Cooper Endeavor vs General AltiMAX RT45: All season tires have always been the go to tires for the American market and this segment has been well established across the years. There are 2 types of all season tires, one with 3 peak mountain & one with only M+S. We have covered these 2 types of tire head to head with Michelin’s Defender T+H (M+S) vs Cross Climate 2 (3 peak mountain) and the M+S all season tires are worst in winter performances but excel much better in mileage.
This time around we picked up 2 mid tier all season challengers in the form of Cooper’s Endeavor and General’s AltiMAX RT45. Endeavor is a relatively new tire as it was launched in 2021 and covers a large range of passenger cars and crossovers with 15″-18″ sizes. AltiMAX RT45 on the other hand was launched this year in 2022 and covers mostly passenger cars, minivans, SUVs and crossovers sizes. Both products were designed and sold specifically in the North American market. This is the general commitment of both companies’ research & development approach of bringing the best products for the local market. Without further ado, let’s put these 2 tires head to head and see who comes out on top !
Table of Contents
Results
Results below were taken from the Tire Rack’s “Testing Grand Touring All-Season Tires 2022” test. A total of 4 tires were tested this time around. The graph below shows the comparison between Cooper Endeavor vs General AltiMAX RT45 based on the relevant performance category. The Cooper Endeavor was set as a reference hence at the 100% mark. Note that for subjective evaluation, we equate 1 point as 5%. Hence for example if tire A is graded 7 while tire B is graded 6, A is better than B by 5%.
As both tires are categorized as all season tires, Tire Rack will conduct the snow & ice tests in this upcoming 2022 winter season hence please stay tuned for further updates. The tire size of interest is a 225/45R17 which is a common tire size for Audi A3 and Hyundai Elantra. You can check out our latest tire size table for more information. The testing vehicle is a powerful 2022 Subaru BRZ Limited.
Wet
The friction of coefficient of the tire/road dramatically decreases in wet roads compared to dry roads. Hence it is more likely to get into a road accident during wet conditions rather than on a sunny day. It was so important that the EU label has wet braking as one of its three criteria. With regards to our comparison, AltiMAX RT45 has an edge in wet braking compared to Endeavor with a 10.7 feet (3.3 m) advantage in stopping distance.
While in wet handling, both tires were really close to each other as both tires had the same lap time of 38.4 seconds. Subjectively, Endeavor was just a tiny fraction better with a rating of 6.5/10 compared to 6.38/10 for AltiMAX RT45.
Endeavor:
The Cooper Endeavor continued to provide its sporty steering on the track, which was satisfying in the slalom and faster corners. Our team would have liked more overall traction to back up the tire’s sporty demeanor. The extended braking distances made it feel particularly unbalanced.
Test driver feedback on Endeavor
AltiMAX RT45:
General AltiMAX RT45 struggled with a similar lack of traction but suffered from somewhat vague steering and a tendency to quickly spin up the rear tires and kick the rear axle out of line, limiting acceleration out of corners.
Test driver feedback on AltiMAX RT45
Overall AltiMAX RT45 showed clear strengths in wet braking while both tires were neck to neck in wet handling.
AltiMAX RT45 :
- +7.4% in wet braking
- -0.6% in wet handling (subj)
- 0% in wet handling (lap time)
Dry
As for dry, safety is usually not an issue as the braking distance is much longer than wet. However this is the default daily usage and the tires have to perform at a very consistent level. Both tires perform at a similiar level in dry braking as Endeavor had only a 0.3 feet (0.1m) shorter braking distance compared to AltiMAX RT45.
Dry handling was also a really close affair as AltiMAX RT45 had a tiny higher subjective rating in dry handling 6.91/10 against the 6.81/10 of Endeavor . They were so close apart in lap times as well with only 0.09 seconds seperated them apart.
AltiMAX RT45:
The AltiMAX RT45 made up for a slight lateral traction deficit by responding well to larger inputs. While steering required constant inputs to keep it in the sweet spot, the General felt athletic through the corners even if it lacked some finesse.
Test driver feedback on AltiMAX RT45
Endeavor:
The Endeavor’s responsive front end once again helped our drivers manage the slalom with ease, but it tended to overwhelm the traction in the tighter corners for moments of disappointing understeer.
Test driver feedback on Endeavor
Both tires were performing really close to each other in dry handling and they could not be seperated.
AltiMAX RT45 :
- -0.3% in dry braking
- +0.5% in dry handling (subj)
- +0.3% in dry handling (lap time)
Noise/Comfort/Ride Quality
Ride comfort, noise & comfort was tested and Endeavor edge ahead against AltiMAX RT45 especially in noise & steering/road handling. Endeavor finished with an overall 6.96/10 rating compared to the 6.67/10 rating of AltiMAX RT45.
AltiMAX RT45 :
- -1.5% in average of Noise, Comfort & Ride Quality.
Snow & Ice
In regards to winter performances, both products only have the M+S logo hence we are expecting a tough fight till the end. The results are expected to be out by early 2023. Stay tuned !
UTQG rating
We have previously shown that UTQG tread wear rating can be a good indication of your expected mileage. Below are the UTQG values of both of the tirelines.
| Brand | Tireline | Size | Tread Wear | Traction | Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooper | Endeavor | All | 680 | A | A |
| General | AltiMAX RT45 | All | 700 | A | A |
The mileage warranty for AltiMAX RT45 is at 75,000 miles while Endeavor is at 65,000 miles making it a difference of 10,000 miles. This direction was in line with its UTQG tread wear rating of AltiMAX RT45 as it was rated slightly higher at 700 UTQG tread wear compared to the 680 of Endeavor. Based on the information above, it is safe to say that AltiMAX RT45 will have higher expected mileage compared to Endeavor.
For more in depth information about UTQG, please check out this article here. We even have a free download on the latest UTQG values from the leading tire manufacturers.
Price
AltiMAX RT45 cost 18 dollars more compared to Endeavor.
Tire size: 225/45R17
Endeavor : $136
AltiMAX RT45 : $154
Difference: +11% more expensive for AltiMAX RT45.
Summary
Overall, both products showed exceptional strengths in wet, dry & noise categories and are not separable apart for wet braking where AltiMAX RT45 is better. From the summer performances overview, there is no clear winner but things might change drastically when the winter results are out. Don’t forget to check back after the 2022 winter season to find out who is the best all season tire !