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Head-to-head Updated September 2026

Continental VancoFourSeason vs General Altimax Arctic 12 — Compared (September 2026)

Our Relative Score blends 60% objective test data with 40% owner-review signal — so any two tires can be compared even if they were never tested on the same day.

VS
Tire B General

General Altimax Arctic 12

Premium Touring Winter tire

General Altimax Arctic 12 tread pattern
Objective (60%)
60/100
1 professional test
User signal (40%)
87/100
56 owner reviews
Dry
45
Wet
61
Snow
74
Comfort
86
Noise
83
Treadwear
86
Handling
80
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Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VerdictWinner: General Altimax Arctic 12 — better treadwear, snow and comfort. Pick the Continental VancoFourSeason if dry matters most to you.
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Category breakdown

7 categories, side by side

Each bar is the Relative Score for that category. Expand a tile to see the test results and owner ratings behind it.

Dry

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) VancoFourSeason leads by 25
A
70
B
45
Why this score
SourceVancoFourSeasonAltimax Arctic 12
Professional tests (TWG score) – 17
Tire Rack owners 66 86
Tyre Reviews owners – 70
SimpleTire owners – 87

Wet

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) Altimax Arctic 12 leads by 6
A
55
B
61
Why this score
SourceVancoFourSeasonAltimax Arctic 12
Professional tests (TWG score) – 43
Tire Rack owners 52 88
Tyre Reviews owners – 85
SimpleTire owners – 91

Snow

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Altimax Arctic 12 leads by 45
A
29
B
74
Why this score
SourceVancoFourSeasonAltimax Arctic 12
Professional tests (TWG score) – 59
Tire Rack owners 78 91
Tyre Reviews owners – 95
SimpleTire owners – 96

Comfort

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Altimax Arctic 12 leads by 20
A
66
B
86
Why this score
SourceVancoFourSeasonAltimax Arctic 12
Professional tests (TWG score) – 86
Tire Rack owners 40 82
Tyre Reviews owners – 70
SimpleTire owners – 91

Noise

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Altimax Arctic 12 leads by 16
A
67
B
83
Why this score
SourceVancoFourSeasonAltimax Arctic 12
SimpleTire owners – 85

Treadwear

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) Altimax Arctic 12 leads by 51
A
35
B
86
Why this score
SourceVancoFourSeasonAltimax Arctic 12
Tire Rack owners 74 87
Tyre Reviews owners – 100
SimpleTire owners – 90

Handling

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Altimax Arctic 12 leads by 11
A
69
B
80
Why this score
SourceVancoFourSeasonAltimax Arctic 12
Tyre Reviews owners – 65

Scores at a glance

CategoryContinental VancoFourSeasonGeneral Altimax Arctic 12
Relative Score 54 74
Dry 70 45
Wet 55 61
Snow 29 74
Comfort 66 86
Noise 67 83
Treadwear 35 86
Handling 69 80

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

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Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

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Recomputed
Headline score

Tire A

Tire B

From owners

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews across retailers and review sites — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Continental VancoFourSeason

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

Tire B General Altimax Arctic 12

The General Altimax Arctic 12 is widely regarded as a high-value, top-tier winter tire that excels in deep snow, slush, and icy conditions. While users note some expected trade-offs in dry pavement handling and increased road noise, the consensus highlights its exceptional longevity and performance-to-price ratio compared to premium competitors.

Pros

  • Outstanding traction and confidence in deep snow, slush, and ice
  • Exceptional tread life and durability for a winter-specific tire
  • High value-for-money proposition compared to premium brands like Nokian or Bridgestone
  • Reliable performance across a diverse range of vehicles, from small sedans to heavy trucks

Cons

  • Noticeable increase in road noise, particularly as the tire wears
  • Softer sidewalls leading to 'squishy' or less precise handling on dry pavement
  • Slightly higher rolling resistance resulting in a minor decrease in fuel economy
  • Reduced grip on dry and wet pavement compared to dedicated all-season or summer tires

Observations

  • Drivers of RWD vehicles, such as the BMW Z4, reported high satisfaction with the tire's ability to maintain control in harsh winter conditions.
  • Users with light-weight vehicles (e.g., Chevy HHR) and heavy-duty trucks (e.g., Ram, F-150) both report consistent, reliable traction in deep snow.
  • The XL-rated versions provide a robust, beefy sidewall that some users appreciate for sport-tuned suspensions.
Specifications

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental VancoFourSeason B · General Altimax Arctic 12
Category—Premium Touring Winter tire
Vehicle type—Passenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available138
Rim diameters16″15″ – 19″
Tread depth11 - 15/32″12/32″
UTQG280 A A—
SidewallBlack Side WallBlackwall
Max pressure51 - 90 psi51 psi
Final verdict

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental

General

Winner: General Altimax Arctic 12 — better treadwear, snow and comfort. Pick the Continental VancoFourSeason if dry matters most to you.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

General Altimax Arctic 12 scores 86 vs 35 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

General Altimax Arctic 12 scores 74 vs 29 on snow.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental VancoFourSeason scores 70 vs 45 on dry.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

General Altimax Arctic 12 scores 86 vs 66 on comfort.

Tire A · Continental VancoFourSeason
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Tire B · General Altimax Arctic 12
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How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements) normalized against the best tire in each test and weighted toward recent tests. 40% comes from thousands of owner reviews collected from retailers and review sites. When a tire has only one of the two, we use what exists and say so.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.