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Last updated 10/25/2024 - Originally published 10/25/2024
Written by SimpleTire
All-season tires are engineered to deliver consistent performance throughout the year, excelling in dry, wet, and winter conditions. They are widely used due to their versatility. Bridgestone and General stand out as renowned brands known for crafting top-notch tires, particularly in the all-season segment. These manufacturers are dedicated to surpassing customer expectations through innovative designs, showcased in tire models such as the Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus and the General Altimax RT45. These tires are designed for passenger vehicles, providing a harmonious balance of performance and comfort for daily driving.
While both tires offer great performance, one has to be better than the other, right? Let’s compare Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus vs General Altimax RT45 tires using SimpleScore to show where each tire excels and which one might be right for you.
Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus tires
All-season tires offer consistent traction and perform well in dry, wet, and light winter conditions, making them a popular choice for most passenger vehicles. Take a look at the Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus, an all-season tire designed for coupes, sedans, and minivans. It provides optimized fuel efficiency and comes with a 70,000 mile limited tread life warranty. This tire features a special tread compound and solid sidewall that enhance rolling resistance, helping drivers save on fuel costs. Additionally, its wide grooves effectively channel water away, reducing the risk of hydroplaning.
The Ecopia EP422 Plus is designed for a quiet and comfortable ride, thanks to its innovative design. Its optimized footprint ensures even wear, extending the tire's tread life. With an outstanding SimpleScore of 9, this tire excels in handling, longevity, and traction.
General Altimax RT45 tires
All-season tires provide consistent traction and perform in dry, wet, and light winter weather conditions, which makes them an excellent choice for your vehicle. If you’re looking for a tire that performs year-round, then take a look at the General Altimax RT45 which is an all-season tire that's designed for use on coupes, sedans, CUVs, SUVs, and minivans, and offers drivers strong traction and handling performance year-round, a quiet, comfortable ride, and an up to 75,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty for T- and H-speed rated sizes, and a 65,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty on V-rated sizes. This tire boasts a SimpleScore of 9 out of 10.
Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus vs General Altimax RT45 tires on traction
Traction is a critical aspect of tire performance, particularly in all-season tires. These tires are designed to provide grip across various weather conditions. These tires aim to strike a balance between performance in dry, wet, and light snowy conditions.
Comparing the above two based on traction, you will see that the Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus has a score of 8.8 out of 10 in traction. This is thanks to a special symmetrical tread design that enhances grip and wide grooves within its tread that remove water for added hydroplaning resistance. You get considerate traction with this tire and can depend on it for your all-season great traction performance.
The General Altimax RT45, on the other hand, has a score of 8.7 out of 10 in traction. This is thanks to wide grooves funnel water and slush out of the tread to reduce the risk of hydroplaning and enhance traction on slippery roads.
When it comes to traction, the Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus takes the lead over the General Altimax RT45.
ADVANTAGE: Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus
Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus vs General Altimax RT45 tires on handling
All-season tires are designed to provide a balance of performance for a variety of weather conditions, including dry, wet, and light snow. The handling of a tire is improved by different elements of the tire’s tread pattern, in addition to the tire’s overall design.
The Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus comes in with a SimpleScore of 8.8. Featuring an innovative design that gives drivers a quiet, comfortable ride, plus an optimized footprint that allows for even wear to extend the tire's tread life.
On the flip side, the General Altimax RT45 lags behind the Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus for handling as the tire comes in with a SimpleScore of 8.7. Featuring large stable shoulder blocks that provide confident dry and wet handling.
Here again, you will notice a little progress in terms of longevity for the Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus over the General Altimax RT45.
ADVANTAGE: Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus
Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus vs General Altimax RT45 tires on longevity
The longevity aspect is equally important to traction and handling when purchasing a tire. The longevity of a tire depends on several factors, including the quality of the tire, driving habits, road conditions, and maintenance.
Starting with the Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus’s 9.4 SimpleScore in longevity is because of reinforced construction, and its innovative tread design gives drivers a quiet, comfortable ride, plus even wear to extend the tire's tread life. Outside of that, the tire’s optimized design and tied shoulders put more rubber on the road which prevents irregular wear by evenly distributing road forces (in addition to boosting handling).
Conversely, the Altimax RT45 tops the chart here at a 9.7 SimpleScore in longevity. The General Altimax RT45 innovative tread reduces noise for a quiet, comfortable ride. Additionally, the Altimax RT45's Replacement Tire Monitor wears down to "REPLACE TIRE" over time so that drivers know when it's time to purchase a new set of tires. Visual Alignment Indicators on the shoulders allow drivers to visually check their alignment to fend off uneven wear.
Although both the tires perform solid when it comes to longevity, the Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus falls a little short on warranty as well the Ecopia EP422 Plus comes with 70,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty against the excellent 75,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty from the General Altimax RT45.
ADVANTAGE: General Altimax RT45
When to use each
While all-season tires offer convenience and versatility, they tend to have a longer lifespan compared to tires designed specifically for certain weather conditions, such as winter or summer tires. This is because they are constructed with a tread compound that balances handling and performance across different seasons.
Both the Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus and General Altimax RT45 may not provide optimal performance in extreme winter weather conditions. For example, in areas with heavy snowfall, dedicated winter tires might be necessary for improved traction and safety. That said, all-season tires are an excellent choice if you live in an area that only gets light snow.
Additionally, cautious driving habits and avoiding harsh conditions can help preserve the tread and overall integrity of the tires.
Which one should you choose?
So, which all-season tire is the right option for you? When looking at SimpleScore, the Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus and the General Altimax RT45 both come with an overall score of 9 versus 9. As noted above, there are key differences between the two tires and these need to be weighed against each other to determine what’s best for you. Finally (and maybe, most importantly), pricing on these two tires is a bit different as Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus tires cost at least $141.96 per tire while General Altimax RT45 tires cost at least $98.99 per tire. That means a set of four Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus all-season tires will cost you at least $567.84 for a set of four, while a set of four General Altimax RT45 tires will cost you at least $395.96.
Based on SimpleScore, you should choose the Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus if you:
- Drive a Honda Civic, Nissan Cube or a Fiat 500
- Looking for a tire that delivers superior traction (8.8 vs 8.7)
- If you want a tire that has great handling capabilities (8.8 vs 8.7)
Conversely, you should choose the General Altimax RT45 if you:
- Drive a Ford Escape, Suzuki Vitara, or Dodge Caravan
- Looking for a greater warranty and a longer tread life (9.7 vs 9.4)
- Are looking for an affordable tire that comes from the General family
Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus vs General Altimax RT45 tires might not seem a close comparison on the surface, but the above clearly shows that either is a great option. Remember, both of the tire brands are some of the best tire manufacturers on the market, and that tradition continues with the Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus and General Altimax RT45. At the end of the day, the decision to buy one or the other depends on your vehicle, where (and how) you drive, and what you care more about in terms of traction, handling, longevity, and price.
Still not sure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help as our helpful agents are more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.