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Head-to-head Updated September 2026

General G-MAX RS vs Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 — 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.

General G-MAX RS tread pattern
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
85/100
491 owner reviews
Dry
90
Wet
87
Snow
40
Comfort
85
Noise
78
Treadwear
84
Handling
83

Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VS
Tire B Michelin

Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2

Summer Ultra High Performance tires

Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 tread pattern
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
80/100
6 owner reviews
Dry
90
Wet
73
Snow
–
Comfort
80
Noise
–
Treadwear
77
Handling
83

Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VerdictWinner: General G-MAX RS — better wet, treadwear and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score.
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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 G-MAX RS
90
B — Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2
90
Why this score
SourceG-MAX RSPilot Exalto PE2
Tire Rack owners 90 –
Tyre Reviews owners 80 90
SimpleTire owners 96 –
America's Tire owners 95 –

Wet

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) G-MAX RS leads by 14
A — General G-MAX RS
87
B — Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2
73
Why this score
SourceG-MAX RSPilot Exalto PE2
Tire Rack owners 87 –
Tyre Reviews owners 80 73
SimpleTire owners 90 –
America's Tire owners 89 –

Snow

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100)
A — General G-MAX RS
40
B — Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2
–
Why this score
SourceG-MAX RSPilot Exalto PE2
SimpleTire owners 40 –

Comfort

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) G-MAX RS leads by 5
A — General G-MAX RS
85
B — Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2
80
Why this score
SourceG-MAX RSPilot Exalto PE2
Tire Rack owners 85 –
Tyre Reviews owners 50 80
SimpleTire owners 88 –
America's Tire owners 93 –

Noise

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100)
A — General G-MAX RS
78
B — Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2
–
Why this score
SourceG-MAX RSPilot Exalto PE2
SimpleTire owners 78 –
America's Tire owners 88 –

Treadwear

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) G-MAX RS leads by 7
A — General G-MAX RS
84
B — Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2
77
Why this score
SourceG-MAX RSPilot Exalto PE2
Tire Rack owners 84 –
Tyre Reviews owners 60 77
SimpleTire owners 85 –
America's Tire owners 91 –

Handling

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100)
A — General G-MAX RS
83
B — Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2
83
Why this score
SourceG-MAX RSPilot Exalto PE2
Tyre Reviews owners 65 83
America's Tire owners 94 –

Scores at a glance

General G-MAX RS vs Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryGeneral G-MAX RSMichelin Pilot Exalto PE2
Relative Score 86 79
Dry 90 90
Wet 87 73
Snow 40 –
Comfort 85 80
Noise 78 –
Treadwear 84 77
Handling 83 83

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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Headline score

Tire A

Tire B

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

From owners

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A General G-MAX RS

The General G-Max RS is widely regarded as a high-value, ultra-high-performance summer tire that offers impressive dry and wet traction at a significantly lower price point than premium competitors like Michelin. While most users praise its daily driving comfort, quietness, and predictable handling, some enthusiasts note that it lacks the razor-sharp steering response and ultimate track-day grip of more expensive, top-tier performance tires.

Pros

  • Excellent price-to-performance ratio
  • Strong wet and dry traction
  • Good ride comfort and relatively low road noise
  • Predictable handling characteristics for daily and spirited driving
  • Good tread life compared to other summer performance tires

Cons

  • Softer sidewalls can lead to a 'squishy' or less precise feel during aggressive cornering
  • Reports of flat-spotting after the vehicle sits for extended periods
  • Some users report increased road noise as the tire wears
  • Not intended for track-focused use; can overheat or lose grip under extreme conditions
  • Occasional reports of balancing issues or out-of-round tires

Observations

  • Users with high-horsepower vehicles (400+ hp) often note that the tire can struggle to maintain traction during hard acceleration compared to dedicated track compounds.
  • Owners of vehicles transitioning from run-flat tires consistently report a massive improvement in ride quality and comfort.
  • Drivers on 16-inch or smaller wheels appreciate the availability of this tire in sizes where other performance options are limited.
Tire B Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2

The Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 is widely regarded as a high-performing tire that offers excellent dry handling and comfort, particularly when replacing factory-fitted run-flat tires. While users praise its initial performance and progressive handling characteristics, there is a consensus that its performance diminishes significantly as the tread compound ages and wears.

