General RT43 replacement?

[Kantaro]

Vehicle: P2 Volvo V70
Current: General RT43 (2016) - 205/55R16
Winters: Conti VikingContact7 (2019) - 205/60R16
Location: PNW

The RT43s on the V70 are close to 8 years old now and I'm starting to think about replacements. This vehicle primarily sees short city driving with the occasional road trip (on the noisy I5). I think the most important traits are NVH followed by wet traction/aquaplaning. Treadwear is not a concern given how little mileage this vehicle accumulates.

Looking at various surveys, tests/comparisons and Tire Rack's decision guide, it seems that the Michelin CC2 is always the answer. I was also considering the General RT45 and Goodyear Assurance ComfortDrive.

If the CC2 are sufficient for PNW winters, I could save myself the wheel swaps and run them all year. However, I don't think I will have much luck selling my Conti VC7 tires secondhand as Volvos are very rare in this market. I could continue running the Conti VC7s as dedicate winters and replace the RT43s with a more NVH focused tire; however, the VC7s are from 2019 and are also getting up there in age.

What would BITOG do? Curious to hear what your thoughts are.

 

[sloinker]

I would just use the RT-45's if you were happy with the 43's. I won't buy Goodyears and the Michelin's would be great but pricey.

 

[dubber09]

How much more are 365AW? Why not get those?
205/55R16 is a very common tire size, tons of Asian cars use the size.
If it were me I'd get General 365AW to replace RT43 and either wear out over next few seasons or sell VC7s.

 

[Kantaro]

I should've specified that the Conti VC7s are 205/60R16 mounted on X41658 steelies (16x6.5 5x108 ET43 65.1mm center bore). I'm not sure what else these will fit

 

[CarDoc66]

Stick with the Generals.

 

[odie]

How about these ? YOKOHAMA Avid Ascend LX (H) . Number 4 in its category at TIRERACK . Deep sipes .

 

[slacktide_bitog]

How bad are your winters? Are you east or west of the Cascades? The General 365AW is a great choice for all-season use, since you already like General/Conti anyway.

Goodyear has all-weather tires called Weatherready.

The CC2 is well-liked, but some people have experienced a noticeable drop in mpg, and of course they are very expensive. There's also the Nokian WRG5, or the Nordman Solstice 4 (old WRG4). Nokian's all weather tires are more geared for winter use than even other all-weather tires, basically a winter tire that can be used year-round. However, tread life on the Nokians seems to be shorter, but for you, that doesn't matter. If you really want to stop using separate winter tires and try one set of tires all year, then get Nokian.

If price is a concern, there's the Kumho HA31 or HA32, and the Milestar AW365.

Whatever you get, you can try the all-weather tires for a winter season to see if they are acceptable, before deciding whether to keep your winter tires or ditch them.

 

[dubber09]

General 365AW is an all weather tire.

 

[Kantaro]

We deal with a lot more rain than snow during the winter, but the 1-2 times that it does snow, it is not handled adequately. Main roads are usually okay, but residential streets and alleys do not get cleared. As a result, the snow gets compacted and the roads become ice rinks. We try to avoid driving altogether during this time (because of other drivers), but I do appreciate having dedicated winter tires in case of emergencies.

Temperatures are also typically below 10C from the fall to spring.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

We deal with a lot more rain than snow during the winter, but the 1-2 times that it does snow, it is not handled adequately. Main roads are usually okay, but residential streets and alleys do not get cleared. As a result, the snow gets compacted and the roads become ice rinks. We try to avoid driving altogether during this time (because of other drivers), but I do appreciate having dedicated winter tires in case of emergencies.

Temperatures are also typically below 10C from the fall to spring.

Your driving conditions sound like you can get by with the WRG5 or Nordman Solstice 4

 

[MrGraybeard]

I had a set of Conti PureContact tires on an E34 Bmw several years ago and liked them very much. Good wet traction, great wet braking, good in light snow.

 

[cpupton]

Put the General RT45's on our Chevrolet Trax AWD (daughters car) this past fall and have been extremely happy and confident with them in the rain and few inches of snow we got this year here in Pittsburgh. Huge improvement over the Conti's I replaced. I'll probably buy them for my son's GMC Terrain AWD when his tires wear out.

 

[StarCaller]

RT45's cost me like 7-10mpg on the Prius (coming from Michelin A/S EnergySavers with 6/32 left) /

 

[svtrit]

Put the General RT45's on our Chevrolet Trax AWD (daughters car) this past fall and have been extremely happy and confident with them in the rain and few inches of snow we got this year here in Pittsburgh. Huge improvement over the Conti's I replaced. I'll probably buy them for my son's GMC Terrain AWD when his tires wear out.

I put them on all 3 of my cars and really like them. The RT43’s did lose some snow traction about halfway through their life, but only on our minivan, whose driver likes the left pedal being pushed heavily.

They are fantastic on my AWD Rogue.

 

[barkingspider]

I would stick w the generals over the GY as they are less expensive

 

[malibuguy79]

I vote RT45. I put a set on a customers Miata and was pleased with how they drove

 

[Kantaro]

Thanks for the input so far. My only hesitation with the RT45 is that they didn't test that great for road noise compared to the GY ComfortDrives. I think this may be the most important trait for me as I find road noise extremely fatiguing during road trips. The ComfortDrive also seems to excel in wet traction, but I do wonder how relevant this is as it seems unlikely that we would exceed any decent tire's performance threshold in regular usage. Winter performance would be irrelevant as I am most likely going to keep the Conti VC7s.

"The AltiMAX RT45 generated a little more tread noise than the others with some lower pitched grinds that combined with higher pitched whines that stood out at times for our team. While still fine for a touring tire, it was noticeable after driving the group back-to-back."

"What We’d Improve: Tread noise is a bit high for the group."

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=291

"The General AltiMAX RT45 was an even hand on the road, with a leisurely demeanor that rode well on uneven surfaces, leveling them out adequately apart from the most severe impacts. It maintained a consistent dual-tone mix that translated to a "stone grind" sound over most surfaces, but largely faded into a mid-volume white noise."

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=307

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Thanks for the input so far. My only hesitation with the RT45 is that they didn't test that great for road noise compared to the GY ComfortDrives. I think this may be the most important trait for me as I find road noise extremely fatiguing during road trips. The ComfortDrive also seems to excel in wet traction, but I do wonder how relevant this is as it seems unlikely that we would exceed any decent tire's performance threshold in regular usage. Winter performance would be irrelevant as I am most likely going to keep the Conti VC7s.

If you're going to keep the winter tires, then you can use summer tires the rest of the year

Grand touring summer tires would be best for your needs. They are usually quiet and smooth and have good wet traction.
Michelin Primacy 4+
Nokian Wetproof
Pirelli Cinturato P7
Goodyear Eagle Sport 2

 

[Kantaro]

Would summer tires still be a good idea if we have long "shoulder seasons" with a lot of cold and wet weather?

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Would summer tires still be a good idea if we have long "shoulder seasons" with a lot of cold and wet weather?

View attachment 207976

When do you normally put on and take off the winter tires? When do you usually switch?

Summer tires are acceptable from 40F and up