General G-Max RS Review

An ultra high-performance tire at a reasonable price, the General G-Max RS performs as good as it looks.

PROS

  • Dry grip, responsiveness and predictability
  • Attractive price

CONS

  • Could use better wet grip
  • No mileage warranty

This stylish UHP tire is built for extreme grip with a massive contact patch of tread that’s always touching the road, giving you maximum traction for powerful machines. The ultra-wide center rib makes for excellent high speed stability and extremely responsive turn-in.

A grippy tread compound combined with that large contact patch and shoulder lugs that are connected the full way around the tire mean it holds up extremely well in hard cornering. When it does give up grip it does so naturally and predictably.

General gives the tread compound itself a UTQG rating of 360 which means it’s certainly a soft compound designed for traction. It’s not nearly as low a number as many competitors, however. Don’t expect the performance of a Michelin UHP tire here, but you’ll get reasonably close at a fraction of the cost.

While there is no specific tread life guarantee on this tire, as expected with many UHP tires, they do come with a build in replacement tire monitor in the tread to let you know when its time for a new set.

As for wet performance, four circumferential grooves help evacuate water and prevent hydroplaning. There are also angled slits cut into the tread to further help push water away from the tread. Overall, however, wet weather grip is not this tire’s strongest point. It is a true summer tire as well, so when the temperature drops into the 40s you should be swapping for a set of winter tires or at least some suitable all-seasons.

Of note, this is a directional tread pattern, which means while you can rotate tires front-to-back, you can’t swap sides. On cars with staggered fitments this effectively means you can’t rotate your tires. (This is true of many UHP tires and not a specific critique of the G-Max RS).

Is the General G-Max RS Good?

Based on feedback from real owners on General’s own website, the G-Max RS is rated 4.6 out of 5 from 92 different owners. At the independent tire retail site Discount Tire, the tire is rated 4.4 out of 5 and is recommended by 85.7 percent of owners.

General G-Max RS Price

Pricing for the General G-Max RS ranges from roughly $90 per tire for a 16-inch size up to $250 per tire for some 20-inch fitments.

General G-Max RS Warranty

An an ultra high performance summer tire, the General G-Max RS does not come with a tread wear guarantee. It is backed by the bran’s 45-day satisfaction guarantee as well as a standard limited warranty.

General G-Max RS Sizes

16-inch sizes
205/55/R16
225/50/R16
245/50/R16

17-inch sizes
215/45/R17
225/50/R17
205/50/R17
235/45/R17
205/45/R17
225/45/R17
215/50/R17
245/40/R17
255/40/R17
245/45/R17
275/40/R17

18-inch sizes
225/40/R18
235/50/R18
225/45/R18
235/40/R18
215/40/R18
255/35/R18
245/40/R18
275/40/R18
245/35/R18
245/45/R18
255/45/R18
255/40/R18
265/35/R18
275/35/R18
295/30/R18
285/35/R18

19-inch sizes
225/45/R19
225/40/R19
245/35/R19
235/35/R19
245/40/R19
245/45/R19
255/35/R19
275/35/R19
255/40/R19
265/35/R19
275/30/R19
295/30/R19
285/35/R19
305/30/R19

20-inch sizes
245/45/R20
245/40/R20
275/40/R20
275/35/R20
285/35/R20
305/35/R20

General G-Max RS vs AS-05

The most significant difference between the G-Max RS and the AS-05 is that the former is a dedicated summer high performance tire and the latter is an all-season performance tire. As a result, you can run the AS-05s all year, though they aren’t ideal for colder or wintry conditions. The G-Max RS, however, should specifically not be used in winter as the tread tends to harden up and lose grip significantly in the cold.

Each tire’s tread design is also quite different to suit their intended purpose. While both feature five rows of tread and deep channels to evacuate water, the G-Max RS has a wider center rib that almost entirely void of slits or segmentations, as a result it offers superior acceleration and braking as well as agile turn-in response. The AS-05 on the other hand utilizes its extra biting edges for superior cold weather grip.

The G-Max RS does not come with any sort of tread life guarantee from the factory, while the AS-05 does, with an expected life of 50,000 miles. Plan to get 35,000 to 40,000 miles on the G-Max RS if you tread them nicely.

Does the General G-Max RS have a directional tread pattern?

G-Max RS tires come with a directional tread pattern designed to optimize performance, not just in the dry but also in the wet, where angled grooves in the tires help force water away from the contact patch. This does mean the tires can only be rotated front to back and not side-to-side.