Pros

  • Exceptional dry weather grip and handling precision
  • Noticeable improvement in ride comfort compared to run-flat alternatives
  • Predictable and progressive handling behavior in wet conditions
  • Strong initial performance across various driving environments

Cons

  • Noticeable decline in traction as the tire ages
  • Premium price point compared to competitors
  • Average wet weather performance in challenging conditions
  • Compound may harden or lose grip before reaching the legal tread wear limit

Observations

  • Mini Cooper owners report a significant upgrade in driving dynamics when switching from factory run-flat tires to the PE2.
  • Small hatchbacks like the Ford Fiesta benefit from the tire's versatility, though performance consistency in wet, oily road conditions is noted as average.
Community buzz

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

General G-MAX RS

Positive

The General G-Max RS is generally praised by community members as a high-value, budget-friendly alternative to premium summer tires like Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. Drivers report strong dry grip and cornering confidence, though some note drawbacks such as tire noise compared to more expensive options. Overall, they are viewed as a compelling choice for daily driving and enthusiastic street use without breaking the bank.

r/mazda3 ·19 upvotes ·2019-07-04

“Been driving on the General G-Max RS 225's for about a month now and it feels like I'm glued to the road. Now I just need to install my Corksport rear sway bar for even more cornering fun!”

r/GolfGTI ·3 upvotes ·2023-04-12

“Price no object? Michelin 100%. I have the Generals right now and while they're fine for grip and what not, they are very noisy. I have Michelin X Ice winter tires, and even with the aggressive winter tread, they are considerably quieter than my g-max rs. However I paid about 700 CAD for my set of g-max a couple years ago. So for a price like that, I'm happy. Like anything, expect to get what you pay for.”

r/tires ·3 upvotes ·2024-09-10

“G-max rs I put 7k miles on these tires and this is the front how many miles would you say I have before problems occur I plan on replacing in a few weeks Read more”

r/370z ·2 upvotes ·2018-03-31

“General G-Max RS tires I know they just came out in February 2018 but was wondering if anyone else has had experiences with them yet. From what I’ve dug up, they’re OEM on the new Saleen Mustang. Rated at 360AA. I bring this up because that’s what the dealer has given me after an unfortunate alignment issue with my old tires. Yes I went to the dealer because I trust very few people to work on my car and can afford a little extra. So far these tires haven’t disappointed me but it’s day 1. Highway driving felt very smooth and I hugged the corners going faster than... everyone else. Later today I’m going to take my empty backroad and see how they are in tight turns. General announced these tires are UHP Summer tires meant to attract customers for track and autocross. The only thing that holds me back a little on the throttle is the price tag is SOOO cheap, which is exactly what they wanted. If you have experience with them go ahead and post up please. Read more”

Top themes
#value and pricing#dry and wet grip#compared to michelin#daily driving comfort#road noise levels#cornering performance

Based on 12 community posts

Tire B

Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Specifications

Specs side by side

Attribute A · General G-MAX RS B · Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2
Category—Summer Ultra High Performance tires
Vehicle type—Passenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available48—
Rim diameters16″ – 20″—
Tread depth10/32″—
UTQG360 - 700 A - AA A—
SidewallBlack Side Wall—
Max pressure50 - 51 psi—
Final verdict

Which one should you actually buy?

General

Michelin

Winner: General G-MAX RS — better wet, treadwear and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

General G-MAX RS scores 87 vs 73 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

General G-MAX RS scores 84 vs 77 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

General G-MAX RS scores 85 vs 80 on comfort.

Tire A · General G-MAX RS
Tire B · Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2

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.