General Grabber Red Letter Tires
- Thread starter kennith
- Start date
Kenneth, update please. I'm looking at replacing current tires on my Rover and am looking at 265/75 or 235/85 for the size since going with the 255/85 KM2s I have laying around will require either gear ratio change at the diff or t-case swap from 1.0 to 1.2. I don't really want to do that.
Convince me to buy these.
Convince me to buy these.
I can't tell you about heavy mud, snow, or ice, but I can mention everything else.
On the road, they are outstanding. They won't hold back the handling of your vehicle at all. The way they hook corners and cruise is wonderful. I just drove 333 miles on them, most of which was at around 80mph. It was fine. The ride was good, they weren't tiring at all, and they tracked as straight as my DII can.
There is noise, mind you, but it's not the kind of noise that will drive you crazy. They aren't quiet, but they just don't make the same type of racket as other tires.
I was surprised to find that they perform perfectly well in the rain. You won't be slipping and sliding around like people would have you believe. The tread design can catch you off guard if you hit deep puddles at roadway speeds, but no more than any other off-pavement tire.
Obviously, they kill in sand and gravel. It's a big difference, as expected, from a mud tire. Night and day.
Now, the real question is mud. I haven't hit any deep holes since I've had them, though, because the DII has spent more time off the ground than on it. I have, though, run it around in the sort of sloppy nastiness we get after about a week of rain. It's not a mud hole, but this stuff is more than enough to entirely befuddle an AT.
I didn't really notice the tires at all, if I'm honest. I think they will be as decent as anything else that isn't made by Interco. General doesn't place much faith in mud performance, but what I've already experienced is way better than what they lead me to believe.
I can't hit anything deep right now, because I've got a bit of a leak from a dried seal, and I don't want water getting in there.
I'm thinking snow/ice performance will be the downfall, but I could be wrong. We'll see.
Overall, I love them, but if you're making a choice between the Grabber and a Super Swamper, I can't really help you there. These may turn out to be fine in mud, but they ain't going to be that good.:rofl:
Cheers,
Kennith
It wasn't much, but I took them out in snowy icy weather a few days ago, and kept it out long enough to enjoy a bit of slush.
They could be managed okay, but I think most drivers would have a bit of trouble with these tires in such conditions. Those wide, fat tread blocks found their limits on slippery roads, as might be expected.
Now, I've got my differentials in, so in the front and rear are Quaife torque biasing units. For those unfamiliar with them, I'll note that they are similar to Trutracs.
I found that in icy and slushy conditions, the vehicle did indeed slip a bit, and tended toward mild oversteer. Now, many might find understeer to be the case in this situation, but I drove around it a bit. I never encountered anything particularly dangerous, but I kept the throttle under control the entire time.
I was, however, exploring limits a bit. You'll need to drive a bit more carefully in common winter weather with these, but not unfortunately so.
These aren't suitable for mountainous areas. I wouldn't count on them to grip much of anything on long, sweeping, declining road surfaces. Climbing and moving about isn't a problem, but the blocks are just too wide to recommend even for occasional icy use on mountain roads. Stopping is the problem, as always. I wouldn't want to negotiate such roads on these tires.
Off road, things could be different, but we cannot easily fit tires large enough for these to make sense. They are well suited for modification, and could be great for someone who wants something very specific, but they are too expensive to be a blank canvas, and there's no sense cutting up anything in the sizes we use.
I wouldn't suggest you set off on any arctic expeditions wearing these. They'd work for a good portion of the trip, but so would a Subaru.
If you live in a largely flat or only slightly undulating area, and don't see very regular snow, you'll be fine in the winter, so long as you're not an idiot. You can certainly manage a couple of nasty weeks a year with them. That is the limit of my recommendation for winter use. Beyond that, the tires are unsuitable unless you keep another set for the season.
So far, I haven't had anything to complain about. This snowy experience was certainly expected.:rofl:
Cheers,
Kennith
They could be managed okay, but I think most drivers would have a bit of trouble with these tires in such conditions. Those wide, fat tread blocks found their limits on slippery roads, as might be expected.
Now, I've got my differentials in, so in the front and rear are Quaife torque biasing units. For those unfamiliar with them, I'll note that they are similar to Trutracs.
I found that in icy and slushy conditions, the vehicle did indeed slip a bit, and tended toward mild oversteer. Now, many might find understeer to be the case in this situation, but I drove around it a bit. I never encountered anything particularly dangerous, but I kept the throttle under control the entire time.
I was, however, exploring limits a bit. You'll need to drive a bit more carefully in common winter weather with these, but not unfortunately so.
These aren't suitable for mountainous areas. I wouldn't count on them to grip much of anything on long, sweeping, declining road surfaces. Climbing and moving about isn't a problem, but the blocks are just too wide to recommend even for occasional icy use on mountain roads. Stopping is the problem, as always. I wouldn't want to negotiate such roads on these tires.
Off road, things could be different, but we cannot easily fit tires large enough for these to make sense. They are well suited for modification, and could be great for someone who wants something very specific, but they are too expensive to be a blank canvas, and there's no sense cutting up anything in the sizes we use.
I wouldn't suggest you set off on any arctic expeditions wearing these. They'd work for a good portion of the trip, but so would a Subaru.
If you live in a largely flat or only slightly undulating area, and don't see very regular snow, you'll be fine in the winter, so long as you're not an idiot. You can certainly manage a couple of nasty weeks a year with them. That is the limit of my recommendation for winter use. Beyond that, the tires are unsuitable unless you keep another set for the season.
So far, I haven't had anything to complain about. This snowy experience was certainly expected.:rofl:
Cheers,
Kennith
I'm back home for now. I've got to put a Jag back together and work a few deals I had to put off, but it's on the list.
Cheers,
Kennith