Overall, the G-MAX AS-07 is a competent tire with areas of excellence, particularly in handling and winter traction, but it also has notable shortcomings in braking performance and fuel efficiency.
Table of Contents
Key Takeaway
Overall, the General G-MAX AS-07 excels in:
- Lateral grip and handling, especially in cornering, due to its packed shoulder design.
- Winter traction, with effective snow-to-snow contact and grip on snowy tracks.
- Tread longevity, benefiting from a durable compound and deep tread depth.
Though the tire needs improvements in:
- Directional grip in dry conditions, as it exhibits underwhelming braking performance.
- Wet performance, specifically in braking and handling due to less flexible sipes.
- Noise comfort, as it tends to be noisier on various surfaces.
- Fuel efficiency, impacted by its heavier weight leading to increased rolling resistance.
Sizes Specs
The tire comes in 77 total sizes in 16 to 24 inches rims. And these sizes have following specs.
- Speed ratings: V, and W only. These are marketed by General as “ZR”, see what it means.
- Load ratings: SL and XL.
- Tread depth: 10 and 11/32″.
- Weight: 18 to 46 lbs.
- UTQG: 500 A A (Also AA A). Learn all about UTQG here.
- Treadwear warranty: 50k miles.
Side Note: The G-MAX 07 is the updated version of both, the G-MAX 05 (review it here), and the Grabber UHP. Actually both these tires are now unified in to a single product series.
Tread Structure
Featuring an asymmetric tread pattern, the General G-MAX AS-07 is easily recognizable by its five distinctive ribs or block columns.
Let’s take a look at the three ribs in the middle first.
The central most rib here, is continuous running and is characterized by “L shaped” notches and linear sipes, predominately.
And as you can see, its surrounded by 2 ribs, which differ a lot from one another.
Here, one side is equipped with larger, squared-off lugs, featuring thicker and more pronounced L-shaped notches and cross-shaped sipes.
In contrast, the other side has smaller lugs with simple linear sipes and small notches, (which are actually also common with the middle rib).
Moving towards shoulder ribs, the lugs on side are somewhat similar, as they both incorporate linear sipes and lateral voids.
However, there are subtle differences, where one side displays more offset edges, while the other side appears more streamlined, contributing to the tire’s balanced performance and aesthetics.
Side Note: The tire’s tread comes with Replacement Tire Monitor (RTM) and Visual Alignment Indicators (VAI). As the tire wears down, the RTM system reveals a phrase like “Replace Tire” to indicate the need for replacement, while VAI shows uneven wear on either side of the tire, signaling potential alignment issues.
Internal Construction
Internal construction is a very important aspect, especially when it comes to Ultra-High Performance All-Season (UHPAS) tires because it directly impacts their handling, responsiveness, and durability.
Side Note: You can find all these tires here – https://tiredriver.com/all-season-tires/
These tires typically feature reinforced sidewalls and advanced internal structures, enabling them to maintain stability and control at high speeds and in various weather conditions.
Having said that, the the G-MAX AS-07 comes with a sturdy built. It comes with single ply polyester casing, with a high turn-up. Moreover, you also get twin steel belts on top, which are reinforced by dual ply polyamide cap plies, enhancing uniform handling and durability.
Overall Ride Quality
Ride quality is determined by understanding tire’s performance with noise and road bumps.
Noise Dampening Performance
In terms of noise, although the G Max 07 isn’t the loudest, there’s still room for a lot of improvement.
This is because the tire emits a lot of growl, on various surfaces, which becomes more notable on slightly rougher roads.
And yes, its also not very quiet on smoother pavements, where it generates subtle variations in tone at lower speeds. Though this (noise) generally gets merged into the background, without causing significant disturbance.
Vibrations Comfort
A tire’s ride quality is closely related to its ability to smooth out road imperfections. So it makes sense why it depends, so much, on the tire’s composition and construction.
Now, here the G Max’s softer internal build provides a pretty impressive and well cushioned ride over bumps.
However, while it effectively absorbs shocks, it somewhat lacks precise control during these moments. I mean the tire takes slightly longer to settle down, after it’s meet with bigger road imperfections.
Though its still ranked for its superior comfort, in my list of top UHPAS tires.
Overall Dry Performance
When it comes to overall dry performance of tires, we mainly look at two things: overall traction, and handling. Let’s talk both.
Dry Traction
Dry traction in tires involves two primary aspects: directional grip and lateral grip.
Directional Grip: This type of grip mainly comes from the central area of the tread and is a key factor in determining how quickly a car can stop. The reason is that the middle part of the tire makes the most contact with the road during straight-line travel.
Lateral Traction: This concerns how effectively the tire’s sides or “shoulders/sidewalls” perform, particularly when the car is turning. This importance arises because these areas bear the most weight during cornering.
Now, when it comes to directional grip, the G-MAX’s performance is very underwhelming.
To give you an idea, in my comparative testing with UHPAS tires, the AS07 lacked behind the Sumitomo HTR P03 by over 3 feet in averaged braking distance tests.
So why is the tire lacking, even though it features continuous running central most rib? Well, there are two main reasons to consider here.
- Firstly, the tire’s tread is more voided up, especially when you look at the adjacent ribs.
- Secondly, it is heavier compared to other tires in its category. In fact its one of the heaviest. And this greater weight results in increased momentum inertia as the tire rolls, which means tire requires more energy to stop.
However, when it comes to lateral grip, the General AS-07 is doing much better.
