General Altimax tire on f-3 Limited?

[Jambo Creek]

Has anybody run the General Altimax 215/60/15 car tire on an F-3 Limited? This tire is about an inch larger in diameter than the OEM, so I'm wondering if it has adequate clearance. I'd also like to know how it handles, how it wears, and if there are any problems getting it mounted on the rim. (FYI, this tire is available from Walmart for $72, and ought to outlast the OEM Kendra at $190 by 3-4 times.)

Another top choice for more durability is the Kumho Ecsta AST 225/50-15, (which can be found at Tirerack.com for $82, plus shipping). This car tire is exactly the same size as the OEM, but some say it has a tendency to hydroplane. Any tire will hydroplane given the right circumstances, but still...

I'd like to hear from anybody who has run either of these, especially on an F-3 Limited, and can offer an assessment.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Has anybody run the General Altimax 215/60/15 car tire on an F-3 Limited? This tire is about an inch larger in diameter than the OEM, so I'm wondering if it has adequate clearance. I'd also like to know how it handles, how it wears, and if there are any problems getting it mounted on the rim. (FYI, this tire is available from Walmart for $72, and ought to outlast the OEM Kendra at $190 by 3-4 times.)

Another top choice for more durability is the Kumho Ecsta AST 225/50-15, (which can be found at Tirerack.com for $82, plus shipping). This car tire is exactly the same size as the OEM, but some say it has a tendency to hydroplane. Any tire will hydroplane given the right circumstances, but still...

I'd like to hear from anybody who has run either of these, especially on an F-3 Limited, and can offer an assessment.

#1...... the limited has the swing arm from the RT spyders so Yes it will fit .............#2. If this is the RT43 model I highly recommend it if not I don't know about it then ........ #3.....If being mounted by your dealer I would make sure they will do it before hand , otherwise you will need to re-move wheel and take it to a tire mounting shop ...... Mike

[Jambo Creek]

#1...... the limited has the swing arm from the RT spyders so Yes it will fit .............#2. If this is the RT43 model I highly recommend it if not I don't know about it then ........ #3.....If being mounted by your dealer I would make sure they will do it before hand , otherwise you will need to re-move wheel and take it to a tire mounting shop ...... Mike

I have two dealers in my area. One refused to mount a non-OEM tire, but the other said they put non-BRP stuff on machines all the time, no problem. Bring it in. We’re getting 10” of snow today, so it’ll be awhile before any work gets done. I’m going to check again in the spring before I buy a tire.

BTW. It was the Rt43 that’s being considered, but the place I saw a potential for a clearance issue was in back by the mud flap. Can you elaborate a little more about your experience with this tire?

[AeroPilot]

QUOTE I'd like to hear from anybody who has run either of these, especially on an F-3 Limited, and can offer an assessment."

Her F3T got 13,500 miles on the OEM Kenda, and we decided to try the Generals this time around. The 215/60-R15 was mounted up without issues and is running smooth without any weights added at approx 6,000 miles elapsed. I have the other General waiting in the garage for when my Kumho Ecsta AST wears out on my 15 RT (currently at 20,000 miles elapsed, and rolling fine- maybe another 5,000 in it). We have been happy with the Kumhos on our RT's and now the wife is good with the roll on the General. It does get the Speedometer within 1 MPH of the GPS speed at 65 mph whereas I am still running 2 mph fast on my Kumho 225/50/

No mounting issues and good wear from both so far. Handling has been good out west here with both and no issues although I'll slow down a little more now that most of the tread is off the Kumho

[Jambo Creek]

QUOTE I'd like to hear from anybody who has run either of these, especially on an F-3 Limited, and can offer an assessment."

Her F3T got 13,500 miles on the OEM Kenda, and we decided to try the Generals this time around. The 215/60-R15 was mounted up without issues and is running smooth without any weights added at approx 6,000 miles elapsed. I have the other General waiting in the garage for when my Kumho Ecsta AST wears out on my 15 RT (currently at 20,000 miles elapsed, and rolling fine- maybe another 5,000 in it). We have been happy with the Kumhos on our RT's and now the wife is good with the roll on the General. It does get the Speedometer within 1 MPH of the GPS speed at 65 mph whereas I am still running 2 mph fast on my Kumho 225/50/

No mounting issues and good wear from both so far. Handling has been good out west here with both and no issues although I'll slow down a little more now that most of the tread is off the Kumho

Thanks. We ride two-up and loaded a lot, so it might be a good idea to stick with the smaller diameter Kumho tire and worry less about bottoming out. I still have a long winter to ponder this, and it’s really helpful to hear from people with firsthand experience.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I have two dealers in my area. One refused to mount a non-OEM tire, but the other said they put non-BRP stuff on machines all the time, no problem. Bring it in. We’re getting 10” of snow today, so it’ll be awhile before any work gets done. I’m going to check again in the spring before I buy a tire.

BTW. It was the Rt43 that’s being considered, but the place I saw a potential for a clearance issue was in back by the mud flap. Can you elaborate a little more about your experience with this tire?

