I'm running General RT43s for summer and General Altimax Arctics for winter. I'm not a believer in all-season (in reality three-season) tires. IIRC, the Arctics might be 215/65-16 but they're so close as to not make a difference. FWD is quite competent in snow, but dedicated snow tires make it even more sure-footed. In the long run it doesn't cost any more to have two sets of tires because there's only one set on the vehicle at a time.

FWIW, I run two sets on my AWD Compass as well. I just like the cornering and stopping ability of the dedicated snows.

 

Just looking for recommendations for my 2016 Jeep Patriot FWD. 205/70/16 is the size I am looking for.
I live in Nebraska so I experience all types of weather. Most important to me is the durability and the tire that will last me the longest.
Thank you!

Check out the inventory on discount tire (or whatever large chain is in your area). Then google and compare tires. You can also call the local chain and get recommendations. I say this because from my experience customer support and warranties are more important than the actual tire.

For example, discount tire will replace your tire for free if you purchased the warranty which is like $7-15 more each tire. I’ve used it a bunch of times and could then add a fresh warranty to the new free tire for the same $7-15. They patch the tires for free, rotate them for free, put air in them for free, and so on. Plus the tires are pretty cheap through them. Only thing is they don’t balance the tires.

 

I installed my second set of General RT43's this past winter. The first set lasted about 60,000 miles and I could have gotten a bit more out of them, but I wanted new tires going into winter. Unlike Ignatz, I run mine 4 seasons. They clear the roads here quick, I generally can stay home when the roads are bad, and I slow down on less than perfect roads (one of the best winter techniques). But yes, Ignatz method is definitely more safe. The tires got a bit noisy on the last 10,000 miles. Otherwise, they are a great value/performance choice (you can always pay more for better). If you knew how much I research before purchase (spread sheet comparing value/performance), my endorsement would be priceless. But, everyone has different experiences because there are so many variables. The "longest lasting" tire is going to cost a LOT more, and poor alignment, suspension, and/or no rotation will eat up any tire.

The RT43 is being replaced with the RT45 starting July 1. Maybe some good deals on the 43's????

Continental Launches General Tire AltiMax RT45

Continental's General Tire brand is launching the General AltiMax RT45, the successor to the RT43, with improved wear and reliable wet grip.

www.tirereview.com

 

Thanks @Treegrower for that link. When I saw the RT45 being introduced I had the same thought as the article addressed: You've got a good tire, don't screw it up. If I didn't make it clear, I'm running RT43s on both my Patriot and my Compass.

My Patriot came with Goodyear LS-2s that kinda evaporated. Only made it to 35,000 miles. My Compass came with Firestone Destinations which were good highway tires. The are an LRR tire and definitely gave superior fuel economy (I'd say at least 10% better fuel economy over a very long range test), but the trade-off in winter performance dictated a dedicated snow tire.

Another great snow tire is the Dunlop Grandtrek. I was very impressed with them and even did some side-by-side competition with our two FWD Patriots and our 4wd Wrangler. I posted my results elsewhere on this site a few years ago. The climbing ability of the Grandtreks in snow was outstanding.

I had the RT43s in a Memorial Day snowstorm a few years ago. Not surprisingly, the DOT was caught flat-footed and I had to make my 100 mile trip in accumulating snow. The RT43s performed well enough, certainly respectably for an all-season tire.

Conclusion: as with TG above, the RT43 is a very good all-around tire. That's why I bought the second set for my Compass.

 

I contacted Discount Tire about this same issue. They recommended Fulken WildpeakA/t Trail. They will be my next tire for my 2016 FWD.

 

General makes good tires. In the 2022 Consumer Reports car issue they ranked 16 tire brands and General came in fifth. I live in the desert and run the General Grabber (215/65-16) A/Tx for its aggressive off-road tread. My Patriot also came with Goodyear LS-2s and they were the flimsiest tire I’ve ever used.

Here are the ranked tire brands (averaged?) from the Consumer Reports car issue based on how well the tires perform/maneuver on the CR test track, predicted tread life, and sticker price. Of the five CR categories (All Season, Performance All Season, SUV All Season, Truck, Ultra High Performance), General was a top pick in the All Season and Ultra High Performance categories. CR didn’t focus on winter tires which makes me think that no matter how good they are in the cold, not many winter tires are sold compared to All Season.

Michelin
Vredestein (this brand is new to me)
Continental
Goodyear
General
Bridgestone
Yokohama
Nexen
Pirelli
Hankook
Falken
Firestone
Nikian
Toyo
Sumitomo

 

Oops, missed Nitto which came in last...

