We're huge advocates of always running high-quality tires that have been developed with an eye towards performance handling. It's always one of the first upgrades we recommend for any car, along with an appropriate set of wheels.
This is the scene that greeted us bright and early in the parking lot outside the classroom area of Infineon. The General Tire guard was present with a fleet of Mustangs, Camaros, Audis, and Mitsubishis.
On PHR project cars, we're typically all about running ultra-sticky soft compound tires with practically nil tread wear ratings, or at least ones that fall in the Ultra-High Performance Summer category since they'll offer the most traction in a straight line and cornering grip in dry conditions. But, we also recognize those tires aren't always the best choice depending on how and where a car gets used.
Daily driving duties, for example. All PHR project cars get driven regularly, but aren't our daily drivers. They're really toys reserved for cruising enjoyment, stress relief, and a little friendly competition on nice days- pretty much how most of you probably use your projects as well. Our tires on our daily beaters have to put up with copious annual miles of SoCal commuting, occasional foul weather, even snow up in the mountains. Plus, if they provide respectable fuel mileage and last a reasonable amount of time we can save some money- which we can then throw at our hot rods. In other words, soft and sticky isn't the best choice there; we need good all-season performance tires.
Besides a revised tread pattern, the big news is the G-Max AS-03's new patented 3D-sipe technology. Basically this means that the outer tread blocks have 3D elements in the sipe that cause the tread blocks to interlock and create a stiffer lateral and longitudinal tread. Additionally this creates much less tread distortion and provides more precise steering response and grip.
We're sticklers though; if we're going use an all-season tire with a higher tread wear we don't want to give up good handling characteristics. We want something that responds like a true performance tire when we want, or more importantly, need it to.
A few weeks back we were invited to the unveiling of General Tire's G-MAX AS-03. The General Tire crew has been working to redesign and revise their performance passenger car offerings to be top tier in the ever evolving tire market. We were mildly skeptical at first, especially considering the high-for-our-standards 480 tread wear rating- but then we saw the program they had put together to launch the tire.
General Tire and its parent company Continental have developed a reputation in the past few years for introducing their latest and greatest tires in impressive fashion to showcase the confidence they have in the performance with multiple types of testing, but for this tire they took it a step further. Our test location? Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA. Surely they weren't about to give us track time in a test car.
The revised V-shaped-tread design offers exceptional hydroplaning resistance by quickly evacuating water without sacrificing dry road handling or ride comfort. Those long strakes also enhance grip on slippery, snow-covered roads by filling and holding onto snow to capitalizing on snow-on-snow adhesion. Sounds counterintuitive, but trust us, it is better. We particularly dig the Visual Alignment Indicators (VAI), which help identify misalignment, and Replacement Tire Monitor Technology (RTM). The RTM reads "Replacement Tire Monitor" when new, but as the tire wears the indicator transforms to read "Replace Tire."
Oh yes, yes they were. Lots of it in fact with five different types of cars; Mustang GT, Camaro SS, Audi TTS, Audi S4, and Mitsubishi Evo X. Plus, there would be wet and dry autocross as well.
We're fairly familiar with Infineon, but for those who aren't it's oft regarded by many drivers as one of their top favorite tracks in the country for its combination of dramatic elevation change, fast and challenging corners, and beautiful surroundings. It's a place you can have a whole lot of fun in a good car with a good tire. It definitely sounded like this new General Tire might be something right up our alley.
The G-MAX is backed by a 45-day free trial and is available in a full line of 15 to 20 inch sizes. Wanna know more about the innovative G-MAX AS-03? Check out http://www.generaltire.com/tires/G-MAX-AS-03.
