Grabber X3 has a three-ply structure that provides additional strength and puncture resistance. A series of deflection ribs protect the sidewalls against damage from stones or gravel, which makes for highly robust performance in tough terrain. When driving over rocks, grip edges arranged at different angles in the tire’s tread delivers maximum grip in every direction. The tire’s unique design has chamfered block edges with wider tread grooves and narrow grooves in the tread base to enable stones to be displaced faster to prevent them from lodging when travelling over gravel. All three rely on a tread pattern that features deep grooves, channels for mud evacuation and staggered edges, which makes for high levels of grip on sand, mud and gravel. To help them meet a demanding set of specifications, General Tire’s development engineers created three new technologies: “Extreme Mud (X Mud)” for maximum traction in deep mud, “Extreme Dirt (X Dirt)” for driving on dirt and gravel, and “Extreme Rock (X Rock)” for tackling rocky terrain. Lastly, we wouldn’t always opt for the big red letters but for our Jeep they do look the business.The new Grabber X3 is a SUV/all-terrain tire for on and off-road use, with a clear emphasis on off-road with an 80/20 off/on-road weighting. We have over 10,000 miles on these tires at the time of this writing and we will easily get 50,000 miles out of these based on current wear. Seriously that’s the complaint, and they are a mud terrain so it’s part of the ownership experience. We have one complaint with the X3… they are a bit noisy on road. Needless to say but, using these tires will improve your driving experience. We do have some trick swaybars helping out but these aren’t the first tires tested with this setup. The tires allow the Jeep to handle far better than it should be able to. I was having some irritability with a technical glitch and really pushed the Jeep hard on some tight turns. What was even more impressive was the amount of on-road cornering grip we had driving down into the valley after the wheeling was done. This shows how even on the simplest terrain the tire conforms easily giving maximum tread contact. While we didn’t tackle any massive boulders or crazy obstacles the traction was everything I could have asked for. Loose gravel, rocks, and rain are a recipe for all kinds of traction issues. Just this past week we did some testing in the rain. The tires won’t limit what you are doing. Pick a line, point the vehicle at it and drive over it. Perfect for when you need to regain control and begin again. I was also able to come to a complete stop and restart in the mud. Even when on the gas and sliding through the mud you could control how sideways and how much slip the tires had with the throttle. I tend to judge a tire by how many times it left me stuck, and if at any point I don’t feel like I am in control. I drove the back roads of Pennsylvania with the X3, many un-maintained roads with gravel, major mud sections, that weren’t deep but had sections that lasted 1/4 mile or more, and wet slimy fields that became mud as you drove on them. With that in mind, the mud was less deep but no less slippery. It’s another tire that bridges that ultra aggressive tire with the features from a more utility driver all terrain. I hate doing that as it just beats the equipment up and the X3 is a lot more than just a mud tire. Normally I spend a day hitting mud holes and trenches for this part of the test. Since these are a mud terrain tire we might as well start with the mud. Today isn’t about the on road performance but we wanted to throw a little update into the mix. Road noise has not gotten any louder, and if anything the traction has actually gotten better in the wet. They have minimal wear on the tread, the sidewalls show no signs of wear after scuffing rocks and curbs for months. We really liked the on road performance, grip levels were really good, tread wear was excellent, and overall they performed at a very high level.Ĩ months later that opinion has not changed. Way back in January we wrote the on road review for the X3. In the case of the General Grabber X3, the people are split on the red letters but we all agree on the performance. Comparing tread life, debating aesthetics, and arguing who makes the best tire has led to some pretty epic arguments. Around the 4WAAM offices, we really like doing tire reviews.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |