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Head-to-head Updated September 2026

General Altimax Arctic 12 vs Yokohama iceGUARD iG52c — 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.

Tire A 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

Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VS
VerdictOnly General Altimax Arctic 12 has enough test and review data for a Relative Score, so there is no head-to-head winner yet.
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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)
A — General Altimax Arctic 12
45
B — Yokohama iceGUARD iG52c
–
Why this score
SourceAltimax Arctic 12iceGUARD iG52c
Professional tests (TWG score) 17 –
Tire Rack owners 86 –
Tyre Reviews owners 70 –
SimpleTire owners 87 –

Wet

Weight: Important
Score (0–100)
A — General Altimax Arctic 12
61
B — Yokohama iceGUARD iG52c
–
Why this score
SourceAltimax Arctic 12iceGUARD iG52c
Professional tests (TWG score) 43 –
Tire Rack owners 88 –
Tyre Reviews owners 85 –
SimpleTire owners 91 –

Snow

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100)
A — General Altimax Arctic 12
74
B — Yokohama iceGUARD iG52c
–
Why this score
SourceAltimax Arctic 12iceGUARD iG52c
Professional tests (TWG score) 59 –
Tire Rack owners 91 –
Tyre Reviews owners 95 –
SimpleTire owners 96 –

Comfort

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100)
A — General Altimax Arctic 12
86
B — Yokohama iceGUARD iG52c
–
Why this score
SourceAltimax Arctic 12iceGUARD iG52c
Professional tests (TWG score) 86 –
Tire Rack owners 82 –
Tyre Reviews owners 70 –
SimpleTire owners 91 –

Noise

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100)
A — General Altimax Arctic 12
83
B — Yokohama iceGUARD iG52c
–
Why this score
SourceAltimax Arctic 12iceGUARD iG52c
SimpleTire owners 85 –

Treadwear

Weight: Important
Score (0–100)
A — General Altimax Arctic 12
86
B — Yokohama iceGUARD iG52c
–
Why this score
SourceAltimax Arctic 12iceGUARD iG52c
Tire Rack owners 87 –
Tyre Reviews owners 100 –
SimpleTire owners 90 –

Handling

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100)
A — General Altimax Arctic 12
80
B — Yokohama iceGUARD iG52c
–
Why this score
SourceAltimax Arctic 12iceGUARD iG52c
Tyre Reviews owners 65 –

Scores at a glance

General Altimax Arctic 12 vs Yokohama iceGUARD iG52c: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryGeneral Altimax Arctic 12Yokohama iceGUARD iG52c
Relative Score 74 –
Dry 45 –
Wet 61 –
Snow 74 –
Comfort 86 –
Noise 83 –
Treadwear 86 –
Handling 80 –

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

Personalize

Weight the categories that matter to you

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

Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

Tire A

Tire B

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

Test data

The professional test results behind the scores

Each result is shown as % of the best tire in that test. “Same test” rows are the strictest comparison: both tires were measured side by side.

DisciplineCategoryTire ATire BΔBoth?
Overall Ranking Overall 14% #7/17 · 2020 Consumer Reports North America Winter Tyre Test 7% #14/17 · 2020 Consumer Reports North America Winter Tyre Test +7.1 Same test
From owners

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A 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.
Tire B Yokohama iceGUARD iG52c

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

Specifications

Specs side by side

Attribute A · General Altimax Arctic 12 B · Yokohama iceGUARD iG52c
CategoryPremium Touring Winter tirePremium Touring Winter tire
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available38—
Rim diameters15″ – 19″—
Tread depth12/32″—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure51 psi—
Final verdict

Which one should you actually buy?

General

Yokohama

Only General Altimax Arctic 12 has enough test and review data for a Relative Score, so there is no head-to-head winner yet.

Tire A · General Altimax Arctic 12
Tire B · Yokohama iceGUARD iG52c

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.