Goodbye terrible Firestone FR710
Just ordered a set of replacement General G-MAX AS-03 tires in 225/55ZR16
After 17,000 miles the Firestone tires are all leaking about 2Lbs every 24 hours. They have never really handled very well, and are noisy. Tired or broken belts, wobbles, noise, and the constant airing the tires up.
When I get the new ones installed I will leave a detailed review
After 17,000 miles the Firestone tires are all leaking about 2Lbs every 24 hours. They have never really handled very well, and are noisy. Tired or broken belts, wobbles, noise, and the constant airing the tires up.
When I get the new ones installed I will leave a detailed review
1 - 20 of 33 Posts
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Hurray! I can't wait for that day.
Let us know how the Generals are. Hopefully you upped the speed rating as well from the crappy "S" rated tires as well with their floppy sidewalls.
I had some General Altimax's on another car - they were a decent tire, but didn't really stand out to me in any way.
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Let us know how the Generals are. Hopefully you upped the speed rating as well from the crappy "S" rated tires as well with their floppy sidewalls.
I had some General Altimax's on another car - they were a decent tire, but didn't really stand out to me in any way.
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77 Posts
In 2007 General Tire was purchased by Continental. The tires that I ordered ar Z rated.
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77 Posts
General Tire G-Max AS-03
Size:
225/55ZR16
UTQG:
480 A A
Max Inflation:
51 psi
Tire Weight:
21 Lbs
Section Width:
9.2 inches
Diameter:
25.7 inches
Revs per Mile:
877
Country of Origin:
DE Germany
Firestone FR710
Size:
215/60R16
UTQG:
560 B B
Max Inflation:
44 psi
Tire Weight:
22 Lbs
Section Width:
8.7 inches
Diameter:
26.1 inches
Revs per Mile:
801
Country of Origin:
MX Mexico
Review of the General GT G-MAX AS-03 from Road&Track:
All Season Tires - All Weather Tire Review of General Tire G Max AS 03 at RoadandTrack.com - Road & Track
General Tire is not a name that springs readily to mind among driving enthusiasts, although Steve Saleen did use them as original equipment on his Mustangs in the late 1980s. Coming into the new millennium, the brand, now owned by Continental, was pretty much a marketing retread, with no new development.
Continental, however, has seen potential in the brand that traditionally offered good performance at a competitive price, so in 2007 Continental retooled the General corporate mold. Working with their strongest name, the Grabber light truck tire, General started making tracks in off-road truck racing, followed by the Altimax street tire. Now the General has re-targeted the important and challenging all-weather ultra high-performance street tire market with the G Max AS 03. Interestingly, General says the AS 03 replaces the Exclaim summer tire and not the all-season Altimax.
The new G Max takes an enthusiast's stance on all-weather tire: dry pavement performance is important, but meaningful grip in the wet and snow are vital because the tire won't be swapped seasonally for dedicated winter rubber. To that goal, the G Max sports a highly refined vee-shaped tread. The two main center and multiple series of diagonal grooves are sculpted into large and narrow channels as necessary to accommodate varying water volume, and are provided with short backflow voids at the groove intersections to reduce flow-inhibiting turbulence. The result is more organized, higher-volume water flow.
Snow Performance
For snow performance, generous siping is provided, but with an ingenious twist to preserve dry handling. Inside the slit-like sipes, a series of tiny male and female blocks are provided. These allow the sipes to do their job of flexing the tread blocks in a snow-biting fore-and-aft direction, but the sipes lock together under lateral loads to form a more rigid, precise tread block in dry cornering. Snow performance is also augmented with detailing in the main grooves to help lock snow in the treads. This provides better snow-on-snow traction—think of how a snowball grows when rolled in snow, and the difficulty in trying to shear a snowball apart.
Maintenance Features
General has also incorporated some crafty maintenance features. Besides the usual tread wear indicating blocks, the tread center is molded with "replacement tire monitor." This scrubs to read "replace tire," presumably at the appropriate level of tread wear! Along the outer tread edges a light squiggle pattern is molded in. These Vehicle Misalignment Indicators wear quickly, revealing in the first several hundred miles if the tire is seeing excessive camber or toe-in wear depending on how the inner and outer squiggles wear relative to each other.