And that’s because its packed up shoulder design, with unbroken ribs, ensures an optimal, and consistent contact with the ground, as the tire corners.
That’s why it makes sense, that compared to the same Sumitomo’s tire, it provides 0.1 g greater lateral grip (measured in G-force). Review this tire here: https://tiredriver.com/sumitomo-htr-a-s-p03-review/
Steering Feedback
When evaluating the steering capabilities, the General G-MAX AS-07 presents remarkable results.
One of its notable strengths is the maintenance of a solid “on-center feel,” which ensures stability and precision when the steering wheel is in its centered position (particularly post cornering).
Because of this the tire is able to get out of the corners faster, adding to its overall impressive handling times on lap tests.
Moreover, the tire is also impressive mid-cornering, where it prevents the lugs form bending excessively, thanks to its reinforced foundations underneath the tread.
With limited lug bending, basically, the tire is able to provide you with faster feedback, to even subtle steering inputs and changes.
Though the tire still has a small room for improvement, where its heavier construction is causing some problems. This additional weight increases cornering momentum, leading to tire’s understeering. Nonetheless, its still manageable, meaning you get above average performance here overall.
To give you an idea about the tire’s overall handling characteristics: It offered very similar results, compared to Laufenn S Fit AS (review).
Winter Traction
The General G-MAX AS-07 comes with all the ingredients that make it a decent performing tire for snowy tracks.
This tire features a sophisticated siping design, which although aren’t so optimized for wet roads, provides great results when it comes to snow.
I mean, the tire’s multi-directional siping, combing with variety of elements, provide superb overall grip.
These biting elements, including zigzag longitudinal grooves positioned at tread’s middle, slanted in-groove biters on adjacent ribs, and lateral notches on the shoulders, basically allow for effective snow-to-snow contact. This contact is significant here, as snow bonds more effectively with itself than with rubber, allowing tire to have ample snow acceleration.
Overall, I have to say, the tire has greatly improved its overall winter perfroamcne, over its predecessor, the G Max 05 (review it here).
Tread Longevity
When evaluating tread life, two critical factors must be considered:
- Rate of Rubber Degradation: This is a measure of how quickly the tire’s rubber wears down, indicating its durability and overall lifespan mileage.
- Wearing Down to Legal Limit: In the United States, the legal tread depth limit is 2/32″. It’s crucial to understand how long it takes for a tire to wear down to this point, as reaching this limit necessitates tire replacement.
In these aspects, the General G-MAX AS-07 is a pretty great option, when it comes to UHP all-season tires. Its special tread compound is enriched with additives like silica, carbon black, and antioxidants, enhancing its resistance to wear.
This is further complemented by a generous tread depth of up to 11/32″, surpassing many competitors that max out at 10/32″. This difference although may seem insignificant, it still takes a good amount of time before reaching down to 2/32″.
That’s because all ribs on the tire’s tread, are sitting on a secondary stiffer rubber, which means, as the tire wears down, it becomes more and more resistant to faster wear, (though it also limits wet traction too).
That’s why with this tire, you get a treadwear rating of 500, and a confidence inspiring warranty of 50k miles.
Wet Performance
Wet performance is highly dependent on how well the tire clears off water from under its tread, and that is done by effective sipes.
Having said that, although the General G-MAX AS-07 is equipped with good enough sipes throughout its tread, it still encounters some challenges on wet roads, primarily due to those sipes lacking flexibility.
That’s why when compared to its direct competitor, the Cooper Cobra Instinct, the GMAX shows a notable deficiency, trailing by over 9 feet in average stopping distance tests.
So why is that? Well to understand that, you have to know how sipes work. Let me simply it.
These sipes are slits in the tread which act as water reservoirs. When the tire meets the road, the trapped moisture in between, is pressurized and squeezed into these slits. And as the rolls over, these water particles are then expelled, enhancing grip on wet surfaces.
Now, with missing any siping particularly on the central most rib, the tire isn’t able to provide you with ample directional grip, and with it, lacking wet braking.
Moreover, the sipes it does offer (on the neighboring lugs), are predominately linear.
Such siping pattern/structure exhibit a tendency to stiffen during aggressive turns. And this ineffectiveness gets reflected in tire’s overall lacking handling lap times.
Fuel Efficiency
Fuel efficiency in vehicles is closely linked to the rolling resistance of tires, which is influenced by factors such as the tire’s weight, tread depth, and material composition.
In the case of the General G-MAX AS-07, its performance in fuel efficiency is somewhat compromised, primarily due to its relatively heavier weight.
This increased weight puts extra pressure on the tire’s lugs, causing them to flex more than usual. And this wastes fuel energy in to heat (predominately), reducing tire’s overall economy.
Wrapping It Up
In conclusion, the General G-MAX AS-07 is a versatile Ultra-High Performance All-Season tire with various pros and cons.
Its internal construction featuring reinforced sidewalls and advanced structures provides good handling and durability.
And the tire shows strong lateral grip and steering feedback, making it responsive and stable, especially in handling and cornering.
However, its performance in directional grip is underwhelming, meaning its braking isn’t impressive.
Wet performance is also compromised due to less flexible sipes, where both braking and handling gets impacted.
Though surprisingly, the tire excels in winter conditions, offering effective snow-to-snow contact and grip.
Ride quality is a mixed bag, where although it absorbs road bumps well, it tends to be noisier and less controlled over larger imperfections.
Other than this, tread longevity is a strong point on this tire. However, fuel efficiency is not.
