GENERAL TIRES | TIRE BUYING GUIDE

In 2015, General Tire celebrated “100 years of reliability” when the brand hit the centennial mark. Founded in Akron, Ohio, alongside BFGoodrich, Goodyear, and Firestone, General Tire has deep roots in the US tire market. In 1987, German-based Continental Tire acquired General Tire but kept the name brand that had become so familiar to US consumers. Many General Tire models include a unique built-in feature that lets you know when a tire needs to be replaced. As the tread wears on your tires, the words “replace tire” appear, which lets you know the tread depth is nearing the end of the tire’s life. 

General Tire is a well-known tire brand with deep roots in the rubber industry. They have been making tires for more than a century, and most experts view General as an average tire with an affordable price range. When you have a tire brand with dozens of models and sizes, it’s hard to generalize a review about a tire brand. However, here are some highlights about General tires, from customer and expert reviews. 

General Tire Categories

General offers manufactures tires in these categories: performance, passenger, light truck and SUV, winter, and commercial.  

Tires are rated based on a number of factors, including these US Department of Transportation UTQG (Uniform Tire Quality Grade) ratings are based on expected treadwear of tires. Treadwear ratings are based on a 1,000-point scale, where a tire rated 500 would be expected to have the half the tread life of a tire rated 1,000 (which is very rare, by the way). Performance tires tend to be rated lower than their non-performance counterparts, mainly because they are focused on handling and performance on a variety of terrains, rather than grip. When evaluating tires, look at warranties, price, wet and dry braking. Below are General tire treadwear ratings compared to tires in their tread categories.