Driving Tests
Driving tests provided by General at Infineon Raceway showed the AS 03 against select competitors. Dry performance approached some of the most aggressive names in traditional performance tires, but ultimately the all-weather AS 03 could not quite match the dry performance specialists. The AS 03 proved very progressive breakaway traction in the dry, meaning grip gave up earlier and faded gently, clearly telegraphing to the driver that the tire was approaching its limits. At race track intensity the AS 03 hung in there with satisfying performance, but with relatively large slip angles.
Wet Weather Performance
On the wet handling course, the AS 03 was definitely ahead of the benchmarks, some of which were more expensive, up-market names. The AS 03s definite wet advantage was in both higher grip and quicker, more agile recovery of grip after big puddles or major tire-scrubbing slides. Snow performance was not tested.
General Tire has enjoyed large growth, even in the latest economic doldrums thanks to the combination of good performance and high value. The AS 03 will continue the winning trend with drivers looking to keep dry performance while enjoying fine winter and wet traction. Look for the G Max AS 03 in no less than 63 sizes in 15- to 20-in. fitments by August.
____________________________________
After installation was completed I took my Cruze for a quick run down to the car wash to get as much release compound off the tires as I could. This is critical as the release compound is quite slick and can even border on dangerous until it has been removed. Removal can be done via lots of soap and water, or by driving the car somewhat aggressively until the layer of release compound is worn away.
Drove to the local ballpark which is now off season and empty. On the way to the ball park I did notice that the tires are quieter than even the FR710 factory tires... Smooth ride with less 'bounciness' than the FR710. Driving slalom between the light poles I progressively increased the speed I was driving until I was comfortable with the steering feedback. This took around 15 minutes to get the tires good and warm and the release compound was more or less removed.
The other car that I drive rather regularly is a LS1 powered Datsun 240Z. Weld racing wheels with Toyo Proxes R888 in 245/45-16. The General's grip on initial bite is no where near as aggressive, However it is still quite impressive. The trackout release is progressive and predictable.
I guess that pretty much sums up the dry performance:
Linear, Progressive, and Predictable.
After I get a chance to drive the Cruze in the rain I will update this thread.
Size:
225/55ZR16
UTQG:
480 A A
Max Inflation:
51 psi
Tire Weight:
21 Lbs
Section Width:
9.2 inches
Diameter:
25.7 inches
Revs per Mile:
877
Country of Origin:
DE Germany
Firestone FR710
Size:
215/60R16
UTQG:
560 B B
Max Inflation:
44 psi
Tire Weight:
22 Lbs
Section Width:
8.7 inches
Diameter:
26.1 inches
Revs per Mile:
801
Country of Origin:
MX Mexico
Review of the General GT G-MAX AS-03 from Road&Track:
All Season Tires - All Weather Tire Review of General Tire G Max AS 03 at RoadandTrack.com - Road & Track
General Tire is not a name that springs readily to mind among driving enthusiasts, although Steve Saleen did use them as original equipment on his Mustangs in the late 1980s. Coming into the new millennium, the brand, now owned by Continental, was pretty much a marketing retread, with no new development.
Continental, however, has seen potential in the brand that traditionally offered good performance at a competitive price, so in 2007 Continental retooled the General corporate mold. Working with their strongest name, the Grabber light truck tire, General started making tracks in off-road truck racing, followed by the Altimax street tire. Now the General has re-targeted the important and challenging all-weather ultra high-performance street tire market with the G Max AS 03. Interestingly, General says the AS 03 replaces the Exclaim summer tire and not the all-season Altimax.
The new G Max takes an enthusiast's stance on all-weather tire: dry pavement performance is important, but meaningful grip in the wet and snow are vital because the tire won't be swapped seasonally for dedicated winter rubber. To that goal, the G Max sports a highly refined vee-shaped tread. The two main center and multiple series of diagonal grooves are sculpted into large and narrow channels as necessary to accommodate varying water volume, and are provided with short backflow voids at the groove intersections to reduce flow-inhibiting turbulence. The result is more organized, higher-volume water flow.
