Anyone have experience with General G-Max AS-03 or Hankook Ventus S1 noble2?
 

Hi All,

I needed new 245/45/18 tires, but with a decent amount of work needed on the car, I wanted to save a few bucks. A visit to tirerack.com's survey results showed me that the Continentals were still on top of the pile, but close inspection showed that the General G-Max AS-03 was getting reviews about as good as the DWS in everything but snow/ice. The price was much lower than the Continentals and had a $70 rebate as well. I was a little concerned about the directional tread and the reports of road noise, but I wasn't too concerned.

It Looked like an easy choice, except that when looking through the test results, there was a comparison of Value-Priced Ultra High Performance All-Season Tires. The Generals were in there, and performed very well, but were outshined by the Hankook Ventus S1 noble2. I liked the tread pattern more, and no reports of road noise. In fact, there didn't seem to be any weakness on them, but they're too new.

I ultimately went with the Generals for both my car and my wife's Accord. Mine aren't on the car yet, but we went on a 300 mile trip in the Accord within the next few days. At least in the dry and wet (we'll see about the snow), the reviews are pretty much spot on. Good grip, handles water well, and pretty quiet on smooth roads, but a decent buzz on rougher ones. My car will get theirs by the end of the week. If it wasn't for the roughly $160 difference after the rebate, I think I would have tried the Hankooks. Has anyone tried them yet? I'd love to see a new test with these 2 tires against the DWS tires.

Here's the link for the test with the Generals and Hankooks
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=173

For those interested, I've got over 1K miles on both cars now.

Road noise can be heard in my wife's Accord, but that's because it's otherwise a "quiet" car.

My car has an intake and exhaust which isn't too loud, but completely overwhelms the buzz from these tires, so it's not an issue at all.

If only I had waited a couple of weeks... The Hankook Ventus S1 noble2 tires now come with an $80 rebate, putting the total after-rebate price within $40 of the Generals for the Accord, and $82 for the Maxima. I definitely would have gotten the Hankooks for the Accord because of the road noise comments and tread pattern that looks more snow-friendly. It still might have been a toss-up for the Maxima, where I was less concerned about road noise, but was interested in the tread pattern.

Thanks for posting this. I've been looking at the DWS and G-Max comparo for over 3 months now. I"m gonna have to get new tires for winter. You know how Philly is.... My boy has the Gmax on his Accord and he likes em. I'm not really a fan of Hankooks so I'm gonna pass on those.

I've had the Generals (2 sets on front, 1 rear). First set 245/45R17 no drop. Second front set 225/45R17.

Handling is great - very predictable and super sticky with my setup (D2 C/O's). Sticky and good handling has it's cost - treadwear. I didn't get more than 15k out of my fronts, rears ready to go at 30k

OK in snow until they start to wear, then forget it.

So far the Generals have held up in the snow for us. No regrets yet on the purchase!
Unfortunate to hear about the quick treadwear. At that rate I'll be looking for a new set next fall.