 

I'm kinda surprised to see Goodyear on that list. The Wrangler SR-A's that came on my Patriot barely made it to 10k miles before they were trashed. And last summer I worked for a month in a Goodyear plant down in Virginia. Their equipment was falling apart and none of the workers there seemed to give a cr@p. In comparison, I normally work at the Sumitomo plant in Buffalo, where they make Falken and Dunlop tires. The equipment there is much newer, in much better condition and ,more importantly, everyone there seems to really care about making a good product. My month in VA was eye-opening, and personally, I'll never buy another Goodyear tire.

 

I've only had three really poor sets of tires in a million + miles.
Goodyear Wrangler RT/S had very poor traction on all but dry roads. Wet was lousy and snow was scary. I can't imagine why (other than the name) Jeep would have put those on a Wrangler.
I had a set of Remingtons that could not be balanced but I was not in a good position financially at the time so I coped with them. First chance I got they were gone, even though they still had legal tread.
A set of off-brand "Wild Country" tires of which 3 of the four failed: one developed a sidewall bulge, another had the belt coming through the sidewall and one succumbed to a road hazard.

In my heart I like Michelin the best. I had a set of Michelin Harmonys on my Grand Prix and they were fabulous. I've had other Michelins over the years and all were good enough. Generals are close in quality and much lower in price so I run with them.

 

I've only had 3 sets of bad tires. The SR-A's that came on my Patriot and 2 sets of Continental motorcycle tires. In '20, my bike needed new tires and I got Continental's on sale. After they were put on, the handlebars shook about 2 inches as soon as I hit 35. Took it back to the shop 3 times before they told me that it must be a bad tire. Got them replaced under warranty. The replacements did the same exact thing. Started suspecting the bike, so took it in to the local Honda dealer. They said that the bike was "perfect" and blamed the tires. So I ate the cost of the Continentals and got some Dunlops. Problem solved.

 

Just looking for recommendations for my 2016 Jeep Patriot FWD. 205/70/16 is the size I am looking for.
I live in Nebraska so I experience all types of weather. Most important to me is the durability and the tire that will last me the longest.
Thank you!

i installed general altimax 365aw in febuary (215 60 17). i was shocked how well they ran in snow compared to the ht60s. i had the 16's as well but changed to the 17s because lack of options for 16s. i also went up to 215s. i lost a mile or 2 per gallon but the ride quality was far superior to the 205s. still getting 30mpg though.

 

It was difficult finding a 205 tire for my 2011 Patriot early on. I now use a 215 70 16
The General Altima was a good tire on my FWD 2.4L and I ran them all year
I’ve had good success with the Wrangler SRA for all year use
The last set I had they were good for 70k

 

Just looking for recommendations for my 2016 Jeep Patriot FWD. 205/70/16 is the size I am looking for.
I live in Nebraska so I experience all types of weather. Most important to me is the durability and the tire that will last me the longest.
Thank you!

BF GOODRICH ALL TERRAIN TIRES ARE THE BEST I HAVE FOUND. JUST ENSURE YOU GET A ROAD HAZARD AND ROTATION AND BALANCE WARRANTY AND ROTATE AND BALANCE EVERY TIME YOU DO AN OIL CHANGE. ALSO KEEP THE PROPER AIR PRESSURE IN THEM.

 

Is anybody here using General Altimax RT45 for jeep?

I want to know how this tire is for my Jeep Wrangler.

I run RT43s (not RT45s) on my Patriot and my Compass for summer tires, and I'm very happy with them. I believe the 45s are just a new & improved version of the 43s. They are street tires and IMHO not really appropriate for a Wrangler, though they will certainly function.

Wife & I had an '01 Wrangler that came with Goodyear RTSs -- a street tire -- and they were horrible. I can't believe Jeep would have installed them as OEM. I'm not sure if it was the tires themselves or just the wrong tires for the vehicle. I also had some Remington street tires I tried to use up on a Wrangler but they gave it the "death wobble." Truth be told, the Remingtons weren't very good on the Pontiac they came off of, either.

For a Wrangler I'd say choose an LT tire. I used General Grabber Arctic LTs on our previous Wrangler and they were excellent all around: comfortable on the road which is where it got used most, competent off-road where it didn't go very much, and outstanding in snow which is what I got them for.

I don't imagine it snows where you are, but for anyone else reading this, only once did I get caught in snow with the RT43s -- it was an unexpected snowstorm in late May and I had to make a trip. The roads were poor because the DOT didn't expect the snow either, but the RT43s did as well as could be expected for an all-season tire.