Snow Performance
For snow performance, generous siping is provided, but with an ingenious twist to preserve dry handling. Inside the slit-like sipes, a series of tiny male and female blocks are provided. These allow the sipes to do their job of flexing the tread blocks in a snow-biting fore-and-aft direction, but the sipes lock together under lateral loads to form a more rigid, precise tread block in dry cornering. Snow performance is also augmented with detailing in the main grooves to help lock snow in the treads. This provides better snow-on-snow traction—think of how a snowball grows when rolled in snow, and the difficulty in trying to shear a snowball apart.
Maintenance Features
General has also incorporated some crafty maintenance features. Besides the usual tread wear indicating blocks, the tread center is molded with "replacement tire monitor." This scrubs to read "replace tire," presumably at the appropriate level of tread wear! Along the outer tread edges a light squiggle pattern is molded in. These Vehicle Misalignment Indicators wear quickly, revealing in the first several hundred miles if the tire is seeing excessive camber or toe-in wear depending on how the inner and outer squiggles wear relative to each other.
Driving Tests
Driving tests provided by General at Infineon Raceway showed the AS 03 against select competitors. Dry performance approached some of the most aggressive names in traditional performance tires, but ultimately the all-weather AS 03 could not quite match the dry performance specialists. The AS 03 proved very progressive breakaway traction in the dry, meaning grip gave up earlier and faded gently, clearly telegraphing to the driver that the tire was approaching its limits. At race track intensity the AS 03 hung in there with satisfying performance, but with relatively large slip angles.
Wet Weather Performance
On the wet handling course, the AS 03 was definitely ahead of the benchmarks, some of which were more expensive, up-market names. The AS 03s definite wet advantage was in both higher grip and quicker, more agile recovery of grip after big puddles or major tire-scrubbing slides. Snow performance was not tested.
General Tire has enjoyed large growth, even in the latest economic doldrums thanks to the combination of good performance and high value. The AS 03 will continue the winning trend with drivers looking to keep dry performance while enjoying fine winter and wet traction. Look for the G Max AS 03 in no less than 63 sizes in 15- to 20-in. fitments by August.
____________________________________
After installation was completed I took my Cruze for a quick run down to the car wash to get as much release compound off the tires as I could. This is critical as the release compound is quite slick and can even border on dangerous until it has been removed. Removal can be done via lots of soap and water, or by driving the car somewhat aggressively until the layer of release compound is worn away.
Drove to the local ballpark which is now off season and empty. On the way to the ball park I did notice that the tires are quieter than even the FR710 factory tires... Smooth ride with less 'bounciness' than the FR710. Driving slalom between the light poles I progressively increased the speed I was driving until I was comfortable with the steering feedback. This took around 15 minutes to get the tires good and warm and the release compound was more or less removed.
The other car that I drive rather regularly is a LS1 powered Datsun 240Z. Weld racing wheels with Toyo Proxes R888 in 245/45-16. The General's grip on initial bite is no where near as aggressive, However it is still quite impressive. The trackout release is progressive and predictable.
I guess that pretty much sums up the dry performance:
Linear, Progressive, and Predictable.
After I get a chance to drive the Cruze in the rain I will update this thread.
Joined
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77 Posts
General Tires handle better in the rain than the Firestone did in the dry. Good solid grip with very little hydroplaning. New Generals able to handle driving on Interstate @ 80+ MPH while in the pouring rain (over 1 inch per hour) without hydroplaning. Not highly recommended - But I tested it so you don't ever have to.
Next is testing them in the snow.
Next is testing them in the snow.
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77 Posts
Just got a little light snow up here in North West Arkansas - Took the little Cruze out to see how well the new tires would handle light snow. Now do realize this was about 1/2 inch of packed snow with an inch of loose stuff on top.
The tires did well enough to call them all season. They are no where near as good as true snow tires... but they do perform better than the Firestones did.
Overall I will have to say that I am quite pleased with this purchase!
The tires did well enough to call them all season. They are no where near as good as true snow tires... but they do perform better than the Firestones did.
Overall I will have to say that I am quite pleased with this purchase!
I have a set of Kingstar centums...I paid 200 bucks for them...they may have fallen off the back of a truck...just saying. They're re-branded Hankooks, produced for sale at Walmart.
