FORT MILL, S.C. — Continental Tire the Americas has brought its first all-weather tire, the General AltiMax 365AW, to the U.S. market.
This is a new segment for Continental, which said it took the best attributes of its General AltiMax RT43 all-season and General AltiMax Arctic12 winter tire to develop the all-weather product with the 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) certification. The tire maker said the tire was the result of a three-year development process.
The premise of an all-weather tire is that it can provide traction not only in dry and wet road conditions, but also provide better performance in snow and slush compared with an all-season tire.
The AltiMax 365AW features a symmetrical tread pattern for touring-type treadwear, Visual Alignment Indicators and a 60,000-mile treadwear warranty.
The tire, which was introduced in Canada late last year, is available in the U.S. in 52 sizes,ccovering 15- to 20-inch rim diameters, for passenger, CUV and SUV vehicles.
Conti said the target markets are essentially in the northern half of the U.S. that experiences moderate to heavy snowfall and where customers desire enhanced snow traction without having to switch between winter and summer/all-season tires each year.
The tire has a minimum advertised price positioned below the Firestone WeatherGrip and the Nokian WR G4 and above the Toyo Celsius.