[yrwei52]

Now, back to the tires. What is a good PSI for the Altimax tires? I was thinking 45psi HOT for the tires. Less rolling resistance and higher load capacity at that psi.

You can certainly try such high tire pressure since General AltiMAX™ RT43 has 51 psi cold maximum inflation pressure not like many others having only 44 psi. Then graduately reduce the pressure to the optimal which I believe is 39~40 psi when cold. I'd still try to measure tire pressure when cold, or the first thing in the morning.

 

[Lbear]

You can certainly try such high tire pressure since General AltiMAX™ RT43 has 51 psi cold maximum inflation pressure not like many others having only 44 psi. Then graduately reduce the pressure to the optimal which I believe is 39~40 psi when cold. I'd still try to measure tire pressure when cold, or the first thing in the morning.

I will try the 41psi COLD and see how it feels and what MPG I get.

I also noticed the Altimax are "Made in the USA". Interesting...

 

[Unobtanium]

I will try the 41psi COLD and see how it feels and what MPG I get.

I also noticed the Altimax are "Made in the USA". Interesting...

You'll probably get a lot less traction and a rougher ride for the most part.

Now, back to the tires. What is a good PSI for the Altimax tires? I was thinking 45psi HOT for the tires. Less rolling resistance and higher load capacity at that psi.

What's on the door insert, cold. Don't...re-invent the wheel. Mazda has done the homework for you.

 

[Unobtanium]

I agree. He should just do his job of mounting tires, as he was assigned to do instead of vocalizing his opinions on tire brands. Very unprofessional. He ridiculed and basically was calling my decision stupid.

What dog does he have in the game? None. It's just a form of opinions, passive aggressiveness and unprofessional. Shame on Costco for allowing that and shame on him as a tire tech.

Interesting. When I had my Nokians installed, I asked the tech who did it about them. He said it took a pretty typical amount of weight to spin them up true. Actually said he found Continentals the easiest to balance. He stuck to the facts and was polite and engaging, without really opining on my choice other than the honest answer of my question about balancing. Total cost including alignment was, with tax, $180ish, I believe. What did Costco charge?

 

[Jmaz]

Having the RT-43's for the past 24,000 miles I'm gonna chime in on this one.
Mine were installed on a warm September day and came out of the tire shop with the 34 psi as per door placard.Felt like driving on balloons,really squishy ride and sloppy handling.Started to hope these tires weren't a bad decision.Checked the tires and aired them to about 38 for a major improvement.
Been running mine at 37 cold most of the time,maybe 38 in cold winter where the daily temps don't increase too much.Usually run the rear tires 1 psi less than front.
You might find yourself adjusting them after the break in and also as they wear and become less squirmy and softer riding.

Oh yea, also noticed that they seemed to "roll" easier than the stock yoko's as in less rolling resistance.

 

[ColoradoDriver]

Poor handling? That's concerning.

My search for a new all-season tire next year continues...

 

[Lbear]

What's on the door insert, cold. Don't...re-invent the wheel. Mazda has done the homework for you.

The door insert is valid ONLY for the OEM tires. Only homework Mazda has done was figure what the Yokohama tire pressure should be, that's it.

The door insert becomes invalid once you put on non-OEM tires.

Costco charged $55 to mount & balance 4 tires.

 

[yrwei52]

Poor handling? That's concerning.

My search for a new all-season tire next year continues...

Definitely not the case here. If you read reviews on TireRack for General AltiMAX RT43, dry and wet performances are all rated "Excellent" at 8.9 and 8.7. What Jmaz said above is he felt poor handling at 34 psi but once he pumped up to 38 psi the handling became normal.

And I agree with Lbear, factory recommended tire pressure is the best for OE tires. We all need to make some adjustment from it for best performance and even wear. I found most of time the factory recommended tire pressure is on the low side and I use 39~40 psi cold for my OE Toyo A23's although recommended pressure is 36 psi.

On my 1998 Honda CR-V with General AltiMAX RT43's, I put at least 35 psi although the factory recommended pressure is 26 psi!

 

[Jmaz]

Absolutely what Lbear and yrwei52 said above.The 34 psi on the door placard applied to the yoko's.The RT-43's need more to perform adequately and they are a good handling tire so no worries there.Definitely a better riding tire which is the main reason I ditched the yoko's.Agree that the car manufacturers spec a pressure for a comfortable ride so people are happy with their new ride but it's on the low side.

 

[Lbear]

Absolutely what Lbear and yrwei52 said above.The 34 psi on the door placard applied to the yoko's.The RT-43's need more to perform adequately and they are a good handling tire so no worries there.Definitely a better riding tire which is the main reason I ditched the yoko's.Agree that the car manufacturers spec a pressure for a comfortable ride so people are happy with their new ride but it's on the low side.

I have only driven 50 or so miles with them but the RT43s are definitely quieter than the Yoko's and the vehicle seems more responsive (turns) with the RT43s.

 

[Unobtanium]

The door insert is valid ONLY for the OEM tires. Only homework Mazda has done was figure what the Yokohama tire pressure should be, that's it.

The door insert becomes invalid once you put on non-OEM tires.

Costco charged $55 to mount & balance 4 tires.

How much was the alignment?

 

[Unobtanium]

Absolutely what Lbear and yrwei52 said above.The 34 psi on the door placard applied to the yoko's.The RT-43's need more to perform adequately and they are a good handling tire so no worries there.Definitely a better riding tire which is the main reason I ditched the yoko's.Agree that the car manufacturers spec a pressure for a comfortable ride so people are happy with their new ride but it's on the low side.

What is the load index on the RT vs. OEM?

 

[Lbear]

How much was the alignment?

Vehicle did not require an alignment.

 

[Lbear]

What is the load index on the RT vs. OEM?

Yoko/OEM = 1,764 lbs - 44psi MAX
RT43 = 1,874 lbs - 51psi MAX

Yoko = 10/32" tread depth
RT43 = 11/32" tread depth

Yoko = Traction B - 280 Tread wear (atrocious)
RT43 = Traction A - 700 Tread wear

 

[yrwei52]

How much was the alignment?

Costco doesn't do alignment, so as the Discount Tire Store.

 

[Unobtanium]

Yoko/OEM = 1,764 lbs - 44psi MAX
RT43 = 1,874 lbs - 51psi MAX

Yoko = 10/32" tread depth
RT43 = 11/32" tread depth

Yoko = Traction B - 280 Tread wear (atrocious)
RT43 = Traction A - 700 Tread wear

WHAT!? 280 treadwear!? Seriously? That's insane for a CUV.

Makes sense you would vary the pressure, given the load indexes.