You have the right one ....read Aero Pilot's post ........ If you are asking about how good the tire is .... it's over-all rating is in the top 3 for this size .... you should get excellent mileage also ........... Mike

[missouriboy]

I'll embed my comments within your quote, in bold, like this...

Has anybody run the General Altimax 215/60/15 car tire on an F-3 Limited? This tire is about an inch larger in diameter than the OEM, so I'm wondering if it has adequate clearance. That inch in diameter is only 1/2 inch in radius, so the half-inch is all you have to worry about.

I'd also like to know how it handles, how it wears, and if there are any problems getting it mounted on the rim. It handles fine, but traction is noticeably less... you can spin the tire much more easily, so just temper your throttling a bit. Wear? See next line. I had mine mounted by my servicing BRP dealer, and no problems were mentioned.

(FYI, this tire is available from Walmart for $72, and ought to outlast the OEM Kendra at $190 by 3-4 times.) Nope, not 3-4 times, more like just under double. I'm well past the "Replace Tire" indicators at 29,000 miles but still have lots of tread showing (it still passes the Penny test, by reaching into the top of Lincoln's head). I'm planning to replace the tire at my next oil change, at 49k miles... that'll be 32,000 miles on the General, not quite double the Kenda's 17,000. But it's still a no-brainer: here's the math, using MY miles and YOUR $: Kenda = 1.11 cents per mile, while the General is only 0.225 cents per mile. So that's only about ONE-FIFTH the cost-per-mile of the Kenda. YMMV.

Another top choice for more durability is the Kumho Ecsta AST 225/50-15, (which can be found at Tirerack.com for $82, plus shipping). This car tire is exactly the same size as the OEM, but some say it has a tendency to hydroplane. Any tire will hydroplane given the right circumstances, but still... I had fine service from my Kumho, but traded her off before I used it up, so I don't know how long it would have lasted.

I'd like to hear from anybody who has run either of these, especially on an F-3 Limited, and can offer an assessment.

I run about 22-24psi in the General, not 28.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

You have the right one ....read Aero Pilot's post ........ If you are asking about how good the tire is .... it's over-all rating is in the top 3 for this size .... you should get excellent mileage also ........... Mike

PS, I run my rear tire at 18psi ,,either one up or two up .........It's a car tire and 3 x's as strong as the Kenda .....It needs to flex to get the best performance from it .............this is science not " I think so " ...........Mike

[Highwayman2013]

I’m running the RT43 General Altimax (215/60/15) on the rear of a 2016 F3L. Over 7,000 miles and going well. I run it at 22 psi at the suggestion of Netzley Tire. No rubbing, plenty of clearance.

[missouriboy]

PS, I run my rear tire at 18psi ,,either one up or two up .........It's a car tire and 3 x's as strong as the Kenda .....It needs to flex to get the best performance from it .............this is science not " I think so " ...........Mike

Hey, thanks for that... I'm gonna drop mine to 18 and give it a try. Here's why:

On regular, clean blacktop pavement I can be cruising in 3rd gear just under the power-range (about 5K) and make the wheel spin and fishtail just by cracking the throttle on up through 6-7K rpm... NOT good! I first found this out when it surprised me while passing a semi-truck doing about 45. Heck, I don't want that in serious traffic! Now, this is just recently, while my tread is no longer what it should be. Back when the tread was still full I could do it at slower speeds (~20mph) in 2nd gear, but I never dreamed it could happen in 3rd gear; that's why I was taken by surprise.

So now I'll lower the PSI and try it again, then report back here. But we're socked in right now with cold, wet weather til at least the weekend.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Hey, thanks for that... I'm gonna drop mine to 18 and give it a try. Here's why:

On regular, clean blacktop pavement I can be cruising in 3rd gear just under the power-range (about 5K) and make the wheel spin and fishtail just by cracking the throttle on up through 6-7K rpm... NOT good! I first found this out when it surprised me while passing a semi-truck doing about 45. Heck, I don't want that in serious traffic! Now, this is just recently, while my tread is no longer what it should be. Back when the tread was still full I could do it at slower speeds (~20mph) in 2nd gear, but I never dreamed it could happen in 3rd gear; that's why I was taken by surprise.

So now I'll lower the PSI and try it again, then report back here. But we're socked in right now with cold, wet weather til at least the weekend.

Yes that is a possibility, because car tires have much stronger construction. If you have a light weight vehicle ( ie Spyders ) you must use lower psi's, otherwise a hard tire ( with too much air pressure ) will lose traction much easier ....ESPECIALLY if it's wet , and Yes the nanny can save you from a minor spin -out occurring ..... But I really wouldn't like to be going interstate speeds or above and have the tire suddenly break loose.... Some here believe it can't happen, but I don't want to be the Test Dummy for this ...... Mike

[Jambo Creek]

Thank you for all this information. With no real help from the manufacturers and active discouragement from some of the dealers, real world experience is really useful.

Jambo