IT HAS been a couple of months since we fitted General Tire’s latest Grabber ATx rubber to our Toyota HiLux Rogue, our last review centring on the tyres’ on-road performance and value against rivals like the BF Goodrich A/T KO3, Cooper Discoverer, Falken Wildpeak AT3, and Goodyear Wrangler.
But with a tyre specifically designed to meet the needs of off-road driving in mind, we thought it time we aired down, selected low range, and pointed the treads at more challenging ground – a disused quarry north-west of Melbourne commonly used for four-wheel drive assessment.
The Continental-owned brand says the composition of the tyre and the DuraGen Technology utilised in the design of tread blocks of the Grabber ATx ensure excellent cut and chip resistance and additional grip across all loose surfaces.
If off-roading in these parts has taught us anything it’s that the tread and sidewall of our tyres cop a lot of abuse on surfaces like these, often taking bites out of the tread blocks after even a handful of circuits.
Despite loose and shaly surfaces underfoot, we found the feedback of the Grabber ATx consistent, offering excellent communication regarding when you do and do not have adequate purchase.
Working that feedback to your advantage, it’s possible to claw away at more challenging lines with a great deal of confidence, the tread efficiently biting the loose stuff through to find the traction required.
Of course, this level of feedback also serves well when crawling downhill. In situations where we could only find diagonal grip, the ability to telegraph just where that grip is certainly comes in handy, instilling confidence that you’re able to brake, roll, or adjust your line as necessary.
While we didn’t tackle any rock gardens this time around, we think that level of communication would be of certain advantage in such a scenario and are keen to try it out soon. Stay tuned for that!
A long, steep climb where exposed rock protruded from the earth had a fair crack at tearing into the sidewall – with 10-inch scars evident on the driver’s side front upon later inspection. Fortunately, the sidewall resisted tearing very well, the only damage appearing to be cosmetic suggesting the construction of the tyre served well in protecting the body of the tyre.
Looking across the tyres, we found very little chipping and scratching, the Grabber ATx’s stacked deflection ribs seemingly working as advertised to shift debris away from the tyre body. We were also impressed to see that the rim protection rib shields had prevented small stones and grit from entering the bead area, which bodes well for future use on wet unsealed gravel roads – and in mud.
We’ve covered close to 5000km since fitting the General Tire Grabber ATx on the HiLux and are so far impressed with the tyres’ breadth of abilities – and level of wear. Out of the wrapper, the tyres had 14mm on tread depth, a number that has been whittled down by just over 1mm at the latest check. If this rate of wear continues, we have no doubt the Grabbers will match (or even out-perform) the longevity of the Cooper rubber we ran previously.
Pricing for the General Tire Grabber ATx starts from $232 depending on tyre size and fitment costs. More information is available at the General Tire website.
Visit GoAuto again soon for our next review.
