Altimax enhances safety and performance
General Tire has entered the second phase of its relaunch campaign in South Africa with the introduction of the Altimax passenger-car tyre range to compliment its existing line-up in the light commercial vehicle and 4x4 segments.
The first phase commenced in July 2014 with a focus on the 4×4 category, which features the award-winning General Grabber AT all-terrain tyre, the heavy-duty Grabber MT competing in the hard-core mud-terrain category, and the all-new Grabber GT, designed for high-performance sports utility vehicles.
“General Tire has an excellent reputation in South Africa, having started producing tyres locally in 1949, and consistently offering contemporary, extremely competitive and well-priced products over the past 66 years,” says Niel Langner, marketing manager for Continental Tyre SA.
“With the launch of the Altimax Comfort and Altimax Sport, we’re reintroducing the General Tire brand to the high-volume passenger-car category. Both products offer segment-defining new technologies matched to outstanding performance, braking and low rolling resistance,” Langner says.
“The expansion of our local range is perfectly timed around General Tire’s global 100-year anniversary celebrations. The launch campaign also signals the official renaming of the brand to General Tire, aligning the manufacturing operations, product range, technologies and remarkable heritage to the US tyre company and its landmark centenary after it was founded in Akron, Ohio, in 1915 by William F O’Neill and Winfred E Fouse.
Boasting a well-established reputation for reliability, performance and heritage, the General Tire range is aimed at the replacement tyre segment and provides customers with a strong value proposition.
It now offers two exciting new ranges for the passenger-car segment. The Altimax range delivers superlative braking and handling performance, combined with low rolling resistance in the interests of improved fuel efficiency. The all-new Altimax Sport has been designed to be a top contender in handling and performance, employing the most advanced technologies currently available in the passenger car segment.
The Altimax Sport incorporates a modern silica tread compound that bridges the gap between the dichotomy of grip and wet weather performance on the one hand, and the competing requirements of low rolling resistance and reduced fuel consumption on the other. It is available in nine sizes, ranging from 15- and 16-inch to the popular 17- and 18-inch versions.
The new Altimax Comfort is designed for compact and medium-sized cars, offering high levels of driving safety due to its superb capabilities in terms of wet braking, handling and aquaplaning.
The Altimax Sport and Altimax Comfort boast some of the most advanced technologies currently available. The Visual Alignment Indicator (VAI) boasts sipes moulded on either side of the tread at defined points. Within the first 1 000km of use, drivers are able to monitor the wear characteristics of these markings and easily determine if the vehicle’s wheel alignment needs adjustment.
The Replacement Tire Monitor (RTM) represents the latest innovation as far as tread-wear indicators are concerned. On new tyres, the inscription ‘Replacement Tire Monitor’ is visible in the centre rib of the tyre. This is a major innovation in improved driving safety and awareness.
