The summer passenger tire General-Tire Altimax HP, produced by a well-known North American manufacturer, is designed for high-speed passenger cars of various classes. The lineup of tire sizes for this model includes over forty names, which indicates its wide applicability to most modern passenger cars.
As is typical of high-performance tires with speed indices H and V, this model features a V-shaped symmetrical directional tread pattern with an aggressive design. Despite the possibility of installing it on compact models, this tire combines technologies and design more typical of models for sports sedans and coupes.
The TCT technology has made it possible to achieve an ideal balance between sporty handling and smooth ride. This was achieved by using a two-layer tread. Both layers of the tread have different densities of the rubber mixture. The softer layer provides protection against vibrations that occur when driving over small irregularities, while the layer with high density protects against larger road irregularities. As a result, this tire demonstrates an amazing smooth ride.
Another technology used in this tire is the Visual Alignment Indicator (VAI) indicators. These indicators are small grooves of varying depth located in the shoulder areas of the tread. Under the action of uneven wear, the grooves gradually disappear, allowing for timely determination of the imbalance of the car's tires.
The next innovative technical solution was the Acoustic Modulation Sound Technology (AMST), i.e., the technology of acoustic modulation. This technology implies a carefully designed configuration of tread blocks, which, in combination with their carefully calculated location, made it possible to significantly reduce the level of resonant noises and vibrations. Due to this, it was possible to provide a high level of comfort at any speed.
When creating the rubber compound, American tire makers perfectly understood the importance of this component of any tire, which affects all its main operational qualities. To ensure more reliable traction on wet surfaces, a special component - silica, which is silicon dioxide - was used in the composition of the tread rubber compound. In addition to improving traction, silicon-containing components significantly increased the service life of the General Tire Altimax HP tire, due to the improved resistance of its tread to wear.
The tread of this model is built in accordance with the Reactive Contour Technology (RCT). The reactive profile technology gives the tire the ability to instantly respond to changes in the characteristics of the road surface, maintaining stable contact with it. This made it possible to ensure reliable traction, regardless of the type of road surface, and gave the tire confident behavior in any conditions.
Another interesting innovation was the Replacement Tire Monitor Technology (RTM), designed to visually monitor the timely replacement of tires. To do this, a special indicator is located on the central longitudinal rib of the tread, which gives a visual indication of the need to replace the tire. On a new tire, the indicator is the inscription Replacement Tire Monitor, which translates to "Tire replacement control". When the maximum permissible wear is exceeded, the indicator inscription changes to the phrase Replace Tire, i.e., "Replace the tire".
Main features of the General Tire Altimax HP tire
- Unique visual alignment indicators extend the life of the tire by timely determining uneven wear;
- The indicator of exceeding the maximum permissible wear allows for timely determination of the need to replace the tire;
- The acoustic modulation technology effectively suppresses noise, making travel more comfortable;
- The two-layer tread provides softness when driving due to the different densities of both layers;
- The rubber compound with silicon-containing components in its composition has significantly improved traction in wet conditions, while increasing resistance to wear;
- The stability of the contact area size, regardless of the characteristics of the road surface, ensures reliable and confident behavior in any conditions.
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