They are traction A, temp A and Tredwear 540
Basically they will get us through the winter here in BC, than I am buying summer tires. All seasons are ok at everything......good at nothing.
They handle better in the wet than the firestones in the dry, they're quieter, we have driven through a lot of water and deep puddles at 70mph and they don't even offer to hydroplane...super happy with them for 200 bones....even if I bought them for the 475 that they cost new per set, I would be happy.
Anything is better than the crap that it arrived with.
Why did your RS not get the 18" wheels with the Michelins?
They are traction A, temp A and Tredwear 540
Basically they will get us through the winter here in BC, than I am buying summer tires. All seasons are ok at everything......good at nothing.
They handle better in the wet than the firestones in the dry, they're quieter, we have driven through a lot of water and deep puddles at 70mph and they don't even offer to hydroplane...super happy with them for 200 bones....even if I bought them for the 475 that they cost new per set, I would be happy.
Anything is better than the crap that it arrived with.
Why did your RS not get the 18" wheels with the Michelins?
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51 Posts
I have also been very disappointed with the 16" Firestones that are standard. Seems like I am adding air to them, more than I expected from other cars/tires. Also, living in MI, the snow traction to me is poor. With only 13k miles on the car, I still have some time before they wear to the point that they need replacing. Personally I have never met a bad Michelin tire.
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does it look better with the wider size you chose?
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The Firestone710s are awful. I'm at 17,000km, so I don't have quite the problem that you did Wyre, but the slightest bit of condensation or snow on the ground, and all traction was gone. Glad I'm getting new wheels in the spring... it'll force new tires too.
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My car is a 1LT RS - It comes with 16" wheels.
The Firestone tires are quite poor. Right now I am sitting at 7000 miles. At the last run through the dealership they measured the tires at 9/32 Front and 10/32 Rear - So I had them rotated.
I think they look so much better than the Firestones. They sit wider and the tread design is aggressive.
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Just passed 20,000 miles on the General G-MAX AS-03 tires. At this point half of the tread is gone. I have to say that I have been quite pleased wit this set of tires, and I am fully intending on either buying another set when these are worn out, or upgrading the wheels and tires at the same time.
The tires have picked up a bit of road noise as they have worn. Overall, it isn't a lot of noise... It is most noticeable at slower speeds. Probably due to the large tread blocks.
The tires have picked up a bit of road noise as they have worn. Overall, it isn't a lot of noise... It is most noticeable at slower speeds. Probably due to the large tread blocks.
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I have these tires on my car for the summers (235/45/18). They have been great so far and they look amazing (mean looking)! That's a nice bonus.
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I have a 2012 Cruze 1LT with the Firestone FR710 tires. Just a tick under 18,000 miles. I was having some issues under hard braking/cornering but that was caused by excessive body roll. I installed a set of Eibach Pro springs (See my pic in the lowering thread) and my Cruze actually handles better than my Grand AM GT that I just rebuilt the entire F & R suspension on.
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We have just over 20K on the FR170s and they show little wear. Rotate them at 5K intervals.
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Your in the minority then, most like me they wore pretty quick by 35K mine needed to be replaced. Mine wore extremely fast the first 6K miles, at least twice the rate they did after that point.
So glad to be rid of those tires, I like traction when wet and hate how bad those firestones hydroplaned when hitting deeper water groves in the road.
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I love mine.. I just rolled over 72k on them and will be replacing them with another set of Michelin's when it's time.
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Curiously mine have slowed down the past 5k or so. I thought they'd be much more worn by now. I'm thinking they might make a few more long trips at this point (26k)
That's freaking impressive.
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6,727 Posts
I think allot of these newer tires have a strange compound of rubber, its supper soft and gets harder the lower the tread gets. I have seen the exact same thing you did not only with those firestones but my previous yokahama tires as well. This would also explain why so many tires seem to get allot louder over bumps the more miles you put on them. Guess thats one way to get good reviews for traction and still get a high mileage tire.
I could have gotten 40-45K on my firestones if I wanted to risk it in the winter, decided tires vs insurance deductible and a big headache which one was smarter.
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