General tires
Continental's American value brand, strong on trucks. Typically $80–$230 per tire.
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General Tire was founded in Akron, Ohio in 1915 and became one of the big American tire names of the twentieth century. Continental bought it in 1987, and today General serves as Continental's mid-price brand in the US, with many tires built in Continental's plant in Mount Vernon, Illinois. The brand is heavily involved in off-road racing, which is where its Grabber truck tires earned their credibility.
The Grabber family is the reason most people buy General. The Grabber A/TX is a well-reviewed all-terrain with a 60,000-mile warranty on most sizes and the three-peak mountain snowflake symbol, the Grabber HTS60 is a long-wearing highway tire for pickups and SUVs, and the Grabber X3 is a proper mud-terrain with red-letter sidewalls. On the passenger side, the AltiMAX RT45 is a value touring tire with a 75,000-mile warranty, the AltiMAX 365AW is an affordable all-weather tire and the AltiMAX Arctic 12 is a studdable winter tire that punches above its price.
General prices sit clearly below Continental and roughly level with Cooper and Hankook. Warranties are solid, and the brand benefits from Continental's engineering. Honest weaknesses are that the car tires are competent rather than exciting, and the Grabber X3 is loud on pavement.
Up to $180 back on 4 tires ($90 base + $90 card bonus)
$90 General Tire Prepaid Mastercard on G-MAX RS, Grabber APT, A/TX, H/T, HTS60, X3; $70 on AltiMAX 365AW, Arctic lines, Grabber A/T Sport, HD, HTS. Same amount again when paid with a General Tire / Continental / Synchrony Car Care credit card. Purchases 9/1-10/31/2026, submit online at generaltire-rebates.com or by mail by 11/30/2026. Ends Oct 31, 2026.
General models worth buying
| Model | Type | Mileage warranty | From | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AltiMAX RT45 | All-Season Tires | 75,000 mi | $100 | Everyday sedans and minivans that want a long warranty at a mid-tier price. |
| Grabber A/TX | All-Terrain Tires | 60,000 mi | $160 | Pickups and SUVs that want an aggressive-looking all-terrain that is still good in snow. |
| Grabber HTS60 | Highway Truck & SUV Tires | 65,000 mi | $130 | Half-ton pickups and SUVs that stay on pavement and want long tread life. |
| Grabber X3 | Mud-Terrain Tires | None | $250 | Off-road trucks and Jeeps that want a mud-terrain with race-proven toughness. |
| AltiMAX 365AW | All-Weather Tires | 60,000 mi | $120 | Commuters in snow states who want a 3PMSF all-weather tire on a budget. |
| AltiMAX Arctic 12 | Winter Tires | None | $110 | Cars and small SUVs in hard winters that want a studdable tire at a low price. |
Strengths
- Grabber A/TX is a well-priced, winter-rated all-terrain
- AltiMAX Arctic 12 is one of the best-value winter tires
- Continental engineering at mid-tier prices
Weaknesses
- Passenger tires are unremarkable compared with Continental equivalents
- Grabber X3 mud-terrain is noisy on the highway
General as a company
Made in the US at: Mount Vernon, Illinois; Sumter, South Carolina; Clinton, Mississippi.
General Tire is an American brand, founded in Akron, Ohio in 1915, that has belonged to Continental AG since 1987; its US base is Continental's Americas tire headquarters in Fort Mill, South Carolina. It rides on Continental's three US tire plants in Mount Vernon, Illinois, Sumter, South Carolina and Clinton, Mississippi and on the group's global plant network. General is sold as a value-to-mid-price alternative to Continental through independent tire dealers, big online retailers such as Tire Rack, and service chains, with the Grabber line for trucks and SUVs and the AltiMAX line for cars as its best-known families.
All financial, employee, plant and ranking figures are for the parent, Continental AG, at GROUP level - General Tire itself publishes no separate accounts. Figures are GROUP-level for Continental AG, not tire-division-level. Continental completed the spin-off of its automotive electronics business as Aumovio SE on 17 September 2025, so the listed entity (Continental AG, Frankfurt/DAX) now consists of Tires plus ContiTech, with ContiTech earmarked for divestment during 2026. FY2025 group sales were EUR 19.7bn and group adjusted EBIT margin 10.3%; the Tires group sector alone had sales of EUR 13.8bn (about USD 15.5bn) and an adjusted EBIT margin of 13.6%. Tire Business' Global Tire Report put Continental 4th worldwide on fiscal 2024 tire-only sales of USD 12.5bn (tire-only sales are lower than sector sales, which include retail and services). EUR converted at a rounded 1.12 USD per EUR (approximate 2025 average). Employees: 92,653 at 336 locations at the end of 2025 per the 2025 annual report; Continental's own figures page quoted about 76,000 in March 2026 after the ContiTech OESL business was sold on 2 February 2026, and the Tires sector alone employs about 53,000. Production volume in tires or tonnes is not published at group level, hence null; the three US plants alone have capacity for more than 16 million tires a year. No sourced global market-share percentage was found, hence null. Latest public figures: fiscal year 2025 (reported 4 March 2026). The founding year and history entries refer to General Tire itself, which was founded in Akron, Ohio in 1915 and acquired by Continental in 1987. The HQ given is General's US base, Continental's Americas tire headquarters in Fort Mill, South Carolina; the parent's HQ is Hanover, Germany.
General through the years
- 1915The General Tire & Rubber Company was founded on 29 September 1915 in Akron, Ohio by William F. O'Neil and four partners with 200,000 dollars in capital.
- 1916General moved from repair work into tire manufacturing, concentrating on premium-priced tires.
- 1955General Tire's parent bought RKO Radio Pictures from Howard Hughes for 25 million dollars, turning the tire maker into a broadcasting and film conglomerate.
- 1984General Tire became a subsidiary of the newly formed holding company GenCorp, Inc.
- 1987GenCorp sold the General Tire division to Continental AG of Germany, which still owns the brand.
- 2008The brand's US base moved to Fort Mill, South Carolina, where Continental's Americas tire headquarters is located.
Did you know?
- General Tire's parent company once owned RKO Radio Pictures plus a string of radio and TV stations, including WOR in New York - the tire maker was briefly a Hollywood studio owner.
- General Tire is the Official Tire of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series and title sponsor of the season-opening General Tire Duel in the Desert.
- Although General is an American brand founded in Akron, Ohio, it has been German-owned since 1987 and shares Continental's engineering, compounds and plant network.
General tires: common questions
Who owns General Tire?
Continental AG of Germany has owned General Tire since 1987. General is Continental's value brand in North America, and many of its tires are built alongside Continental tires in Mount Vernon, Illinois.
Are General tires as good as Continental?
Not quite, and they are not priced like it either. General tires use older or simpler compounds and tread designs than the Continental equivalents, so they give up a little wet grip and refinement. For truck tires the gap is small; the Grabber A/TX in particular competes with tires costing much more.
Is the General AltiMAX Arctic 12 a good winter tire?
Yes, it is one of the best-value winter tires sold in the US. It is studdable, performs well in deep snow and slush, and typically costs 30 to 40 percent less than a Bridgestone Blizzak or Michelin X-Ice. It is a little louder and slightly less sharp on ice than the premium tires.